Hungry in Hungary???

[Phiem Ngoc Huynh <phiem@cs.ait.ac.th>]

I know we have alot of members coming ( or still staying ) in Hungary.  I
thought this article ( retrieved from CNN ) quite startling. Can anyone
confirm this riduculous fact? :)

Hungry in  Hungary? It could  cost you!

Budapest restaurant charged tourist $6,000 for   four-person
dinner, practice    said to be common

May 13, 1997
Web posted at: 1:27 p.m. EDT (1727 GMT) 

	BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) -- For one international tourist, dinner at
a downtown Budapest restaurant turned into a nightmare: The bill for four
people came to more than $6,000.

	The May 2 incident wasn't isolated, Hungarian consumer rights
groups and foreign embassies said. Foreign visitors to Budapest are
regularly charged exorbitant prices at some restaurants.

	The Nepszabadsag newspaper reported the Danish host entertained
another Dane and two Hungarian women at the Dreher Restaurant. He
reportedly paid by credit card and left Budapest, disgusted, the next day.

       According to a photocopy of the bill published in the paper, four
shots of Remy Martin cognac cost 56,000 forints ($330), four steaks came
to 156,000 forints ($920)  and the round of drinks for the Gypsy musicians
540,000 forints ($3,200). 

	Menus without prices trip up tourists Part of the problem appears to be
the menu: While the Hungarian-language menu lists prices, the English,
German and French language menus do not.

	The Hungarian menu lists a bowl of goulash soup for 550 forints ($3),
while the Danish party was charged 11,000 forints ($65) for two servings. 

	And there was nothing the foreign patrons could do.  "This is not a police
matter," national police chief Laszlo Forgacs told reporters. Tamas
Karovits, president of the Hungarian Caterers Association, agreed. 

	"Unfortunately, there is no law allowing cancellation of such
operators' licenses. In the catering business there are no fixed prices,
not even ceiling prices," he said.

	"I'm horrified. I've never heard of such a thing," said Danish
Embassy attache Susanne Baden Joergensen on Monday. She learned of the
incident from the newspaper.  She said the embassy was ready to take
action once it hears from the customer. 

	Overcharging tourists said to be common in former Soviet bloc. 
Overcharging Western tourists is not uncommon in former Soviet bloc
countries, but has been limited mostly to cab fares.

        Private taxis in Budapest charge up to 10 times as much as
reputable taxi companies. In the Czech capital Prague, a main tourist
attraction in central Europe, the situation is similar. 

	In Budapest, the U.S. Embassy has put five city restaurants and
night spots on an advisory list for unethical business practices. The
Dreher is not on the advisory. Other embassies have similar plans.

	"Excessive billing is a growing trend. We now get complaints about
once a week," Vice Consul Scott Boswell said.

       "We have many complaints registered, as well as cases of threats of
violence and outright beatings to force customers to pay" excessive
prices, he added.



-Phiem