Photos of receipts on social media always cause discussions

Photos of receipts on social media always cause discussions

Entertainment News / By /

Sometimes because of excessive prices, sometimes because of absurd rumors: there are cases in which outrage makes sense, in others it doesn’t

In early August, a photo of a receipt posted by an Italian tourist in the Tripadvisor comments section of a Lake Como bar began circulating widely online and in newspapers. In addition to toast, a Coca-Cola, water and coffee, the cost items also included cutting the toast in half, for which two euros were charged. The bar’s owner justified this by saying that “it took us some time to cut it in two and the work is paying off,” but added: “If those who consumed it didn’t want to pay for it, they would “We do it.” “I didn’t ask for it, that’s it.”

In the following days and throughout August, further evidence was published online denouncing similar attempts by bars and restaurants to charge for services that are normally included in the price of admission or, in any case, the cost of which was only disclosed at the time of the event Payment. Even the American newspaper CNN wrote about it in an article entitled “The scandalous scams against tourists in Italy”. The discussion about the unexpected cost positions of bars and restaurants was part of a broader debate that has long existed about the inflated prices of services in the most tourist areas, and which has been fueled by the more recent debate about price increases due to inflation. Sometimes it messes up the plans a little.

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Examples of additional costs that have emerged in the last month include, in addition to sharing toast, extra empty plates or plastic cutlery to take away, but there are also those who have asked for money to heat baby bottles in the microwave or a cutting the cake brought from outside. In most cases, the controversies that arise online from such stories have some basis. In fact, in these cases, the laws regulating consumer rights are very clear: in order to demand payment for a good or service, the trader must indicate the price on the menu or, alternatively, he must have informed the customer that he wants the service Additional costs apply for the requested request.

– Also read: How much has inflation impoverished us?

However, in practice it is not always easy to exercise this right at the time of payment: “In general, when there are problems, the first thing we recommend is to seek dialogue,” says Stefano Albertini, coordinator of one of these procedures in the two Italian offices of the European Consumer Center which is part of a network co-financed by the European Commission dealing with consumer rights in the European free market. “I have seen that other consumer associations have recommended calling the city police, but I am not sure whether they will intervene in such a case.” The complaint can certainly be made directly to the dealer and is often a good route to resolution.” Alternatively, in Italy the Competition and Markets Authority, more commonly referred to as “antitrust”, is the authority that monitors unfair business practices. There is a form on their website that can also be filled out in English for reports.

However, another problem is the inflated prices: one of the recent cases is that of a couple who published online the 60 euro receipt they received after asking for two coffees and two bottles of water at a hotel in Porto Cervo tourist places are considered the most exclusive in Sardinia. The owner then announced that prices would be displayed and that his bar was “not just coffee, but an experience.”

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What happened in Porto Cervo is certainly nothing new: the prices of bars in St. Mark’s Square in Venice, for example, have always caused cyclical controversy. “In Italy there is currently no legislation imposing a price cap: it is left to the free market to decide how much to charge for your products and services,” explains Albertini. “The only thing the consumer can do is to first check the prices displayed: the restaurateur is actually entitled to payment, no matter how high the prices are.”

The heavy online presence of images and debates about the receipts and the CNN article could indicate that there have been more cases of unexpected surcharges and exaggerated costs this year than before. From the point of view of the European Consumer Center, which deals with the handling of disputes and complaints from Italian citizens staying abroad in the European Union or from European citizens coming to Italy, “there is no increase in complaints from Italian citizens in the Abroad.” nor from European citizens who came to Italy on vacation.”

However, it is likely that the focus on tourist costs in Italy has been greater than usual this year due to inflation and the objective and dramatic increase in some costs such as gasoline. So it cannot be ruled out that this will be noticed in particular by US tourists, who appear to have returned to Italy in large numbers after the sharp decline due to the pandemic this year. “In this context, it is important to remember that it is absolutely forbidden to charge different prices for coffee depending on the tourist’s origin,” concludes Albertini.

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