Latest news with #price discrimination
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Daily Mail
That'll be €10 extra, please! Fake American finds tourists 'ARE getting ripped off in Paris'
Foreign tourists in Paris are being charged as much as 50 per cent more than French customers, an undercover investigation has found. The city's leading newspaper, Le Parisien, found that several tourists from outside of France had been posting complaints online about being overcharged. So they sent out a Parisian the Champ-de-Mars near the Eiffel Tower. They also dressed up one of their reporters as an American tourist and directed them to the same cafe to reveal exactly what was happening at the holidaymaker hotspots. But what they stumbled across was shocking. They both seated themselves at the unnamed diner and ordered the same dish - lasagna, a Coke and water. All the while they had been filming themselves. The clearly 'French' customer was served a can of Coke for for €6.50 (£5.63) and offered a carafe of water along with his dish. However, the 'American' was not offered a small can, only a 'medium or large Coke'. When it arrived, it was just half a litre and cost €9.50 (£8.23). As for the water, the 'American' received no offer for a carafe, which is free, but was instead made to spend a further €6 (£5.20) for a small bottle of Vittel. The server also offered the 'American' a side of garlic bread without specifying that it was an extra. They were later charged a further €6 (£5.20). The pair then walked to a different nearby cafe-restaurant to test its policy on tipping. When the bill arrived, the French customer noticed their receipt included an obligatory ten per cent service charge. But the 'American' tourist was asked if he wanted to tip as 'service isn't included'. And to make matters worse, when he agreed to add a ten per cent tip via the card machine, he noticed the waiter had discreetly hidden the amount and increased this to 15 per cent. But this is not the first time Paris has used elaborate scams to make the most out of their hapless tourists. Last month, Paris cafes were caught cheating unsuspecting suspects out of good-quality wine. An undercover sommelier ordered a glass of Chablis costing around €9 (£7.65), but the wine being served was actually the cheapest on the menu – a €5 (£4.25) sauvignon. Shockingly, the customer was then charged the higher amount. Wine merchant Marina Giuberti said: 'It's a pity for the customer and for the image of the wine appellation, for the winemaker and for the restaurant owners who do a good job.' A number of American tourists quizzed by Le Parisien on restaurant rules thought that you always had to pay for water, as that was their experience. 'Usually they bring a bottle of water, you have to pay for even when we say still,' said one French woman. Franck Trouet of the hotel and restaurant umbrella group GHR said: 'It's a disgrace to the profession. You can't even call these people waiters. 'You should know that in France, water and bread are free. One can refuse a bottle of water. The tip is to express thanks for the service if one is very satisfied. Above all, it is not compulsory. This is not the United States'. He added that waiters' eagerness to increase the tip had been pushed when French President Emmanuel Macron decided to waive taxes on 'le pourboire'. Now, tips made in French restaurants and cafes using a bank card are no longer taxable. The increased usage of electronic pay machines that automatically suggest a tip of at least five per cent has supercharged the trend to try and make more from paying customers. It comes after a popular Greek tourist resort was recently labelled the 'ultimate rip-off' for drinks. One of Greece's prettiest spots, the ancient Old Town of Rhodes, was red flagged as a major hotspot for overcharging tourists, according to reviews on Google and TripAdvisor. The area's narrow network of streets are filled with places to imbibe everything from local Dodecanese beer to shots of ouzo, but according to some disgruntled tourists, a visit to Rhodes' Old Town also leaves visitors vulnerable to inflated prices - with a string of bars accused of 'scamming' tourists.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
When I booked flights online I noticed the prices kept changing. Is it legal in Australia? Can I avoid it?
It's been years since I booked an overseas trip, but when I was booking flights for a family holiday recently I noticed the prices of flights kept changing – within the same day – from when I first searched for a specific route to when I went to share it with my partner. Is it legal for flight operators to change their prices based on my search history? What can I do to avoid it? – Carolina, New South Wales Kat George says: When you're shopping online, it's common to see prices – for the exact same product or service – change by second, minute, hour and day. This is known euphemistically as 'dynamic pricing', but more accurately, it is 'price discrimination', a symptom of companies having access to your search data and employing sophisticated algorithms to use it against you by charging as much as they think you'd be willing to pay. This is incredibly common with air fares, and the more you search, the worse it gets. For instance, if you're searching for flights with set dates and locations, airlines will use that information to inflate the prices they present you. The more you search for those dates and that location, the higher your perceived desire for those flights becomes, increasing the price the service provider seeks to charge you. Unfortunately, it's absolutely legal in Australia. The good news is that might be set to change. Currently, under Australian consumer law, retailers can change prices to reflect demand and supply in the market. When it comes to things like flights, supply and demand can change regularly due to external factors, such as peak travel times like school holidays, seasonal fluctuations and major sporting and music events. Because of this, dynamic pricing isn't illegal if the airline is clear, not misleading, about the price you have to pay at the point of sale. While legal, it is not necessarily the most fair practice, and the Australian government is acknowledging that. The now re-elected Labor government has committed to addressing unfair trading practices, and has said this will include cracking down on dynamic pricing. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning While we wait for legislative reform – which, let's be honest, is unlikely to happen overnight despite the commitment – there are some things you can do to avoid dynamic pricing while you're shopping around for flights. First, avoid leaving digital breadcrumbs in your wake. This means searching in a way that is as anonymous as possible, to stop airlines collecting data about you as you browse their sites. Start by clearing your browser cookies – and be sure to decline or limit the collection of cookies whenever a website gives you the option. Cookies are little titbits of information that are stored in your browser whenever you're online, then shared with websites whenever you visit them. They allow websites to personalise your experience, but also give businesses the opportunity to analyse your preferences and build a solid data profile about you. You may also notice that most sites now have pop-ups that guide you to accept all or decline some cookies, so you can also investigate and toggle your preferences on a case-by-case basis. It's good practice to regularly clear your cookies regardless. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion You can also switch your browser to private or incognito mode, or use a search engine that blocks advertising, doesn't collect your data and has inbuilt mechanisms for managing cookies – like Duck Duck Go. If you're really committed, you can get yourself a virtual private network (VPN), which will cloak your identity entirely. A VPN hides your IP address from the sites you visit, so it's much harder for them to gather data. A VPN will cost you a few dollars, but ultimately spending even $20 on a VPN could save you more when it comes to dynamic pricing. Finally, search broadly, and search early. If you're constantly searching the same site, the data bank about your needs and preferences will build, giving the service provider more leverage to jack up prices. If you use multiple sites – for instance, flight aggregation sites – before heading to an airline's website to book, you can minimise the impact of shopping around. While it might be late in the day for you now, it always pays to search as early as you can. The closer you are to your travel dates when you search, the higher the perceived demand is likely to be. When airlines assume you're under more pressure, they'll think you're willing to pay more, too. Do you have an Australian consumer issue you'd like Kat's advice on? Fill out the form below to let us know.
