Zeisig: Now you are realy confused, and seem to mis the point! The question was: "Why is a Czech customer charged a lower price for the same meal in the same restaurant, than the tourist regardless where he/she is from. Also, do you charge a German or a Frenchmen for your knowledge of English, without knowing German or French -- or have a:I studied English, and English is all you get policy-- or do Germans and Frenchmen get a price adjustment for your inabilty to comminicate to them in their. Do they pay the same as the Czech or is there a price "adjustmet", charged to the customer, for not knowing English. That presents an intersting dilemna. What happens to the person who does not speak English of Czech, but only Japonese and then how can you be certain it is a Japonese you are dealing with, since it may be an Korean or Chinese? Then , in your set of rules, is there an extra charge for "pointing", sort of a miming sur charge or again it is a non English speaker penalty. Pay double for speaking English and pay double for not speaking English! Anyway, what does the price of Harry Potter to do, with the restaurant food price rip of in the Czech Republic?But the margin on the version may be the determoning factor, since the Czech version sale potential is no more than 10 million and the English version is upwards of 400 million, in the US and Canada (perhaps 1 or 2 billion is we consider India and Great Britain offshoot speakers), thus the Czech version should be sold at a substantialy higher price than the English to justify the translation costs. By the way, what are the "additional" costs incurred by a restaurant by serving a meal in English vs. in Czech... Just having fun, since your argument is indeed ridiculous. Call it a rip of, and be proud of it, since it is your country, and you do have right. Viktor
You are a querulant, Viktor! Well, I'll try to answer. 1) When in doubts use the "Harry Potter" analogy! For example, if the Japanese version of Harry Potter is not available and the Japanese customer wants to buy the English version, he will pay the English version price. And so on, mutatis mutandis. 2) The customer, who speaks only an unknown language (e.g. Etruscan), will be charged the highest price, because the ordering and paying processes last immoderately long time. And time is money. Is it clear now?
Makes perfect sense to me, and I've no quarrel with it. From a business point of view, a businessman to remain fluid, needs to "maximaize every opportunity"( that's business 101) -- charge as much as the market will bear -- Hence, my only quarrel is the "discrininating" factor used to price a produc/service. However, since the tourists keep coming and acceting this practice, it is then a viable business decision. My sollution, is not to change or implemet a new law, but act on my own. I'll not tollerate this practice, hence they will not "profit" from me and me only.I choose not to frequent the business or a country for that matter. Thus, when enough "people" take the same position I did, then and only then the businesses will consider an adjustment to thie policy. That is how free enterprize works. But first many business need to fail first. Laws, regulations and government policies do not work. Look at the recent "fuel price gauging" by US oil companies (that is what I call the Czech policies of overicing). Based on a "phony supply shortage", they jack up the fuel prices by almost 100% the last few months. The oil companies then show unprecedented profits, and there is not much one individual can do -- I myslef got rid of my auto almost 10 years ago, and ride an bicycle everywhere withing a 50 mile range ( recently, due tomy aging,I aded a 600W electric motor to the wheels, and now consume 10 cents of electricity for every 50 miles ridden -- My actions did not impeed the oil companies at all. But if millions of people would use "alternate" means transporttion, the oil companies wouls fell compelled to" 'adjust" their prices , and no longer will be able to charge $180.00 USD for a barrel of oil that costs $4.00 USD to pull out of the ground ( In the Czech Republic,the oil companies do not make as much of a profit, since the government "regulates" the price, but the Czech consumer never the less is hosed. The only difference is the " windfall profits" go into government coffers instead of private accounts. Your or mine vallet does not care, the money still is gone! Finnaly, since this is a travel "forum" we try (or at least I try) to inform fellow travelers of "pitfalls" in whatever destination, since most of us normal run of the mill consumers do indeed have to budget our travel coffers. Hence, some destinations are more desireble than others. The way the Czech Republic is curently - ten years ago, it was one the most economic destinations in Europe -- it ranks up there as one of the costlier destinations for westen hemisphere trveler ( many Europeans still consider it reasonable as compared to their home land). I used to love traveling to Beleize in the mid 80's, for a $25.00 USD you could get a weeks lodging and al the food you wanted.Then , in the 90's they upped their prices to $180.0 p/n moquito and spider infested shacks (the same one,saqme mosquitos and spiders that in the past I was paying $2.50 UDS p/n) no longer were attractive to me, I stopped traveling there! The double priceing aceptance is a personal issue. By the way, on my fight over, the person in the seat next to me paid $1,250.00 USD for a round trip from Phoenix to London, and I paid only $711.00 USD all the way to Prague and back. Thus, it would be nice if the Czech were a bit less discrininating, but why? As long a they can find people to pay their price, why should they change The Czech Republic is a great beautiful and historic land, and most of the people are also great,freindly and wounderfull But the current prices they are charging, is not worth the trip -- to me, anyway -- I prefer to get more for my $$$, othervise I stay home, in my clean, bug free, fluffy soft king sized bed.. Viktor
While snatching menus out of a customer's hand (or was it just off the table?) is excessive, I think Zeisig does have a point about recouping some of the cost of learning/providing another language to tourists. Charging double seems like too much though, unless you're charging pennies for a glass of beer or a plate of food. Why not have an "English Corner", or German, Japanese or whatever, where the tourists can be sure of getting a waiter they can communicate with and charging them a small percentage more for sitting there? It's similar to charging more for sitting outside than for sitting inside a restaurant or pub. For example, in Madrid a small glass of beer might cost 1.50 E at the bar, but if you want it outside where you can fish fallen leaves out of it every 5 minutes and see, hear and smell the cars go by (actually, you feel them too. And sometimes taste the exhaust - it's a full sensory experience!!) you might pay 2 E. I've never heard anybody, tourist or otherwise, complain about that. Of course, the price differences are generally printed on the same menu so everybody knows what they're getting.
Some do seem to be getting heated up over this. We are frequent visitors with a flat in Prague and some access to the language. I would like to repeat what I wrote earlier. Whenever we have been told of double pricing the explanation has been that the tourists without access to the language have been given the Standard Menu. The cheaper items were on the DAY menu which is usually only in Czech as it is written up each day. As tourists usually eat late that may be after the full kitchen staff has gone home. At that point the standard menu kicks in for everyone. This applies to Czechs and foreigners alike. In Central Prague but equally in Central London, alas, the tourist IS regarded as fair game. But my experience has been that provincial Czechs and Slovakians can get as badly treated as foreigners. Elsewhere in Prague and the country at large we are invariably treated very well and my appalling Czech pronunciation is a cause for wonder and delight!
