Restaurants around the world often try to wring as many tips as possible from tourists.
Travel expert and founder of Panache Cruises, James Cole, has warned tourists about a common scam used by restaurants around the world to get more money from them.
“Some restaurants, especially in the States, offer customers tip options on their check that can be added to the main bill. Be sure to do your calculations and check that the percentage is calculated correctly. Some businesses try to trick tourists, hoping they won’t notice that they overpaid the tip,” Express quoted Cole as saying.
He also said that in some institutions it is customary to immediately include the service fee in the bill. However, the waiters do not mention this to get double tips from guests who do not double-check their bills.
At the same time, Cole noted that in some countries, for example, in the United States, the percentage of tips is much higher than in European countries, so tourists should check in advance whether they are calculated correctly.
In addition, Cole talked about three more popular schemes for deceiving tourists:
1. Free bracelets. When visiting large cities in Europe, you can run into scammers who offer passers-by a free friendship bracelet.
“They’re very quick, and before you can say no, they’ve tied a bracelet around your wrist. Then they make a scene as if you’re refusing to pay, which makes polite tourists feel obligated to pay to avoid uncomfortable situations. Don’t fall for free offers or let anyone put anything on your body. Anything is rarely truly free, so tourists should politely decline any offers of ‘free’ things,” Cole warned.
2. A closed hotel or attraction. Some taxi drivers make money by getting commissions from referring customers to local businesses. They tell passengers that the hotel, tourist attraction, or restaurant they are going to is temporarily closed and offer an alternative option that they are in cahoots with.
“If this happens, just insist on being taken to the place you originally booked, because if it was closed, you wouldn’t be able to book it,” the expert explained.
3. Car rental fraud. Tourists should be very careful when renting a car, motorcycle, bicycle, or jet ski, as the owners may accuse them of damage they did not cause.
“They may even take your passport as collateral and threaten to keep it for themselves if you don’t pay for expensive repairs. Before driving off, be sure to take photos and videos documenting its condition so you don’t get accused of something you didn’t do “, Cole said.
As DIP reported, a strange scheme was invented in Italy to deceive tourists.
Experts also advised on how to avoid fraudsters in taxis and restaurants.