A very important article about how you could be robbed in a restaurant ot cafe if you’re not careful. It is worth reading further to know what could happen to you as well, in case you’re not alert.
“The scene is Alanya. E… a well-known customer, asks for the bill with his wife at the end of the day in a popular restaurant.
The waiter, holding a POS device, requests a payment of 3,500 TL. E.. is about to use his credit card when his wife says, ‘The bill is wrong.’ E wants to see the receipt. E and his wife, examining the receipt handed by the waiter, notice that uneaten food and drinks have been added to the bill and raise an objection. The bill is checked, and an excess of 1650 TL is detected. They pay a total of 1850 TL and leave the establishment.
‘PARDON’ THEY SAY
“E” who was asked for about twice the amount, shared a very alarming email.
He said, “They added 6 extra items of food and drink. We objected. They said, sorry, we entered it wrong. Afterwards, I did a little research. I learned that many people had encountered similar receipt frauds. If you notice, they say pardon. If you don’t notice it, too bad for you… This is a tourist area. Think about the situation of foreigners. We are only talking about taxis, but some restaurants and beach establishments are literally robbing tourists.”
I did a little research. I saw that complaints about restaurant bills have increased, especially recently.
Scammers are at work… Never pay the bill without checking the receipt
WE COULD ALL EXPERIENCE SAME SITUATION
Let me make it clear that the target audience of scammers is not only local/foreign tourists but all of us. This includes places where children and young people hang out, as well as the most popular patisseries and restaurants. There are many allegations of irregularities such as adding food and drinks to receipts, not showing receipts, arbitrarily adding amounts under the name of tip/service, inflating cover charges, etc.
AT YOUR INITIATIVE
Businesses are required to issue receipts, but it is your initiative to see those receipts and check the information they contain.
Wherever you go, whether it’s restaurants, etc., compare and check what is written on the bill with what you have eaten and drunk. Receipts are already issued primarily for you to check these, to know what you are paying for.
“TRANSPARENT” PRICE CALL
I shared what happened to the reader E and my research on the subject with the President of the All Restaurant and Tourism Association (TÜRES). He has a crucial call for transparency in prices. In my opinion, it is very important:
“Complaints about receipts and bills are also on our agenda. We shared the issue with our Minister of Commerce, Mr. Ömer Bolat, in the past few days. Our suggestion is for all businesses to display their prices visibly at the entrance of their establishments. Let customers know the prices before even seeing the menu. Moreover, all businesses should publish their menus with prices on their websites. Customers should come to the venue knowing the prices. These two suggestions of ours should be made mandatory.”
SERVICE-TIP COVER CHARGE
In recent times, complaints about restaurants regarding charges such as cover, service, service charge, waiter fee, tip, etc., stand out. Some even claim that there is no standard for these items, and some restaurants try to charge all these items excessively. The President of TÜRES, confirms that they have received many complaints in this regard in recent times and adds: “When you sit down at the table, the pita/bread, butter, tomato paste, etc. that comes to your table are summarized as kuver. You are charged a fee for this. We demand that kuver fees be known in advance and included in the menus. There are those who charge 30 TL, and there are those who charge 200 TL. How will the public know this?”
source: hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/sefer-levent/dolandiricilar-isbasinda-adisyonu-incelemeden-asla-hesap-odemeyin-42360728?utm_source=webpush
Translated by BTT
