RE: Hungry in Hungary???

[Phan Anh Son <Phan@pgsm.hu>]

	Hi anh Phiem,
	It is true. I also read this article in Nepszabadsag and furthermore
saw a report about it on the Hungarian TV. There are some restaurants in
Budapest downtown where foreign tourist are directed to from night clubs
or casinos. At these restaurant price lists can usually interpreted
ambiguously (for e.g. in the Dreher csarda restaurant when this case
happened, they said price on the list were valid onlu until 7p.m., the
extra price after 7 p.m. ~ 10 times of the price on the list!!!). Many
foreign tourist have made complaint at Hungarian Authority of Market
Competition but because of an existing law here ("no contraints on
pricing policy") authoritthies can hardly do anything againts these.

	So be careful to take a close look at the price list when you are in
restaurant in downtown Budapest. Otherwise prices in a normal restaurant
here are quite resonable: a normal diner costs appr. 3-5000 HUF ( 20 -
30 USD).

	Son,

for members in Hungary: Vietnamese restaurant opened appr. more than
half year (Bambusz etterem, Bp. Hollan Erno u. 3). Worth to try.
=09

>----------
>From: 	Phiem Ngoc Huynh[SMTP:phiem@cs.ait.ac.th]
>Sent: 	1997. m=E1jus 13. 20:56
>To: 	Multiple recipients of list
>Subject: 	Hungry in Hungary???
>
>
>
>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)=20
>
>	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).=20
>
>	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.=20
>
>	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.=20
>
>	"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.=20
>
>	Overcharging tourists said to be common in former Soviet bloc.=20
>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.=20
>
>	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
>
>