The great Paris tourist rip-off exposed by a fake American

Telegraph

4 days ago

Parisian waiters have long been famed for being grumpy. But a new investigation has found that some appear to be operating dishonestly, too.
Hapless tourists in Paris are being charged as much as 50 per cent more than French customers, the city's leading newspaper found.
After detecting online complaints from tourists about being overcharged, Le Parisien sent out one bona fide Parisian to a cafe on the Champ-de-Mars near the Eiffel Tower.
It then dressed up one of its reporters as a typical tourist, sporting a T-shirt emblazoned with the iconic tower, trainers, dark glasses and a baseball cap, along with a passable American accent – albeit with a French twang.
They both sat down at the unnamed eatery and ordered the same dish – lasagne – and drinks, a Coke and water, and discreetly filmed themselves doing so.
The clearly 'French' customer was served a can of Coke for €6.50 (£5.63) and offered a carafe of water along with his dish. Meanwhile, the 'American' was not offered a small can, only a 'medium or large Coke'. When it arrived, it was half a litre and cost €9.50 (£8.23).
As for the water, the 'American' received no offer of a carafe, which is free. Instead, he was made to fork out a further €6 (£5.20) for a small bottle of Vittel.
The pair then walked to another nearby cafe-restaurant to test its policy on tipping.
When it was time to pay, the French customer received the bill, which includes an obligatory 10 per cent service charge. However, the 'American' client was asked if he wished to tip because 'service isn't included'.
Worse, when he agreed to add a 10 per cent tip via the card machine, he realised afterwards the waiter had shielded the amount and discreetly upped this to 15 per cent.
The underhand tactics go beyond the card machine and the Coca-Cola.
Last month, Paris cafes were caught cheating unsuspecting tourists out of good-quality wine.
An undercover sommelier ordered a glass of Chablis, costing around €9 (£7.65), but the wine being served was actually the cheapest on the menu – a €5 (£4.25) sauvignon. The customer was then charged the higher amount.
Wine merchant Marina Giuberti said: 'It's a pity for the customer and for the image of the wine appellation, for the winemaker and for the restaurant owners who do a good job.'
The Telegraph spoke to Joseph, a 21-year-old waiter who confirmed some of the techniques were widespread.
'In one restaurant I worked I was instructed to bring spring water at €7 (£6.07) a bottle unless foreign customers specifically asked for a carafe.
He added: 'I confess I sometimes don't tell them that service included if they mention the word tip.'
'It's daylight robbery'
'It's daylight robbery,' said the French customer, Marc Mazière, an economist who runs a blog called Radin Malin (shrewd miser) which helps people make savings in their everyday spending. 'It's almost abuse of weakness. They know you're a tourist, you're probably tired and don't understand much etc.'
'They exploit this to charge exorbitant prices.'
Several American tourists quizzed by Le Parisien on restaurant rules thought that you always had to pay for water, as that was their experience. 'Usually they bring a bottle of water, you have to pay for even when we say still,' said one woman sitting on a bench in the Tuileries gardens.
Franck Trouet of the hotel and restaurant umbrella group GHR said: 'It's a disgrace to the profession. You can't even call these people waiters.
'You should know that in France, water and bread are free. One can refuse a bottle of water. The tip is to express thanks for the service if one is very satisfied. Above all, it is not compulsory. This is not the United States.'
He said waiters' eagerness to increase the tip had been supercharged when Emmanuel Macron, the French president, decided three years ago to waive taxes on 'le pourboire'.
Now, tips made in French restaurants and cafes using a bank card are no longer taxable.
The rise of new pay machines that automatically suggest a tip of at least 5 per cent has accelerated the trend to try and squeeze more out of diners.
Many restaurants do respect the rules, however, and insiders say waiters in Paris's myriad of cafes, bars, and restaurants work hard for poor pay.