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tourist tax
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sully
Feb 14, 2012, 5:36:11 PM2/14/12
to
I was in Geneva for a week for work, took a few extra days after for
a sidetrip to Lisbon, wanted to do some bodysurfing and see a tiny
tiny bit of a very interesting country.
Friday night late, in a daze trying to follow directions up a highway
to find this tiny little beach town. I pull up to a toll booth
wondering what to do. Looks like a ticket dispenser but no ticket.
from behind me a van goes thru the next lane without stopping, had a
pile of people stacked in it and a short trailer with about 8 small
boats on it.
I didn't know, I figured maybe tolls don't charge after a certain
hour. Got to trust the rowers, right, but somehow I thought of my
time in Philly, the philly rowing guys would roll thru the toll
booths, toss their hands like they had change but didn't put anything
in.
I took off.
Passed them and waved. I tried to show them my row2k hat, but don't
know if they
saw it.
a dozen miles later another toll booth. This one with a gate. I
tried to figure out how to pay but couldn't. Long story short.
There was a button on the last toll booth, push it and it dispenses
the ticket that would have saved me 48 euro.
Ouch times 12. I'd read all the frickin rules, too. Tourist
tax.
a sidetrip to Lisbon, wanted to do some bodysurfing and see a tiny
tiny bit of a very interesting country.
Friday night late, in a daze trying to follow directions up a highway
to find this tiny little beach town. I pull up to a toll booth
wondering what to do. Looks like a ticket dispenser but no ticket.
from behind me a van goes thru the next lane without stopping, had a
pile of people stacked in it and a short trailer with about 8 small
boats on it.
I didn't know, I figured maybe tolls don't charge after a certain
hour. Got to trust the rowers, right, but somehow I thought of my
time in Philly, the philly rowing guys would roll thru the toll
booths, toss their hands like they had change but didn't put anything
in.
I took off.
Passed them and waved. I tried to show them my row2k hat, but don't
know if they
saw it.
a dozen miles later another toll booth. This one with a gate. I
tried to figure out how to pay but couldn't. Long story short.
There was a button on the last toll booth, push it and it dispenses
the ticket that would have saved me 48 euro.
Ouch times 12. I'd read all the frickin rules, too. Tourist
tax.
MagnusBurbanks
Feb 15, 2012, 12:24:47 PM2/15/12
to
I witnessed a similar bit of tourist-theft a while ago. We have a
system in London, England called "oystercard", for travelling around
the Underground (London's metro). You load up your oystercard with
money, and present it to electronic readers at the turnstile entries
and exits to the stations. Under this system, a single ticket across
central London costs £2. However if you pay by cash the cost of a
ticket is £4.30 !!
I was "topping up" my own oystercard at an underground station when a
german tourist went up the ticket booth just nearby and asked for a
return ticket to Covent Garden. She didn't have an oystercard, was not
asked if she wanted one, and was charged £8.60 (nearly $14) for a
journey which had she known she could have walked in 20 minutes. She
took the notes out of her purse and paid, and after a few seconds
looked a bit stunned when she had worked out how much that was in her
own currency. At no point was she advised that there was a much
cheaper alternative - just buy an oystercard, which the attendant at
the booth could have done there and then.
I'm not a lawyer, but I can't believe that this sort of gulling of
ignorant tourists is not challengeable as theft. I'm ashamed to say
that I was in a hurry and didn't have time to explain to her.
Magnus
system in London, England called "oystercard", for travelling around
the Underground (London's metro). You load up your oystercard with
money, and present it to electronic readers at the turnstile entries
and exits to the stations. Under this system, a single ticket across
central London costs £2. However if you pay by cash the cost of a
ticket is £4.30 !!
I was "topping up" my own oystercard at an underground station when a
german tourist went up the ticket booth just nearby and asked for a
return ticket to Covent Garden. She didn't have an oystercard, was not
asked if she wanted one, and was charged £8.60 (nearly $14) for a
journey which had she known she could have walked in 20 minutes. She
took the notes out of her purse and paid, and after a few seconds
looked a bit stunned when she had worked out how much that was in her
own currency. At no point was she advised that there was a much
cheaper alternative - just buy an oystercard, which the attendant at
the booth could have done there and then.
I'm not a lawyer, but I can't believe that this sort of gulling of
ignorant tourists is not challengeable as theft. I'm ashamed to say
that I was in a hurry and didn't have time to explain to her.
