Latest news with #overcharging
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
Take it from a former Parisian waitress: there are ways to avoid the unofficial ‘tourist tax' in cafes and bars
When an investigation into the tricks of Parisian waiters found that foreign tourists were being ripped off, all I could think was, 'Quelle surprise!' Anyone who has stared in shock at a bill for a citron pressé and an espresso near the Boulevard St Germain – as I did on one of my recent visits – will no doubt join me in a feeling of vindication. Undercover journalists for Le Parisien, posing as cafe punters around the Champ de Mars, have discovered that foreign tourists are being charged as much as 50% more than French customers, using a variety of tricks including only offering bottled water or more expensive drinks, being told service isn't included when it is, and swapping the wine ordered for the cheapest on the menu. As a former waitress in the French capital, I'm someone who has been on both sides of this conflict. Before I left home, at 18, to move there, my mother warned me of the 'tourist tax', having visited with my father in the mid-1980s and noted the suspicious fiver that seemed to appear on all their bills. As a result, I was slightly on guard whenever I was en terrasse, always making sure to ask for tap water and quibbling anything that didn't look right. Then I became a waitress myself. Despite dodgy French and a lack of experience, for some reason a small crêperie on the Left Bank hired me (actually, I know why: I agreed to go on a date with one of its former chefs). Working there was a baptism of fire, as I discovered the minute a table of French people ordered a perroquet, a kir and a menthe a l'eau. What were these strange, exotic drinks, and how the hell did I make them? The French customers were exacting in their requirements. The tourists, meanwhile, especially the Americans, were charmed by the quaintness and novelty of the place, friendly but slightly unnerved by the brisk, perfunctory service, and easily impressed and influenced. (This difference is borne out by recent TripAdvisor reviews – appalling on the French website, glowing on the English.) I never ripped off tourists. In fact, they used to greet me with relief because I not only spoke English but, being aware of the longstanding reputation for rudeness on the part of Parisian serving staff, would work hard to charm them – with one eye on the tip tray, naturally (French customers never tipped). What I did do, though, was a lot of upselling. 'Ordering two cups of Breton cider? Why not have the bottle?' – that sort of thing, which is par for the course in hospitality. I did, however, know waiting staff who had less honest tactics. And then, 10 years ago, a group of us diners were subject to an outrageous scam at a Left Bank brasserie. Enticed into a place on the promise of a deal on a cheap charcuterie board, much merriment was had until the bill came, whereupon we discovered that the board had trebled in price and we were being charged for a far more expensive bottle of picpoul than the one we had ordered. My quibble with the bill quickly descended into an argument with the waiter, who flatly denied that we had ever been promised the deal, saying, in possibly the most French manner possible: 'In Paris, you would pay more for oeufs mayonnaise.' This has since become a catchphrase in our house whenever the cost of anything is brought up. (Our other family catchphrase, done in an 'Allo 'Allo! accent, is deployed when we are eating parsnips, in honour of the ex-boyfriend who came for Sunday lunch: 'In France, we feed zees to the pigs!') Look, I love France and the French. I have French family and friends, and part of my heart will always be living in Paris, 18, chain-smoking at the bar with a book in my hand (the best thing about being a waitress in France is being allowed to read and not being told to smile). Ripping off tourists, however, is never on, even in this era of Instagram travel and overtourism. I'm not averse to a tourist tax, provided it's a legal one. My advice for not getting ripped off in Paris is as follows: avoid places with touts outside; say bonjour when you walk in, and please and thank you when ordering. Learn the French for tap water. Be aware that bread should be free. Look around you to observe the size of the drinks the locals are having, and if necessary point to them when ordering. If you're offered a side or a different type of wine, ask how much it is. Read the bill when it arrives and don't be afraid to question it. Ask if service is included or not and check the amount on the card machine before you pay. And – the ouefs mayonnaise rule – if an offer looks too good to be true, then it probably is. Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
Take it from a former Parisian waitress: there are ways to avoid the unofficial ‘tourist tax' in cafes and bars
