chocaholic22

Just read this on the Daily Mail website and I was quite shocked(sheltered life my husband says)!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...dnt-order.html

I did wonder if they had eaten it, even if they hadn't ordered it though! They don't mention that.

andyrich666

My very first time was in Puerto de Santa Maria, they must have thought I was a right mug.

I did not go to the counter and say I was a Middle class blah blah blah, but kindly asked where the 3 Cafe's came from on the bill. (neither of us drink coffee)

A second time in Sevilla where a plate of cheese and ham came to about 28 euro was the next time, I payed that one though and it taught me a lesson,

I turned from the tourist that does not care about the bill to the tightwad wh now tots it up before I sit down, I think if you go with that attitude of not being striped up from the off, the chances are the bill will be ok.

I eat out most time and only twice have I felt ive been striped up, the Sanat maria one we argued and they were good about it, the Sevilla one, did not have much choice, payed it and that bar will never get another penny out of me and I learned also, it actually may have been 28€ but I don't think so.

The same would happen in Paris Rome Venice and London also as well as many other places. I would expect more to the story as the Police in Spain I see don't usually care so much about petty things like this.

rugbymatt

Comments are priceless.... looks like some Spaniards finally admitting a few truths.

Dick Dasterdly

Let that be a lesson never mind your brussels just be sure to eat your paella.
Living here amongst Spanish families in the very heart of paella country, I confess to being heartily sick of the sight of the stuff, but try not to refuse it, as that seems to be the one thing in the world that really upsets them.
Most of the ingredients, snails, pigeons and rabbits are picked or shot in their own back gardens.

Good advice from Andy.
Wonder if anyone recalls this from a few weeks ago ?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...e-in-Rome.html

Well my daughter was in the very same shop only a couple of weeks before that and they tried to charge her 14 euros for a cornet.
She put it back down and refused to pay.
They tried everything they could to intimidate her in front of the other customers, shouting and screaming at her, but she just walked out the door and went on her way.

jennieJ

Absolutely brilliant reader comments at the bottom of the articles. Obviously a lot of have been ripped off in Spanish Restaurants in the past plus have no faith in Spanish police.

Suppose that'll be even more people going AI now.

HBG

I've had hundreds of restaurant meals in Spain and nothing like that has ever happened to me.

I did find the readers comments hilarious, they surely can't be a true reflection of what British people think (on any topic)?

But the Mail is the biggest selling British newspaper.

God help us.

Lynn R

We've had it happen to us both ways - things have mysteriously appeared on our bill which we hadn't ordered (we queried them and except in one case they were removed without demur) and sometimes a dish or drinks we had ordered and consumed were missed off the bill - and although we may be mad, we've always pointed out the error.

The one exception I mentioned was a local bar where we'd had a couple of glasses of wine, paid our bill and were just leaving when some friends arrived so we stayed on for a couple more. On asking for the bill they insisted we hadn't paid for the first ones and wouldn't budge, we paid but have never ever been back so they lost out, plus we warned others to be wary.

jackytoo

The only place it happened to us was in Puerto de Santa Maria, which someone has mentioned. We were billed for 2 tia marias which we never drink. They did wipe it off without comment which says it all I have heard it happens regularly to golfing parties when they are out in the evening, they assume they are too pissed to notice.

EMR

We have been charged for 3 steaks when there were only two of us.
2 sea bass when the dish was 1 fish between 2.
Where was this in a UK sea side resort.
UK, Spain or Outer Mongolia the restaurant business like any other will have it rougues who will try and rip customers off.
The DM is getting more and more anti anything that is not wrapped in a Union Flag and I no longer believe at least half of what it prints.

mikelincs

They wish, actually it's 'The Sun'.

rugbymatt

Now now Mike, you know facts are thin on the ground here....

jimenato

Rip-offs happen here sadly although I've never heard of anyone getting into trouble over it..

There are two bar/restaurants which do it frequently. I'm guessing that if they don't recognise the punter they assume they are tourists.

A friend of mine was with three friends in one of them and were initially charged 80 Euros for beer and tapas. They managed to get it down to 25 although that was probably over the top. Needless to say neither they nor many other expats go there any more.

The other one overcharged us when we first came to the village 7 years ago. Again we haven't been back.

In a small village like ours it's an extremely short-sighted ploy. Most of the tourists are residential tourists or staying with friends. The word always gets around.

jennieJ

So you don't think the charged for two sea bass when you only had one might have been a genuine error then ?

Two diners, one meal ? Hardly the norm.

What did you do when the police were called ? Or did they just change the bill when they realised they had billed two diners for two meals by mistake ?

Having worked as a waitress for four years in the UK, that sounds like a genuine error lol not a systematic routine of cheating customers.

andyrich666

Oh yes we forget about that don't we, yes this has happened to us on a few occasions esp in the really busy fast moving cafe's and restaurants when you have a meal of the day, they can become a touch forgetful.

andyrich666

We were in the Hotel Dunas and it was a Restaurant on the beach, like in a big marquee.

I had at the time just started to learn Spanish and it was a perfect test for me.

Ill never forget the whole incident as I obviously did not know my Spanish foods but from that day I certainly did, Boquerones is something I will never ever ask for again

eating them was like torture for me