Key West has 'unscrupulous' t-shirt shops

[fishman]

If you go to Key West, you may see some locals fighting against certain
t-shirt shops, it sounds interesting. They're real big on local politics
down there, I hope they succeed.

Chris

http://www.keynoter.com/

Pickets line up at T-shirt shops
Protests planned for today

By Bruce Laplaunte blapl...@keynoter.com

Here's a first in Key West's efforts to rid the city of unscrupulous owners
of T-shirt shops: Picket lines.

Pickets are expected to set up this morning in front of two Duval Street
shops, at 329 Duval and 704 Duval. The picket - for which city resident
Linda Berard received permits - could be the first of a series.

Key West Mayor Jimmy Weekley has stepped up his media campaign, telling news
outlets that something has to be done to end the practice of misleading
tourists with sales pitches about free T-shirts that sometimes end up
costing hundreds of dollars.

He has hinted at the possibility that demonstrations might be staged in
front of various shops.

[MercedMike]

<< the practice of misleading
tourists with sales pitches about free T-shirts >>

GASP! I am just totally shocked. I really find it hard to believe that there
are any Tourist Traps anyplace that would go so far as to mislead poor innocent
tourists!! Has anybody else ever heard of such a terrible thing? I certainly
never saw it happen in Colombia, Zanzibar, Brazil, Hawaii or even New Orleans
... all those Tourist Traps were so honest and appealing ...

ROFLMAO ...

Mike

[Lee Schwartzberg]

In article <gurY7.129714$BX4.8...@e3500-atl1.usenetserver.com>,
"fishman" <fish...@bellsouth.nospam.net> wrote:

> end the practice of misleading
> tourists with sales pitches about free T-shirts that sometimes end up
> costing hundreds of dollars.

Could you explain this further? Not sure that I understand how a free
t-shirt could end up costing hundreds of dollars. I must be missing
something.

Lee

[fishman]

Here's part of the next article from the local paper:

http://www.keynoter.com/

Berard and supporters staged the pickets to protest what they allege is
shoddy treatment given to tourists who visit some T-shirt shops and get
overcharged. Some also say they if the tourists complain about the charges,
they are verbally and sometimes physically abused.

"We'll picket this Saturday and continue to do it as long as we can," Berard
said Monday.

About five months ago, Key West police and agents from the Monroe County
State Attorney's Office and U.S. Attorney's Office raided four T-shirt shops
and charged several people with various crimes, from simple drug possession
to laundering money and marriage fraud. The cases remain before the federal
courts. The sweep was the result of a nearly seven-month undercover
operation.

Picket demonstrations require a city-approved permit, which brings with it a
number of restrictions, including a limit (four) on the number of people who
can gather at any one place at a time.

Also, pickets are prohibited from interfering with pedestrian traffic or
with people trying to enter a store.

"We have to take out a permit each time we want to demonstrate, but the city
has been very good in cooperating with us," Berard said.

Berard decided she wanted to do something about the city getting a bad
reputation when tourists - who feel they've been cheated or treated badly -
spread the word back home that Key West is not a good vacation destination.

"I'm not trying to upset anyone; I'm not trying to run anyone out of town,"
Berard said of her demonstrations. "These people are part of our business
community, too - I just want them to change their business practices."

[fishman]

"MercedMike" <merce...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020102115106...@mb-ba.aol.com...

> << the practice of misleading
> tourists with sales pitches about free T-shirts >>
>
>
> GASP! I am just totally shocked. I really find it hard to believe that
there
> are any Tourist Traps anyplace that would go so far as to mislead poor
innocent
> tourists!! Has anybody else ever heard of such a terrible thing?

Yeah, but the local citizenry will not stand for it - that grass-roots
protesting thing is kicking in. I wonder if Mr. Harris from untouched
Alaska has tried?

Chris

[Stephen Sykes]

Glad to see that they are trying to get rid KW of these terrible shops
with their deceptive practices. They are a Real problem everywhere in
Florida, but hits the Cruise travellers on KW hard!

Way to go Jimmy!!!

Steve<-----A Passport carrying Citizen of the Conch Republic
>"We seceded where others failed"

[Bob]

"fishman" <fish...@bellsouth.nospam.net> wrote in message news:<gurY7.129714$BX4.8...@e3500-atl1.usenetserver.com>...