When an investigation into the tricks of Parisian waiters found that foreign tourists were being ripped off, all I could think was, 'Quelle surprise!' Anyone who has stared in shock at a bill for a citron pressé and an espresso near the Boulevard St Germain – as I did on one of my recent visits – will no doubt join me in a feeling of vindication. Undercover journalists for Le Parisien, posing as cafe punters around the Champ de Mars, have discovered that foreign tourists are being charged as much as 50% more than French customers, using a variety of tricks including only offering bottled water or more expensive drinks, being told service isn't included when it is, and swapping the wine ordered for the cheapest on the menu. As a former waitress in the French capital, I'm someone who has been on both sides of this conflict. Before I left home, at 18, to move there, my mother warned me of the 'tourist tax', having visited with my father in the mid-1980s and noted the suspicious fiver that seemed to appear on all their bills. As a result, I was slightly on guard whenever I was en terrasse, always making sure to ask for tap water and quibbling anything that didn't look right. Then I became a waitress myself. Despite dodgy French and a lack of experience, for some reason a small crêperie on the Left Bank hired me (actually, I know why: I agreed to go on a date with one of its former chefs). Working there was a baptism of fire, as I discovered the minute a table of French people ordered a perroquet, a kir and a menthe a l'eau. What were these strange, exotic drinks, and how the hell did I make them? The French customers were exacting in their requirements. The tourists, meanwhile, especially the Americans, were charmed by the quaintness and novelty of the place, friendly but slightly unnerved by the brisk, perfunctory service, and easily impressed and influenced. (This difference is borne out by recent TripAdvisor reviews – appalling on the French website, glowing on the English.) I never ripped off tourists. In fact, they used to greet me with relief because I not only spoke English but, being aware of the longstanding reputation for rudeness on the part of Parisian serving staff, would work hard to charm them – with one eye on the tip tray, naturally (French customers never tipped). What I did do, though, was a lot of upselling. 'Ordering two cups of Breton cider? Why not have the bottle?' – that sort of thing, which is par for the course in hospitality. I did, however, know waiting staff who had less honest tactics. And then, 10 years ago, a group of us diners were subject to an outrageous scam at a Left Bank brasserie. Enticed into a place on the promise of a deal on a cheap charcuterie board, much merriment was had until the bill came, whereupon we discovered that the board had trebled in price and we were being charged for a far more expensive bottle of picpoul than the one we had ordered. My quibble with the bill quickly descended into an argument with the waiter, who flatly denied that we had ever been promised the deal, saying, in possibly the most French manner possible: 'In Paris, you would pay more for oeufs mayonnaise.' This has since become a catchphrase in our house whenever the cost of anything is brought up. (Our other family catchphrase, done in an 'Allo 'Allo! accent, is deployed when we are eating parsnips, in honour of the ex-boyfriend who came for Sunday lunch: 'In France, we feed zees to the pigs!') Look, I love France and the French. I have French family and friends, and part of my heart will always be living in Paris, 18, chain-smoking at the bar with a book in my hand (the best thing about being a waitress in France is being allowed to read and not being told to smile). Ripping off tourists, however, is never on, even in this era of Instagram travel and overtourism. I'm not averse to a tourist tax, provided it's a legal one. My advice for not getting ripped off in Paris is as follows: avoid places with touts outside; say bonjour when you walk in, and please and thank you when ordering. Learn the French for tap water. Be aware that bread should be free. Look around you to observe the size of the drinks the locals are having, and if necessary point to them when ordering. If you're offered a side or a different type of wine, ask how much it is. Read the bill when it arrives and don't be afraid to question it. Ask if service is included or not and check the amount on the card machine before you pay. And – the ouefs mayonnaise rule – if an offer looks too good to be true, then it probably is. Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Paris restaurants caught ripping off American tourists with inflated prices
Tourists visiting Paris restaurants are being charged as much as 50 per cent more than French customers, an investigation by Le Parisien has found. After several online complaints about the practice, the French newspaper conducted an experiment. It sent two journalists to the same restaurant at the same time: one in disguise as an American tourist, the other as a typical Parisien. The men both ordered a lasagne, a Coke and water. Writer Mathieu Hennequin, disguised as a tourist in a baseball cap and an Eiffel Tower t-shirt, was consistently overcharged. The French customer was offered a can of Coke, or a medium or large glass. He was charged €6.50 (£5.64). Meanwhile, Mr Hennequin was not offered the smaller option, instead paying €9.50 (£8.24) for the medium size The 'American' was also not offered a free carafe of water, unlike the French customer. He was charged a further €6 (£5.20) for a small bottle. In total, Mr Hennequin was charged €9.50 (£8.24) more than his Parisian counterpart. In another establishment Mr Hennequin was told that the service charge was not included in the final bill, which Le Parisien says is not true. The reporter said he was charged an 'almost obligatory" tip of €4 (£3.47), and that when he agreed to add a 10 per cent gratuity via the card machine, the waiter discreetly increased this to 15 per cent. In both cases, the paper found that the bill for the fake American tourist was 50 per cent more than the French customer. Franck Trouet, of GHR, a hotel and restaurant group, looked at these findings and 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.' In April, Le Parisien unearthed similar tactics during an investigation into the price of wine in the city's cafes. They found that some bistros in Paris were pouring cheap wine for tourists after they ordered more expensive, premium bottles. One of undercover sommeliers, wine merchant Marina Giuberti, found a €7.50 (£6.50) sancerre had been replaced by a cheaper sauvignon priced at €5.60 (£4.86), but she was charged the higher rate.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