Magnus
Charles Carroll
Feb 15, 2012, 12:57:31 PM2/15/12
to
> ... I can't believe that this sort of gulling of
I have yet to visit a big city where the gulling of ignorant tourists
doesn't happen. The two areas of San Francisco that I think are notorious
for this sort of thing are Fisherman's Wharf and downtown near Union
Square.
What I find particularly unnerving about this "game," if it can be called
that, is that most of these cities depend on tourists. One might think that
anyone whose livelihood comes from them would be grateful for their
presence, not irked by it.
But now that I have said this, I also feel beholden to add that whenever
Sandy and I go abroad we are treated with unbelievable kindness. People
stop, want to know where we are from, tell us stories, find out our
interests, and advise us on things we might want to look at that are off
the beaten track. But I know we are very lucky.
I admit that once or twice we have had odd experiences. One was with a taxi
driver in Rome, the other was in Venice with two German truck drivers. But
by far and away our experiences have been cordial and positive.
It doesn't sound like Mike was taken advantage of, so much as he just
hadn't had time to learn the ropes, so to speak. I know how it is. You
stand in front of a wall without any idea of what button to push, or even
where to find the button. I once had to call Federal Express in Paris and
got an answering machine with a number of complicated options. You know
that drill -- Push #1 for this, #2 for that, etc. It was all in French, and
spoken very fast, and I couldn't make head or tails of anything. But I
certainly wouldn't blame the French for my ignorance of their language.
Warmest regards,
Charles
> ignorant tourists is not challengeable as theft.
Magnus,
I have yet to visit a big city where the gulling of ignorant tourists
doesn't happen. The two areas of San Francisco that I think are notorious
for this sort of thing are Fisherman's Wharf and downtown near Union
Square.
What I find particularly unnerving about this "game," if it can be called
that, is that most of these cities depend on tourists. One might think that
anyone whose livelihood comes from them would be grateful for their
presence, not irked by it.
But now that I have said this, I also feel beholden to add that whenever
Sandy and I go abroad we are treated with unbelievable kindness. People
stop, want to know where we are from, tell us stories, find out our
interests, and advise us on things we might want to look at that are off
the beaten track. But I know we are very lucky.
I admit that once or twice we have had odd experiences. One was with a taxi
driver in Rome, the other was in Venice with two German truck drivers. But
by far and away our experiences have been cordial and positive.
It doesn't sound like Mike was taken advantage of, so much as he just
hadn't had time to learn the ropes, so to speak. I know how it is. You
stand in front of a wall without any idea of what button to push, or even
where to find the button. I once had to call Federal Express in Paris and
got an answering machine with a number of complicated options. You know
that drill -- Push #1 for this, #2 for that, etc. It was all in French, and
spoken very fast, and I couldn't make head or tails of anything. But I
certainly wouldn't blame the French for my ignorance of their language.
Warmest regards,
Charles
sully
Feb 16, 2012, 4:45:07 AM2/16/12
to
On Feb 15, 9:57 am, "Charles Carroll" <charles_carr...@comcast.net>
wrote:
Indeed, I second what Charles said. The rental car guy was really
helpful and friendly with all kinds of stuff, it's one of those things
he prolly took for granted.
I never felt I was targeted.
When I was in Lisbon, I avoided a parking scam, and thwarted a
pickpocket attempt on me by a team of two. One guy's hand might be
hurting a bit.
It took me a while to see this, but driving in Portugal was very
confusing to me, I was always taking the long and wrong way. I
finally decided that they don't drive, they navigate. In US, we name
the roads. In Portugal, they don't name roads, (or don't display
them) you have to know which nearby towns you want to go to.
It's a seafaring nation after all.
I learned the term Thassalocracy this past week, and have been
intrigued by it.
Mike
wrote:
helpful and friendly with all kinds of stuff, it's one of those things
he prolly took for granted.
I never felt I was targeted.
When I was in Lisbon, I avoided a parking scam, and thwarted a
pickpocket attempt on me by a team of two. One guy's hand might be
hurting a bit.
It took me a while to see this, but driving in Portugal was very
confusing to me, I was always taking the long and wrong way. I
finally decided that they don't drive, they navigate. In US, we name
the roads. In Portugal, they don't name roads, (or don't display
them) you have to know which nearby towns you want to go to.
It's a seafaring nation after all.
I learned the term Thassalocracy this past week, and have been
intrigued by it.
Mike
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