Foreigners are charged more than locals when buying identical products from the same establishments, an exercise conducted by The Sunday Times has shown.
One quarter of stores, kiosks and bars visited by this newspaper charged more to a foreigner speaking English than to a Maltese person speaking the national language for the same product.
Sixteen stores, kiosks and bars were visited in popular tourist areas in Valletta, St Julian’s, Paceville, Tarxien and Rabat.
At each location, a Maltese journalist ordered a selected item in Maltese, while a British journalist posing as a tourist ordered the same item in English.
The journalists ordered the same product directly after one another and obtained receipts in all cases when the foreigner was charged more.
The Sunday Times only visited retailers where prices of items were not clearly displayed, which is illegal under the Price Indication Regulations of the Consumer Affairs Act.
At a confectionary in Merchants Street, Valletta, on August 26, the Maltese journalist paid €1.20 for a small bottle of cola, while the British journalist was charged €1.50 for the same item immediately afterwards.
On the same day, a political party club in Republic Street, Valletta, perhaps demonstrated why it displays a sign saying ‘tourists welcome’ outside – the barman there charged the Maltese journalist €1.30 for a bottle of lager, but moments later he charged the British ‘tourist’ €1.40 for the same item.
Yesterday at a store in St George’s Road, St Julian’s, the attendant charged the British journalist €1.25 for a two-litre bottle of mineral water. A few minutes later, the same woman charged the Maltese journalist €1 for the product.
And Anglo-Maltese solidarity was somewhat lacking at a certain establishment in Merchants Street, Valletta, yesterday; the British journalist was charged the Anglo price of €2, while the local journalist was charged the Maltese price of €1.75 for an equivalent large can of lager.
Although the other places visited did not display the prices of all their products as required by law, they did not attempt to charge different prices for the same product to the journalists.
Foreigners who spoke The Sunday Times came up with numerous anecdotes about instances when they believe they were ripped off.
One Briton recalled a time he was eating in Mdina with his Maltese girlfriend, whom the waitresses presumed was also foreign, and right in front of them one waitress told another in Maltese to charge them for two scoops of ice cream instead of the one they had ordered.
Another foreigner working in Valletta recalled that for weeks he was charged 90 cents for his daily cup of coffee at a cafe close to his place of work. When the staff at the cafe started to recognise him they began charging him 70 cents instead, but lost a formerly loyal customer.
“Despite the drop in price, I would rather buy my coffee elsewhere than pay people I know were cheating me,” he said.
Odette Vella of the Consumer and Competition Department, who writes a weekly consumer column in The Sunday Times, emphasised it is illegal for any retailer to purposely charge different prices for the same product.
Ms Vella said every product for sale should have a price which is displayed in a manner that is unambiguous, easily identifiable and clearly legible.
If consumers believe they have been overcharged, or if they know of a trader that does not display its prices, they can report these traders to the Enforcement Directorate within the Consumer and Competition Department on Freephone 8007 4400.