The great Paris tourist rip-off exposed by a fake American
Parisian waiters have long been famous for being grumpy – but now an 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 tourists complained online about being overcharged, Le Parisien sent out a bona fide Parisian to a cafe on the Champ-de-Mars near the Eiffel Tower. It also dressed up one of its reporters as a typical tourist, sporting a T-shirt emblazoned with the tower, trainers, dark glasses and a baseball cap, and speaking in 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 having 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'. When he agreed to add a 10 per cent tip via the card machine, he realised afterwards that the waiter had shielded the amount and discreetly increased this to 15 per cent. 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 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 said 'I confess I sometimes don't tell them that service included if they mention the word tip.' Marc Mazière, the French customer, an economist, runs a blog called Radin Malin (shrewd miser), which helps people make savings in their everyday spending. 'It's daylight robbery,' he said. 'It's almost abuse of weakness. They know you're a tourist, you're probably tired and don't understand much. 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 GHR, a hotel and restaurant umbrella group, 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. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Daily Mail
That'll be €10 extra, please! Fake American finds tourists 'ARE getting ripped off in Paris'
Foreign tourists in Paris are being charged as much as 50 per cent more than French customers, an undercover investigation has found. The city's leading newspaper, Le Parisien, found that several tourists from outside of France had been posting complaints online about being overcharged. So they sent out a Parisian the Champ-de-Mars near the Eiffel Tower. They also dressed up one of their reporters as an American tourist and directed them to the same cafe to reveal exactly what was happening at the holidaymaker hotspots. But what they stumbled across was shocking. They both seated themselves at the unnamed diner and ordered the same dish - lasagna, a Coke and water. All the while they had been filming themselves. The clearly 'French' customer was served a can of Coke for for €6.50 (£5.63) and offered a carafe of water along with his dish. However, the 'American' was not offered a small can, only a 'medium or large Coke'. When it arrived, it was just half a litre and cost €9.50 (£8.23). As for the water, the 'American' received no offer for a carafe, which is free, but was instead made to spend a further €6 (£5.20) for a small bottle of Vittel. The server also offered the 'American' a side of garlic bread without specifying that it was an extra. They were later charged a further €6 (£5.20). The pair then walked to a different nearby cafe-restaurant to test its policy on tipping. When the bill arrived, the French customer noticed their receipt included an obligatory ten per cent service charge. But the 'American' tourist was asked if he wanted to tip as 'service isn't included'. And to make matters worse, when he agreed to add a ten per cent tip via the card machine, he noticed the waiter had discreetly hidden the amount and increased this to 15 per cent. But this is not the first time Paris has used elaborate scams to make the most out of their hapless tourists. Last month, Paris cafes were caught cheating unsuspecting suspects 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. Shockingly, 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.' A number of 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 French woman. 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 added that waiters' eagerness to increase the tip had been pushed when French President Emmanuel Macron decided to waive taxes on 'le pourboire'. Now, tips made in French restaurants and cafes using a bank card are no longer taxable. The increased usage of electronic pay machines that automatically suggest a tip of at least five per cent has supercharged the trend to try and make more from paying customers. It comes after a popular Greek tourist resort was recently labelled the 'ultimate rip-off' for drinks. One of Greece's prettiest spots, the ancient Old Town of Rhodes, was red flagged as a major hotspot for overcharging tourists, according to reviews on Google and TripAdvisor. The area's narrow network of streets are filled with places to imbibe everything from local Dodecanese beer to shots of ouzo, but according to some disgruntled tourists, a visit to Rhodes' Old Town also leaves visitors vulnerable to inflated prices - with a string of bars accused of 'scamming' tourists.
