Cuba rip off stories (funny or not)

If anyone thinks it is just tourists that they try and rip off with abandon, they rip off each other with equal persistance and equal arrogance, if not more so. I've heard way too may stories, some close to home.

I wonder is it your impression that this culture of ripping of, tourist and locals is worse in Cuba than other places in latin America. I think so - do you agree?

Now a story: a lady tourist I talked to on my last visit had been to a restaurant in Havana Vieja and gotten seriously conned on the bill, adding drinks and food that she had not consumed, and when she got the wrong change back - and it was in cuban pesos, double scam!! The lady got upset and wanted her money back. The waitress got angry at the woman for making a "scene" and when the lady said she wound call the police the waitress laughed her in the face and said "go ahead". The poor lady left the restaurant with her cuban pesos.

#10: "they rip off each other with equal persistance and equal arrogance, if not more so."
Too bad to say so, but 100% correct. Cuba: una pais de mentiras!

#11... I can't comment on other Latin American countries, not having travelled to any.

The woman laughed at her.... it is part of the "act". If the tourist made a move to actually do that, the staff would have changed her tune.

I would not have paid the padded amount. I would have calculated what it should have been, put the money on the table and left. If the staff complained I would have said, YOU call the cops.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>I wonder is it your impression that this culture of ripping of, tourist and locals is worse in Cuba than other places in latin America. I think so - do you agree?<hr></blockquote>

I wouldn't guess it's the same everywhere, but it's not unique to Cuba, that's for sure. I remember eating at a restaurant in San Jose, Costa Rica being surprised to see the "tourist's menu" (the one in English) had higher prices for the same things that were on the menu in Spanish. What was really funny was that we had a mix of english and spanish menus on the same table---I guess they didn't expect us to notice. It was a pretty tourist-popular restaurant. I didn't actually catch that happen anywhere else in San Jose though.

There is no competition or incentive under that form of govt., "they pretend to pay us, we pretend to work." Salaries are fixed so they have to resort to tourist ripoffs and unless you counter them with the same bad attitude and temper they'll take full advantage. Who has time to be aggravated for a few dollars, this doesn't mean it's ok . Most of the thieves understand that many tourists are either unaware of what's happening or are too timid to go after them (not me:)). Don't let em get away with it.

#14 A few weeks ago here in NYC,(before the rat story) there was a Chinese restaurant in our China town which had 2 menus, one in Chinese, one in English. Someone complained to the media that the Chinese language menu had lower prices than the English menu. The city sent inspectors in, found out it was true, fined the establishment and will be taking them to court for additional damages, but better than that, when the mayor was asked about it during one of his daily press conferences he advised everyone to boycott the restaurant for practicing discrimination. Very powerful message,besides the the other negative publicity from the media and very hurtful to the restaurant's business.

I still say that Varadero is the worst place on the island.

When last in Auba, I was invited by some friends to go sit in at a bar in Vieja. Hanging out with the musicians, I was charged 1 CUC for my beer, and as I had some rum for mixing in my daypack, 2 CUP for mango juice for the boys in the band. We all had a great time that day.

The following day I returned, with a TT friend and his date, to the same place. We sat at a private table, but I still sat in with and hung out with the band. The subsequent bill was 2 CUC per beer and 2 CUC for the juice, and the waiter had padded the bill by an extra beer. When I questioned this, the waiter became righteously indingnant, and stated I was lying. All of this being witnessed by my musician friends, and as I had bought the mango juice for the boys to mix with my rum, my friends offered to pay, and were charges 2 CUP. That being said, the bar The continuing to deny that there were two different menus and/or prices. I payed the 4 CUC for the two beers, and left 1 centavo moneda nacional for a tip.

Every subsequent day that week, I would purposely walk past the bar, which was open-air anyway, to very noticably and loudly comment in Spanish, "Gee, I wonder where a group of people can have a drink around here without being cheated?" I would then take my party, which was never less than four, to La Taberna de Beny More in Plaza Vieja, where my first round was ALWAYS on the house ... they know good free entertainment AND return business when they see it!

Al, I heard about that story :))

Yeah, and there are those who would call me a liar, because NOBODY ever gets comped ANYTHING, at ANY TIME, for ANY REASON in Cuba! If I remember correctly, the bar bought me my rums for free at La Inglaterra as well, but that's another tale to tell ...

Well Al, I'm envious. I can never find or keep a CUP .01 coin.!

But every now and then the VISITING team scores a run! On my January visit to Havana, I frequently took the M2 camel from downtown to Reparto Marti. One day my Cubana and I entered and each paid our 20 centavos. I was sent back for the tickets. Extending my hand, the conductor misunderstood and gave me two tickets and 60 centavos - change for the ubiquitously tendered peso coin.

So the score 40 centavos out and 60 centavos in plus a free trip home for two!

Take that Fidel!