B1 – Intermediate
Japanese tourists were allegedly ripped off their meal at a Venice restaurant. The tourists reported the incident to the police which was then escalated to the mayor.
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https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1801/180124-rip-off-restaurant.html
Discussion Questions:
1. What’s your take on the issue?
2. What do you think of the mayor’s reaction?
3. Have you ever been ripped off? If so, how and why?
4. Do you check TripAdvisor.com for a certain establishment’s rating?
24 replies on “Rip-off Restaurant”
1. What’s your take on the issue?
I think is very common tourists are scammed in anywhere if they don’t be careful, although nowadays is easy thanks to social media.
2. What do you think of the mayor’s reaction?
In my opinion is a good reaction, since this issue could be affects to tourism in the city and would be a big problem for Venice because people live mainly from that.
3. Have you ever been ripped off? If so, how and why?
As much as swindled, no, but I have once thought that the food and service did not deserve even half the price, and precisely I am remembering a dinner in Venice, which was quite expensive and I was not happy at all.
4. Do you check TripAdvisor.com for a certain establishment’s rating?
Of course. I always check tripadvisor and the fork or google. Especially if it’s a city where I’ve never been before.
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1. What’s your take on the issue?
In my opinion, a overchage or to be ripping-off is very common around the world with turists or foreign people in the downtown or in the historical part of the city. In Europe with Japanese is sadly worse because people believe that they have a high purchasing power and will not get angry.
2. What do you think of the mayor’s reaction?
As I see it, one of the worst thing that turists should think about a city is that they are going to be rip-off or to pay an overchange. Majors and council people should to punish that restaurant or shops which deceive foreing people or from the other cities.
3. Have you ever been ripped off? If so, how and why?
Yes, I was ripped off in Italy also. When I was to Florence I decided to eat a lunch in the city center and many restaurant have cheating advertaising or taxes that really don’t exist in the city.
4. Do you check TripAdvisor.com for a certain establishment’s rating?
Yes, I always check Tripadvisor.com in order to choose a good place with a high rating and have a nice and quite lunch or dinner without surprises with the staff or the prices of the food. And I consider that everypeople should check Tripadvisor or Booking for hotels when you decide to take a holidays time around the world.
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1. What’s your take on the issue?
I think it is a fairly common problem. Many restaurants try to ripped of tourists with abusive prices and with charges that are not specified in the menu (charging separately for the service, bread, ice and other things).
2. What do you think of the mayor’s reaction?
I think it’s normal for him to get angry about this event. It affects the opinion about the city and negatively to tourism
3. Have you ever been ripped off? If so, how and why?
No,I have never been ripped off. But I have listen this kind of issues and curiously many have been in Italy
4. Do you check TripAdvisor.com for a certain establishment’s rating?
I usually look at the opinions of the restaurants and when I liked an establishment I leave a good opinion
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1 – This type of incidents are very common on a tourists sites. It’s not the first time that i hear a similar situation (restaurant, taxi, etc). There are some people that believe that if you are tourist, you have a lot of money or they try to scam you with a expensive prices
2 – Like a good politician, he was scandalized with the noticied of his city, but i think that he is knowler that this situation has been ocurried other times. His reaction was only for the news.
3 – Like tourist, i belive that i havent be ripped off. If i payed for anything, like a dinner or a present, sometimes that i have believed that was a just price for the site or maybe sometimes a little expensive, but no much for think that i was been scam.
4 – Yes, ussually I check TripAdvisor or other web sites to obtain informations and opinions for a site to eat or sleep. Although sometimes the opinions, that are publised on this type of websites, are not just with the reality, sometimes because the opiner put a malicious opinion to hurt the site or other times because the opiner dont know about the site or the food’s type.
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1. What’s your take on the issue?
I think this is an unreal situation, I can’t believe they ripped off so much money to those students, and if it was me and my friends, I would have refused to pay the bill, and call the police immediately, but NEVER pay such high quantity of money for that meal. In my trips maybe I was overcharged is some restaurants, but I mean never ripped off, we ate really good and the price was high, but we knew it before we ordered the meal; and just in one ocassion, was more money that we expected, but we asked and it was fixed.
2. What do you think of the mayor’s reaction?
I think it is normal reaction, if they allow these behaviours in tourism of their city, it’s going to damage cultural view of Venice, and damage the tourism, and I think it is a city that lives from that. So they must care about these situations.
3. Have you ever been ripped off? If so, how and why?
Never ripped off, what I was writing on point number 1, maybe overcharged yes, but I mean, because we choose the restaurant, and we knew before ordering the meal that it was expensive restaurant, but the fact is that we ate excellent, so in these cases, I don’t mind to pay extra money.
