We have avoided many attempts at scamming and are getting a little tired of rebutting hassles, but the one today was so outrageous it made us laugh.
We took the Bosphorus Ferry trip to Anadolu Kavagi along with a few hundred other people and enjoyed it very much. Anadolu is the turnaround point and the ship stays there three hours so you really have to have lunch to fill the time. We were not very hungry so we ordered one mixed salad for 6YTL, one Arak for 6YTL and one dish of mackerel for 12YTL. The waiter brought the check with unreadable writing and numbers but the total was clear 60YTL! My husband questioned the list on the bill and the waiter showed complete "feigned" astonishment that we did not agree that we had ordered these dishes! We did pay the correct amount but vowed from now on to add up the cost of our dishes as we make our order so that we know what to expect at the end and can be alert to unexpected totals.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
One time at a restaurant my group of three received a bill for a lavish dinner (€100+) that was the cost of a budget meal for one (€30). We told the waiter, who was surprised (genuinely, I assume) and eventually paid the correct amount.
Sometimes a mistake is just a mistake.
Posted by
New York
1206 posts
Sometimes a mistake is a mistake. But in your case, you were there and you know it was not a mistake as you were there and you know what happened. People should try not to justify what happened when they were not there and it was not happening to them. I agree, you should know how much the dishes are so you can see if the check had "errors" in it.
Posted by
Kansas
1175 posts
Most if not all of the eating places at Anadolu Kavagi are mostly dependent on the tourist trade from the Bosphorus ferry and would seem to be honest. That's our experience anyway but there are always some places out for a quick buck. We thoroughly enjoyed eating lunch after climbing to see the entrance to the Black Sea. We found the Turks to be very honest, friendly, and outgoing if you could converse in a few simple phrases to start out any conversation. YouTube is your friend to learn a few Turkish phrases.
Posted by
Seattle
408 posts
When in Turkey, I twice forgot my change when buying items from a vendor. Both times the vendor caught me on the street and gave me my money.
The one bad experience was a rug guy (who else?) in Istanbul. He wanted me to have tea with him so very badly. I refused and apparently sacrificed having a 'friend for life". Apparently a very influential friend at that, because his sister-in-law was president of the World Bank!! Oh well, live and learn.
The Turks I met were 99.999% great people.
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5511 posts
Will you be writing a trip report on your positive experiences to balance out this report on a minor annoyance?