2/5 Donald H. 1 year ago on Google
We
took
the
jewelry
making
class
that
was
included
as
an
optional
side
event
on
our
Columbia
tour.
The
class
was
interesting
just
to
get
an
idea
of
how
jewelry
is
made.
We
also
toured
the
museum
and
learned
about
emerald
mining
and
as
well
as
some
information
about
emeralds
themselves.
Finally,
we
visited
the
gift
shop
where
my
wife
purchased
a
piece
of
emerald
jewelry.
It
is
quite
easy
to
negotiate
a
20%
discount
off
the
posted
prices.
If
you
are
a
tourist,
and
you
purchase
a
jewelry
item
here,
you
are
entitled
to
a
refund
of
the
Columbia
value
added
tax
(VAT)
which
amounts
to
20%
of
the
actual
purchase
price.
To
receive
this
refund,
the
vendor
needs
to
provide
the
buyer
with
an
electronic
receipt
that
includes
a
QR
code.
We
asked
for
this
when
we
purchased
the
item.
The
store
sales
person
provided
us
a
receipt
that
did
not
include
the
required
information
and
insisted
that
it
was
all
we
needed,
even
after
we
asked
a
couple
of
times
to
have
an
electronic
receipt.
When
we
tried
to
apply
for
our
VAT
refund
upon
departure
at
the
airport,
the
agent
said
that
the
receipt
that
was
provided
was
not
sufficient,
and
explained
what
was
needed.
We
are
now
in
the
the
situation
of
having
to
work
through
our
travel
company
to
have
the
Emerald
Museum
provide
us
with
the
necessary
documentation
so
that
we
can
receive
our
VAT
refund.
This
situation
could
have
been
avoided
if
the
sales
agent
had
provided
the
necessary
documentation
at
the
time
of
purchase.