I am sorry to say I have seen this first hand. A groupe of us seniors
on a cruise landed in Key West and a couple of sweet little ladies
wanted pictures of thier grandbabies imprinted on a couple of T
shirts. They kept asking the price but the vendor would not tell them,
they were told very cheap.(They should have walked away) but finally
gave in and had the T shirts imprinted. When checking out they were
told the price of two T shirts was close to a hundred dollars. They
refused to pay and one was shoved down in the store and after finally
getting out the door, they were followed down the street and called
all kind of obscene names. So anyone going to Key West "beware" of the
T shirt vendors on Duval st.
Bob in Texas

[Jeff H]

Bob,

Why didn't YOU call the police? Hey, we're talking about Key West, in the
USA. You just stood and watched?

Senior or not :-(

Jeff

[MercedMike]

<< They are a Real problem everywhere in
Florida, but hits the Cruise travellers on KW hard! >>

I'm sorry, folks, but I can't get too upset about a tourist getting suckered
into buying a cheap t shirt for an inflated price after I see how hundreds and
hundreds of people have gotten taken at so called reputable jewelry stores in
the Caribbean!

Mike Hall, Gemologist GIA

[pen...@spamcop.net]

On Wed, 02 Jan 2002 18:12:50 GMT, l...@campmor.com (Lee Schwartzberg)
wrote:

And do you have any phone numbers for people who bought these "free"
shirts? I have some beachfront property in Kansas I want to unload.

I *think* we have found the people who keep those "Make Money Fast"
chain letters circulating.

;0

Jim P.

[Thomas Buyea]

Mislead tourists ??
Do you think all the Cuban cigars for sale in Nassau are Real ??

Did You Know that The USA Subsidizes Israel with US Tax Payer's Dollars
to the extent that if the money were spread out equally, Every family of
four in Israel would receive $24,000 every year?
While many long term and recently unemployed Americans who paid
those taxes are becoming homeless and going without needed medical
treatments !
It is not just Israel that we are hemorrhaging money to but countries
all over the World that would laugh at the collapse of the United States
and all scramble to get a piece of us.
It is time for a revolution while it is just our government we have
to fight and not the Russians, Chinese, Mexicans and Canadians that will
be rushing in for their piece of the action after this country falls !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From The Declaration of Independence
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That
whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, It is
the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new
Government, Laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its
powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their
Safety and Happiness."

"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably
the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute
Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such
Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Government that Governs Least Governs Best !!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Keyboard Is Mightier
                  [::::::::::]  
  Than The Sword

      ©1999 tlb            
c=={::::::::::::::::>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Tom Buyea   Miami, Fla. USA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                  Dr of UFOlogy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   \\
     (o>        My Cockatiel Angel
   \\_//)          I think She is an Alien
 \_/_)
    _I_

<html><body bgcolor="white" text="blue"> and </body> <

[Lee & Sue]

On Fri, 4 Jan 2002 05:13:10 -0500 (EST), rang...@webtv.net (Thomas
Buyea) wrote:

>Mislead tourists ??
>Do you think all the Cuban cigars for sale in Nassau are Real ??
>
>Did You Know that The USA Subsidizes Israel with US Tax Payer's Dollars
>to the extent that if the money were spread out equally, Every family of
>four in Israel would receive $24,000 every year?

Let's see: $3 billion in economic aid divided by $24,000 is only
125,000 families. I guess the population of Israel shrank by a
substantial margin. Talk about misleading. Maybe you should put that
on a T-shirt?

The actual figure is more like $23,000 per Israeli since we began
foreign aid to Israel in 1949. That covers a lot of years. It's not
$23,000 per year. Here's the link:

http://www.washington-report.org/backissues/1297/9712043.html

It is still a lot of money, though.

>=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0[::::::::::] =A0
>=A0 Than The Sword
>
>=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A91999 tlb =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0
>c=3D=3D{::::::::::::::::>
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>=A0=A0=A0=A0Tom Buyea =A0 Miami, Fla. USA
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Dr of UFOlogy
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>=A0=A0=A0\\
>=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0(o> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0My Cockatiel Angel
>=A0=A0=A0\\_//) =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I think She is an Alien
>=A0\_/_)
>=A0=A0=A0=A0_I_
>
><html><body bgcolor=3D"white" text=3D"blue"> and </body> <
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

[Viastrecha]

>Could you explain this further? Not sure that I understand how a free
>t-shirt could end up costing hundreds of dollars. I must be missing
>something.

