Surprising Travel Scam You Must Know About Before Visiting Prague
Here is a guide on how to identify and avoid one of the most common scams in restaurants, bars, and cafes in Prague, Czechia.
When traveling to a foreign country, all of us probably had experienced one or more negative situations, simply because we were not well-informed, and did not realize that we, as tourists, can be easily recognized and cheated on.
Yes, we talk about travel scams. No matter how hard we try to avoid them, and no matter every year we are more and more experienced, from time to time we fall for a sophisticated scam, even without noticing it later.
When we hear someone talking about travel scams, we can usually expect unpleasant tales, dreadful experiences, or even horror stories in the worst-case scenarios. They all usually have something in common though, the same end.
The bitter aftertaste, money loss and in some cases ruining the entire vacation. Some of the scams are quite serious, but there are also scams, that are, at first sight, so insignificant, that we might never notice them.
So when it comes to Prague and fraudulent techniques, the most two common scams are dishonest taxi drivers charging significantly more than they should or taking a much longer route, and infamous money exchange services.
Everyone knows about these scams, it's been said and written a lot to avoid falling into these traps, and we hope no traveler arriving in the Czech Republic will ever have negative experience connected with cabs or changing money.
But there are also new travel scams, happening mostly in Prague you would most likely wouldn't notice, not only because they are relatively new, but also because they are not that obvious.
Yeah, there is another scam, and this one is quite different, because it's so simple, and there is a high chance you would have never even noticed it. The scam used nowadays in Prague on unsuspecting tourists is clever, easy to carry out, and hard to detect.
As we hate to be cheated on, we've decided to put together this short guide about not that well-known restaurant scam you can come across in Prague (but we believe anywhere else in the world as well).
So after reading it, you can arrive in the Czech Republic confident and you will be able to focus only on important things - enjoying your time in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Travel Insurance
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
SCAMS IN PRAGUE RESTAURANTS
So you arrived all thrilled in Prague, checked-in in your nice hotel, went out as quickly as possible as you couldn't wait to see on your own eyes what the fuzz is all about, saw the Prague Castle, walked across the Charles Bridge, explored Old Town Square, or walked to Vysehrad.
You know, the usual stuff that we all do when we arrive in a new city.
But walking around the city is exhausting, and suddenly you realized, it's almost 6 PM, you haven't eaten much all day, and you are starving.
You will decide that you must try one of those traditional heavy Czech meals, that every travel guide recommends, so you grab your phone, google restaurants near you, don't look at the reviews, and simply walk in the first restaurant, expecting a normal dinner out, nothing fancy.
The meal was good, you had a pleasant evening, you paid your bill, tipped generously, and everyone's happy. Though you might kind of feel little dizzy from the fat duck, oily dumplings, and sour cabbage, but that's another story.
Where is the catch? You might have ended up paying extra for your meals without even knowing it.
Here is the thing, some of the Prague restaurants are scamming only tourists or in general, everyone who doesn't speak Czech. That's discrimination, and it's against the law.
So if you go to a restaurant, you should pay for the food, sides, drinks, as usual. You can tip if you were satisfied with the service, though it's definitely not mandatory (but as in other countries, it is expected, as the staff usually earn low wages and they often live out of tips).
But if you see something odd on your bill, something like 'Extra Service - 50 CZK' or 'Recommended Tip - 75 CZK', (already in included in the total) that's usually a big NO.
As you can clearly see, you will end up paying some additional fees for no reason. This is not the same as when they charge you two sides instead of one, or five beers instead of four.
This is something else, sometimes a mistake can happen, but this is just another scam. In this case, restaurants are pretty sure that foreigners will not notice quite a small surcharge on their bill, and that they will also never come back.
As we've mentioned above, this is happening only to foreigners. Authorities conducted inspections all over Prague, and in several instances, waiters charged more and added extra fees, that a Czech guest would never pay.
Some restaurants include the service charge in the final price, but if they do, you must be told before you order your meals or drinks. And if you see something like this, then the tips are not needed, because an extra amount has been already charged. It's included.
The point is, you must know about this before you order and you are willing to accept these conditions.
That's why this scam is so smart because you have to check the bill to discover it, which probably you don't do, or for example, if it's a romantic dinner, it would kind of ruin the mood if you would be spending the next five minutes expecting the bill.
The next thing worth knowing about this scam that makes it so ingenious is that the sum is very small, only two-three dollars. But you are not alone, there are hundreds of other guests, every day. Now we are getting numbers.
Fortunately, our country is not a complete mess, and we still have some control mechanisms, so the Czech Trade Inspection Authority has already punished wrongdoers and made them pay a fine.
The problem is that it's going to happen again, and again, and again, as it happened in the past because the profit is huge and there is only a small chance to be caught.
The agency made the inspections in January and September and both times found misdemeanors. And they did inspections last year, and the year before, with the same results.
But you know what? If anything like this happens to you, you can fight back.
Write a review, share the story, it doesn't matter what communication channel you decide to use, word of mouth is good enough, just tell your friends who will come to Prague after you.
There is Tripadvisor, Google reviews, facebook groups, Twitter, Instagram. Or even better, read this post before arriving in Prague, and don't allow to let this scam happen to you.
Also, check out this article Prague Guide for First-Timers.
Rule of thumb is to check the reviews first. And I know that sometimes reviews can be misleading or fake, but they will give you a rough idea of the general vibe and service in the restaurant.
If many people are complaining about rude staff and low meal quality, it is possible that the owner of the restaurant would like to make money elsewhere.
And we know that you've already spent hundreds or thousands of dollars, euros, pesos, yens, whatever currency you use for your trip, and those two or three dollars won't make any difference or are unimportant, but this time, it is about principles.
We believe these people do not deserve money you worked hard on and planned to spend them on something else. Even small steps make a difference.
Even though we hope that most of the restaurants are honest, it's those few exceptions who are putting a really bad look on our otherwise amazing city and the whole country.
So next time you pay the bill in the restaurant, just double-check it, and if you see something funny, some extra service being charged, service you didn't order, don't pay it, please, and politely ask staff what is it for.
If you have any stories about scams in Prague to share, you are more than welcome to use the comments section down below!
PRAGUE GUIDES
Here you can find links to all the services and articles you might find useful when planning your big trip to Prague, Czechia.
Firstly, you should read 1-Day Prague Itinerary or 3 Days in Prague, which will help you decide how to plan your trip, then Must-Visit Places in Prague including the best places in Prague worth visiting.
We've written a full post on Is Prague Safe for Travelers, and How to Get from Prague Airport.
Getting Around Prague is easy with our post, and we've also created a separate post on How to Use Metro in Prague.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Get Around: Buses and trains are an affordable way to get around the Czech Republic. Regiojet offers clean and modern buses and trains with all the amenities.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
