Following on the thread on working for free I was wondering what the other forumites thought of this. We went to a resturant in Cape Town a while back. There was a four piece Marimba Band there. They were very good and doing quite a good trade selling CDs of which we bought one.
At the end of the evening we were quite surprised to find R150 (about $15) added to our bill for the entertainment. We were surprised because we were not told about this unfront and it caused a bit of a problem because half the group didn’t chip in. I have got no idea how they calculated this and wondered if all the peolple enjoying the band while sitting at the bar contributed towards entertainment. It all seemed a bit unfair. I am interested to hear what you all think and if this is becoming trend in your neck of the woods.
If they tried that around here, there would be gunplay.
Josie,
1st of all you should have been made aware of what you are paying for ahead of time, hey it should be on the menu. It was not a "bit" unfair in was very unfair. In fact so unfair that I would be willing to bet patrons not as nice of you would demand it be taken off of their bill, or at the least file a grievance with their credit card company.
I also doubt very seriously that the band received the 15.00 you were charged. Sounds, as we say in South Louisiana, "very shady" at best.
The price of entertainment should be in the food and beverage charges or at least a cover charge, nothing like this.
I would take that place off of my dining/drinking out list.
I can't wait for the differing opinions on this one.
Later,
I would take that place off of my dining/drinking out list
Interestingly it was a bit of a "tourist trap". I doubt they have too many locals and the tourists probably just think that is the done thing around here.
I've never seen this cost added as a seperate charge on a bill delivered to the table at the end of the evening but I've played lots of places over the years that charge a "cover charge" at the door per person to get in.
their philosophy might be to ask for it and see how many people pay. If 90 % refuse but 10% pay, they still made more than they would have otherwise.
If you called their bluff and paid only for the meal and tip, minus the entertainment charge, I doubt they would take legal action. A newspaper article saying they were doing that would sink their ship in a heartbeat, and lawsuits get reported in the news
I don't like the idea of being charged for something that I wasn't informed would incur a fee.
That's a ripoff. I wouldn't pay it. I would also not tip the waiter, and I ALWAYS tip at least 20%.
If you want to charge for live music, have a cover charge. Don't deceive people.
yeah, what Bob said!
(well stated)
I agree. Be informed up front or don't charge.
But if you are a tourist in a foreign country, refusing to pay can be a problem.
Notes
Just don't try stiffing the restaurant staff in Ingolstadt!
