Cyprus-Forum.com

[Sotos]

Consumers asked to be careful at bill-time on New Year’s Eve

THE CONSUMERS’ Association has warned the public to be extra vigilant if they are planning to spend New Year’s Eve out on the town.

Head of the association, Petros Markou, asked consumers to be careful when settling bills at the end of the night and to check what the prices will be beforehand.

“The consumer needs to be careful. First of all we need to know exactly what is included in each offer. Does it include live music for example? Does it include drinks or doesn’t it?”

According to Markou, some spots are charging ridiculous amounts of money. “We’ve heard of three-figure charges, we haven’t had specific reports though.

“It’s a free market and everyone is allowed to charge whatever he or she want. But they should warn consumers from the start that this is the offer they are giving.”

He also invited the authorities to be on special watch as far as the safety of nightclubs is involved.

“Cases where, for example, the venue can only take a hundred people but allows admittance 150 or 200 people, aren’t few. We are asking the fire services and the CTO to intensify and multiply their supervisions, so that we can be sure that consumers will not just have a better time but a safer one.”

The responsibility of monitoring prices and services falls solely on the consumer, said Tourism Head of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation Lefkos Philactides.

Nightspot owners, he added, must have clearly written pricelists, which they should stick to.
The CTO issued an announcement last week, urging owners to draw up the price alterations they would be making due to the season and send it to the CTO for approval.

“In the event that the consumer suspects that something isn’t right, it would be a good idea for him to submit the details to one of our regional offices and we will examine the facts.

“If on the initial price list there is a ‘Price A’ and the consumer gets charged ‘A+’, then he should keep detailed receipts, bring them to CTO and we will act accordingly,” advised Philactides.