Beware of this outrageous restaurant scam in Venice
A tourist from England was left shocked after receiving a $795 (€526) bill in Venice after he and his parents shared a plate of oysters given to them by the restaurant, Trattoria Casanova.
The tourist told The Independent that the family did not order the oysters and when they questioned the waiter their concerns were brushed off.
He also claimed that they were given a platter of “pescato misto” which included lobster, scampi and sea bass.
The tourist thought he had ordered a grilled fish platter and tried to explain to the waiter that it was the wrong dish.
“I ordered it by pointing at a picture, which showed only one portion without any name or price on it. The picture was on the first page of the menu,” he said.
“I have to admit it is my fault that I did not check the price, but I did not expect one and a half lobsters together with other fish that would cost us €300 ($453).”
When he saw the total of the bill he was shocked and questioned it but was told that it was what his family had ordered.
The tourist has since written a letter of complaint to Mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro explaining that the restaurant Trattoria Casanova took advantage of the fact they did not speak Italian.
“I’m not expecting a refund,” reads his letter.
“But I would like to draw your attention to a kind of behaviour that risks ruining Venice’s reputation. They took advantage of the fact that we didn’t speak Italian.”
It appears that this family are not the only ones to suffer an ordeal like this at Trattoria Casanova.
Reviews on TripAdvisor are overwhelmingly negative with 57 per cent of 547 reviewers rating it as “terrible”. Some dubbed the restaurant as a “tourist trap”.
“The waiters barely spoke English yet understood us well enough to welcome us, offer seats, explain their favourite dishes. No-one explained the hidden charges on how the high cost of our bill was worked out. It was much, much higher than the menu indicated,” one review said.
“I embarrassed my family and caused a fuss! So on top of the cost of fish, we were charged for extras such as bread sticks, a small plate of tiny snacks that we definitely did not order (we wrongly assumed these were complimentary, to nibble before our order arrived).”
Another review warned that the restaurant will “try to exploit anyone who does not speak Italian, which is over 90 per cent of their customers”.
Customers have also shared photos of their receipts from the restaurant, showing how the majority of visitors are left with a bill of over $300.
Have you ever experienced treatment like this at a restaurant overseas? Let us know in the comments below.