Joe Borg, Xgħajra
A tribute to greed
Please allow me to jog the memory of the owner of that pavement café at the Ferries in Sliema and similarly of that café in Rabat who found my nephew, his wife and three children an easy target for overcharging. The Sliema swindler charged €25 and the one in Rabat €18 for the same order of four soft drinks and a small bottle of water.
Do these heartless individuals not realise the damage their thieving practice does to the tourist industry? How heartless can you be, when a man with a wife and three children satisfies the demands of his family on a hot day, by charging at least five times the normal price? I hope these persons or similar café owners will not write in to justify this abuse of Maltese hospitality by claiming expenses on overheads or on staff wages in the high season. These café premises do very well and some close entirely during the shoulder months affording them a five-month year and enjoyment of the rest of the year.
In spite of regulations stipulating that all prices must be shown, it is clear that in most instances these are ignored and a tourist has no benefit of complaint to a responsible source especially when no enforcement of regulations continues to provide bad publicity to the industry.
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Michael Debono
Jun 27th 2008, 14:03
Is there any difficulty to name the culprits and then let them explain? Thieves ought to be exposed not just complain. I would even go to the relevant authority with the receipt in hand so that action could be taken or at least the thief warned.
Joseph E Briffa
Jun 27th 2008, 13:36
Simple enough not to be ripped off; just don't visit a place where the prices are not displayed .
laurence schembri
Jun 27th 2008, 11:49
Dear Joe, this is Malta, fifteen half-litre beers in a german restaurant cost me €30. Compare.
Keith Chircop
Jun 27th 2008, 11:08
Have you got an idea of how much more those people pay for rent?
liam kelly
Jun 27th 2008, 11:05
Really sorry to hear that Joe but i think you should be telling your unfortunate family members to always ask for the price FIRST, as opposed to throwing their money around.
The whole reason why overcharging prospers on an island like Malta is because the tourists are gullable and careless with money.
L Galea
Jun 27th 2008, 10:46
Can the responsible authorities inform The Times readers how many shop owners were arraigned for not showing prices?
This seems to be a widespread practice as much as the uncontrolled sprawling of tables and chairs on and under the pavement.
Do the authorities ever have a look at Marsalforn and other places in Gozo where chairs and tables are put on the pavement barring access to pedestrians and even put on the road disturbing traffic flow and making sure that no one parks in front of their shops?
A Grech
Jun 27th 2008, 10:30
I think these people should be reported because they are doing lots of harm to our Tourism Industry. Mr Borg should give the names of the two restaurants to the police or to whoever deals with such crimes.
Why shouldn't the wardens get involved with such theft? Wardens should also serve to help tourists who are cheated.