A kid feeds pigeons at a square in Italy. (Photo: people.com.cn)
(Ecns) -- The over-priced prawn scam in Qingdao city has sparked a lot of debate, while similar rip-offs encountered by Chinese tourists in Europe have also fuelled complaint, people.com.cn reported.
A journalist from people.com.cn said that during the National Day holiday he was recently overcharged while travelling in Italy. A young European man handed his child a handful of corn kernels to feed pigeons in a square after visiting Milan Cathedral. Later, the same man, alongside his partners, charged them ?20 ($22.78) for about 20 kernels.
"When I tried to bargain with them, they yelled at us and almost reached into my wallet. I had to pay them ?20 and leave quickly," the Chinese tourist said.
Some other Chinese tourists have also experienced the same situation. According to a couple of female travellers, several young men followed them on the excuse of helping with their luggage at a railway station, also in Italy.
What's worse, a tourist was charged ?20 for having dust cleaned from his coat on a street in Spain. "I didn't want to pay, but people said I had to."
Overcharging has also happened in Paris and Barcelona. The boss of a local restaurant even charged tourists for their seats.