4. Do you check TripAdvisor.com for a certain establishment’s rating?
Yeah, sure, TripAdvisor, Google, you have variety of opinions, and maybe some people had bad experiences in a certain moment, but if the common rating is good, it must be a good restaurant. Of course I prefer and, if I can, choose the one that all the comments are good, because I think that it is a place that they care for the client and the food is in line with the price.
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1. What’s your take on the issue?
I think is something common and not only in Venice. In this case It was a big bill. But in others cases, It can be small and discreet price increases.
2. What do you think of the mayor’s reaction?
Good. Because he protected tourists and looking for justice.
3. Have you ever been ripped off? If so, how and why?
No. But recently I experienced the opposite case. I was in a bar, and I order the account. Then I see they forgot to include one drink.
4. Do you check TripAdvisor.com for a certain establishment’s rating?
No, I only use Google Maps to see opinions and photos of a restaurant.
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1. What’s your take on the issue?
Well, Venice is knowed for be a city so much expensive, but never I imagined too much. It´s amaizing.
As a suggestion, always is good when you go to the restorant, you must check the restorant’s prices, before to entry to place. So you evite this situations so ungry.
2. What do you think of the mayor’s reaction?
I´m agree, I think that the mayor’s reaction is correct, because would be a good form of regular situations futures.
3. Have you ever been ripped off? If so, how and why?
No, I haven’t. And I hope that never succed me.
But I remember, when I was searching house to rent, one announce call me my attention, because the department was big, very beautiful and it was near of my current house; but the price was cheap.
So, I send message to contact. when they contacted with me, They tell me that first I should pay for bizum or bank transfer, but they can´t might show me because they were out of the city. It was very suspicious.
I started to look at net opinions and in this moment I know that it was false, It was a rip-off
4. Do you check TripAdvisor.com for a certain establishment’s rating?
Everytime, when I need trip I check throught apps. can be meals or hotel or house rent for a short time. but always see opinions in the net.
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1. What’s your take on the issue?
I think it happens in too much countries,even in Spain , mainly if you go to tipical restaurant in the tourist zone
2. What do you think of the mayor’s reaction?
in my view is very important that authorities stop this kind of abuses
3. Have you ever been ripped off? If so, how and why?
yes , curiously in Venecia as weel , it was the first time in my life that have to argue with a waiter and I felt very angry.I had to pay more than the price shown in the menu
4. Do you check TripAdvisor.com for a certain establishment’s rating?
Sometimes yes , In my opinion it is a good way to avoid embarrasments situations
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1. The large sum of money they charged those Japanese is disproportionate and it’s of course unacceptable, but everybody should check the prices of the meal before ordering, and if it is not correct with the bill, do not accept to pay.
2. Mayor’s reaction is appropriate.
3. Luckily, I’ve never been ripped off, and I hope it continues like this.
4. Sometimes I checked tripadvisor or other portals to know the opinion of other customers, but not always.
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1. In my opinion, I think this type of dishonest things happens more than we are able to image. Touristic cities have many establishment which increase their bills depending on the client and this should be controlled by autorities.
2. Yes, I’m agree with the mayor in all. I hope his words are true and this doesn´t finish with people wants to ear.
3. I have never been ripped off until now. But I’ve heard it from people close to me
4. Yes, I use it a lot and I give comments when I’m traveling to help another tourists.
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1. I think sometimes happen, and it should be discuss. It could be an error, or a ripped. First of all confirm with the service if they are aware of the issue, and later if, if it is not solve, the police can be called.
2. The reaction was professional as it should be done.
3. Only one time, when I had to pay a taxi for a small trip that the cost should be 14euros, the device marked 1400euros. I warned the taxi driver and he corrected it. At least, it was an error and I have checked before paid it.
4. I used to check yes, a lot of times. But recently I saw a documentary regarding it, and the confirmed that the restaurants paid to avoid negative comments, and to have positive ones, even nobody review even the restaurant, so, there are false comments for their benefit.
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1. I have a bad opinion on the issue. I think these this types of problems are very common in the touristic cities and we should be reported and solve the incidents in order to avoid more rip-off in the future.
2. I think the major’s reaction was good. I hope that in these issues the justice have to review, confirm and punish to responsible.
3. No, luckily, I have never been ripped off. But I have listen this kind of issues.
4. Yes, I check TripAdvisor.com (or similar portal) for a certain establishment’s rating. I like to review the opinions about the food, the local, the space. Etc..
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