The scam--having been bitten myself--is that supposedly in addition to getting
a couple of cheap shirts, you get a couple of free ones plus decals printed to
their design. The trick is that the price these unscrupulous tee shirt shops
charge outrageous sums for pressing on a logo that only costs a couple of
bucks.

I got taken for over $200 bucks.

I paid grudgingly. If I had know there was recourse to the police or a way to
put a stop payment on the card without me getting in trouble with the local
law, I would have done so. But walk me past a Key West tee shirt shop these
days, and I'll keep my hands firmly planted in my pockets.

Bunch of crooks.

[Viastrecha]

>I am sorry to say I have seen this first hand. A groupe of us seniors
>on a cruise landed in Key West and a couple of sweet little ladies
>wanted pictures of thier grandbabies imprinted on a couple of T
>shirts. They kept asking the price but the vendor would not tell them,
>they were told very cheap.(They

>They

>refused to pay and one was shoved down in the store and after finally
>getting out the door, they were followed down the street and called
>all kind of obscene names. So anyone going to Key West "beware" of the
>T shirt vendors on Duval st.

I can think of a shoddy outfit on the 400 block of Front Street, too.

Lee in Austin, Texas

[Michael Voight]

Viastrecha wrote:
>
> >Could you explain this further? Not sure that I understand how a free
> >t-shirt could end up costing hundreds of dollars. I must be missing
> >something.
>
> The scam--having been bitten myself--is that supposedly in addition to getting
> a couple of cheap shirts, you get a couple of free ones plus decals printed to
> their design. The trick is that the price these unscrupulous tee shirt shops
> charge outrageous sums for pressing on a logo that only costs a couple of
> bucks.
>
> I got taken for over $200 bucks.
>
> I paid grudgingly. If I had know there was recourse

If you don't like the price, don't give them the money or credit card.
I don't understand how they can force you to pay $200.
If you didn't pay, they couldn't call the police. At most, you didn't
live up to your end of a contract. This would be civil. However, for a
contract to be valid, the terms have to be agreed upon first. They can't
call the police if you refused to buy the merchandise, unless you take
it out of the store......

[granit...@gmail.com]

You make a cynical joke about it but there's nothing funny about the fact that a hundred million dollars has been stolen from Tourists since the early 90s by those t-shirt shops on Duval Street I know from personal extensive experience in the industry having worked for a two dozen different owners of those shops up and down the East coast. I've not only seen I've carried the garbage bags of money I've seen the payouts for a illegal false marriages to keep themselves in the country ,and all the other crime that has been going on in the shops, money laundering from cocaine sales etc etc those T-shirt shops seem so innocuous and innocent they are almost all flat out and simply organized crime and you can find people wanted for murder hiding from Israel hiding from Europe hiding from Canada ... a very large number of them are of Moroccan descent and come by way of Montreal with lives and family in Israel... they're all connected to the same shops in Panama City Beach Daytona Beach Myrtle Beach Wildwood New Jersey seaside heights New Jersey ocean City Maryland on and on on ...organized crime !! the FBI has had all the information for decades and never done anything , the only real pressure they've ever felt is from private corporations hiring companies 2 put a stop to their counterfeiting operations ...I could talk to you about it for 24 hours straight and not relate to you all of the egregious things that I saw going on there it's pathetic that community has not done anything about it ...PATHETIC !!

[granit...@gmail.com]

The t-shirt is free they charge you for the decals and if you're really stupid they charge you for the non-existent wax and they use the compressor relief valve on the compressor that runs the heat decal press to spray out a bunch of air and make it sound like they're spraying something on the T-shirt $30 a decal front and back $10 for the wax maybe $40 for the decal if your Japanese maybe $200 for the decal now you start to get it ???
That's how, I'm ashamed to say it I've done it to thousands of people it's easy when you're young and disgusted with the world to despise people for their stupidity and be willing to take advantage of it .. I was young I was coming out of teenage years of homelessness EVERYONE IN THOSE SHOPS IS PAID IN CASH I DIDN'T WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS SOCIETY OR BE A PART OF IT.