The great Paris tourist rip-off exposed by a fake American
Hapless tourists in Paris are being charged as much as 50 per cent more than French customers, the city's leading newspaper found.
After tourists complained online about being overcharged, Le Parisien sent out a bona fide Parisian to a cafe on the Champ-de-Mars near the Eiffel Tower.
It also dressed up one of its reporters as a typical tourist, sporting a T-shirt emblazoned with the tower, trainers, dark glasses and a baseball cap, and speaking in a passable American accent – albeit with a French twang.
They both sat down at the unnamed eatery and ordered the same dish – lasagne – and drinks, a Coke and water, and discreetly filmed themselves doing so.
The clearly French customer was served a can of Coke for €6.50 ($11.56) and offered a carafe of water along with his dish. Meanwhile, the 'American' was not offered a small can, only a medium or large Coke. When it arrived, it was half a litre and cost €9.50 ($16.90).
As for the water, the 'American' received no offer of a carafe, which is free, instead having to fork out a further €6 ($10.67) for a small bottle of Vittel.
The pair then walked to another nearby cafe-restaurant to test its policy on tipping.
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