Getting ripped off in Rome

[darkoak]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060503/od_nm/italy_beer_dc

Anyone here ever got ripped off like this? The beer wasn't even bespoke!

 

[globetrotter]

this is ironic - I know several cases of europeans who had the same type of thing happen is asia. mostly in strip joints - a girl sits at your table and orders a bottle of something that they call champange, and you find yourself being billed $1,000.

a few months ago a business partner of mine from austria came out to meet me in rome, and her taxi driver overchanged her for the ride by about 30 or 40 euro, and then also claimed that the 100 euro note she gave him was a 50.

 

[johnapril]

Worst-ever rip off was a shell game Istanbul. Lost 500,000 lira (equivalent of about $1 US).

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Harsh.

 

[RJman]

Happened to me at the fair in Vienna near the Prater ferris wheel. Having watched The Living Daylights too many times, I too tried the target shooting game. The carnie tried to charge me $40 for a few shots. After a lot of yelling at him he quickly came down.

 

[Matt]

ahh people try to pull crap like this on me every day. you get used to it and get used to fighting over miniscule amounts of money on general principle.

toughens you up.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

a few months ago a business partner of mine from austria came out to meet me in rome, and her taxi driver overchanged her for the ride by about 30 or 40 euro, and then also claimed that the 100 euro note she gave him was a 50.
This is why you negotiate the price up front, and never pay until you and your bags (I keep mine in the back seat with me for this very reason) are out of the car. Preferably, you hold out the note, (outside the front window) and say "Just give me X amount", and cash changes hands simultaneously. I didn't follow my own advice in LA once. Bad idea. Some cabbie had his meter turned off (always a bad sign, but I figured that we could work out an arrangement favorable to all.) When we arrived at my destination (a corner, I hardly ever specify an address except when I really don't know a city), he asked for $20 for a ten block ride. I told him I'd give him 5. He got angry and threatened to drop me off somewhere I didn't want to go, and started driving. I opened both back doors, and stomped him in the back of the head (the partition was already a little broken, and it became a lot broken). He stopped the car and let me out, then circled the block twice to see where I was going. I threw a convenient stone at the side of his car, and he did not come back. I did not pay for the ride. I do not enjoy it when people try to rip me off. And sometimes not particularly tough looking Asian hipster dudes are more ornery than they seem.

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by LA Guy

This is why you negotiate the price up front, and never pay until you and your bags (I keep mine in the back seat with me for this very reason) are out of the car. Preferably, you hold out the note, (outside the front window) and say "Just give me X amount", and cash changes hands simultaneously.

I didn't follow my own advice in LA once. Bad idea.

Some cabbie had his meter turned off (always a bad sign, but I figured that we could work out an arrangement favorable to all.) When we arrived at my destination (a corner, I hardly ever specify an address except when I really don't know a city), he asked for $20 for a ten block ride. I told him I'd give him 5. He got angry and threatened to drop me off somewhere I didn't want to go, and started driving. I opened both back doors, and stomped him in the back of the head (the partition was already a little broken, and it became a lot broken). He stopped the car and let me out, then circled the block twice to see where I was going. I threw a convenient stone at the side of his car, and he did not come back. I did not pay for the ride. I do not enjoy it when people try to rip me off. And sometimes not particularly tough looking Asian hipster dudes are more ornery than they seem.

The two worlds of LA Guy:

Mild-manner Fok, the post-doc Ph.D. by day; tough Asian hipster dude by night.

Jon.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

The two worlds of LA Guy:

Mild-manner Fok, the post-doc Ph.D. by day; tough Asian hipster dude by night.

Jon.

Ornery is not necessarily tough

 

[tiger02]

Originally Posted by LA Guy

Ornery is not necessarily tough

You did kick the guy in the back of the head...

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by LA Guy

Ornery is not necessarily tough

Listen its too late, you already revealed your secret identity...

Jon.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by tiger02

You did kick the guy in the back of the head...

He really deserved it. The dude would not let me out of the car without some strong persuasion.

 

[Matt]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

The two worlds of LA Guy:

Mild-manner Fok, the post-doc Ph.D. by day; tough Asian hipster dude by night.

Jon.
hmmm....hes probably slightly weakened from an overused banning finger, so if push comes to shove, i think im in with a shot.

lets see if we can provoke him...

NiCe fLaReZ dOOd