Awful experience at Mama Pasta in Sosua

[HUG]

I think you're a little out of line also mind. 5 times in three weeks is not that much, less than twice a week, good custom, but don't expect him to especially remember you as a great customer on that.
And you need to adapt. Just because things would not have been handled as such elsewhere does not mean it isn't the way in DR.
If he just added the total on, and that is all you have issue with, surely you could have just asked 'what is that for?', 'that is for the tab from last time' , oh, ok, here you go'. And pay the guy.

For RD250 he probably didn't feel the need to come and hassle you about it, and if you were interested you could ask him, maybe.

Certainly seems you are over reacting, and over reacting in DR will land you a reputation. A reputation in DR of any sort on a personal level is a bad thing. Adapt, it's no big deal.

 

[the gorgon]

I think you're a little out of line also mind. 5 times in three weeks is not that much, less than twice a week, good custom, but don't expect him to especially remember you as a great customer on that.
And you need to adapt. Just because things would not have been handled as such elsewhere does not mean it isn't the way in DR.
If he just added the total on, and that is all you have issue with, surely you could have just asked 'what is that for?', 'that is for the tab from last time' , oh, ok, here you go'. And pay the guy.

For RD250 he probably didn't feel the need to come and hassle you about it, and if you were interested you could ask him, maybe.

Certainly seems you are over reacting, and over reacting in DR will land you a reputation. A reputation in DR of any sort on a personal level is a bad thing. Adapt, it's no big deal.

HUG and i on the same wavelength again. this could get interesting.

 

[Mu?ecote]

seems like two big egos met up at the wrong time. one guy who retired early, the other guy busting his ass to make 1000 pesos a day. personally id go down there and shake his hand and get a laugh about it as throwing money at him or on the table is not a good way to act either

 

[frank recktenwald]

Chuck, it's all Harleysrock's fault!!! He stiffed Victor with the bill and as any good Dominican businessman would do he put that on your bill as all "Gringo's" are the same in their eyes!!
Harleysrock is toooooooo much tigrue for the rest of the gringo's!!! :bunny: :bunny:

Hug, when you go to the bank and borrow some money they charge you interest, it's kinda the same thing the colmado does butdon't forget they also give you the service of when you call them that they deliver your beer at home!!!!!!
In the UK they probably won't let you "fiar"

 

[HUG]

Oh, it's all part of the game. No doubt I will have walked away without paying on occasion, the cycle of street level living no doubt.
Colmados in the UK? Now there's a thought. Can't drink on the street, can't smoke in the bars. Cant drink and drive, no car wash, no drive through drink hatch. And to consider a tab, anywhere is just stupid.

 

[Garyexpat]

I'm finding it quite amusing that so much can be said about a potential RD$ 250 overcharge. Seriously? Do you get that bothered in the US if a restaurant adds a US$6 charge to your check by accident? To the point where you write a really long post on a forum telling people never to go there? No of course you don't.

I know that you like the meat lasagna, but going there 6 times in just 3 weeks and eating the same dish is too many times. There is so much nice chicken and pork on this island, maybe you'll now get a chance to try it.

I get upset if here, the US or China put extra charges on my check and from what the story says it was not by accident. To me that is part of the problem. IF it really happened and the owner wanted to recoup the lost monies he should have had the balls to be up front and tell the guy, look last time you were here ....... Adding it to the bill without explanation appears to me that it may have never happened.
By the way I don't get upset about a $6.00 overcharge because of the $6.00 but the principle. I am not cheap but also not a chump.

 

[PeterInBrat]

All this fuss over $6 for food you thought was going to be free. You're not going to last long if you've let such things get to you.

 

[sosuamatt]

I agree with PIB. If I like the lasagna there, and I do, I would not cut off my nose to spite my face over the issue. I understand the principle involved but these issues should be able to be worked out as it only as serious as you choose to make them. Having said that we are all different and have our own breaking points.

 

[PeterInBrat]

Now I want lasagna...

 

[Tamborista]

Great, now he is going to use the "Special Sauce" for anybody that mentions this thread!

 

[Fredo]

first you rip him off, you knew he did not charge you and did not offer to pay him then, now you blackmail him via a public forum and try to destroy his business...

I hope you feel all powerful behind your keyboard !!

 

[amp]

Maybe someone just needs to be the bigger person.

Apparently he handled it the wrong way and should have let you know as soon as he saw you to hash it out.

You, instead of throwing money at the table in frustration, could have talked to him about how he approached you and come to a solution.

After all, you like the food and RD$250 for a full lasagna is a decent price.

 

[dv8]

first you rip him off, you knew he did not charge you and did not offer to pay him then, now you blackmail him via a public forum and try to destroy his business...
I hope you feel all powerful behind your keyboard !!

read this again:

When it was time for the bill he put an extra lasagna on it. I was confused. The explanation was that the last time we were there we took a full lasagna to go but his wife didn't charge us for it because she thought it was leftovers. None of us can remember that now. Maybe he is right but how do I know that now?

he did dot rip the restaurant off or knew he was not charged. it was, from the very beginning, a mistake on the part of the business.

 

[malko]

Strange really that so many posters dont agree with the OP.

As a restaurant manager, I would say the owner handeled the issue very poorly.
#1. He could just have gone over to talk about it, before adding it on the bill.
#2. He could have NOT added it on the bill, and casually pointed it out while thanking the couple for coming for dinner ( would have earned him some brownie points ).
#3. He should not have got into an argument cos as all restaurant owners know, 2 out of 10 satisfied clients will spread the word around, but 9 out of 10 unsatisfied clients will spread the word around.

As for the posters who say "mmh 250 pesos, not worth it....", well here lies the reason why people in the dr think they can overcharge gringos.....a d then mumble pendejo as u walk away.
250 pesos or 250$, same diffrence..... no way jos?.

As for reputation of the OP, lol, give me a break.
His reputation would have suffered more if he had kept his trap shut and paid whithout a question.

 

[Harleysrock]

I am sure if you talked to Victor about this he would try to rectify the situation. Since I go to Coco a lot, I see him often in a professional and personal manner and he is a cool guy, always more than accommodating for my wife with MANY allergies.
Sosua is full of drunks and we don't always want to go to the bank at 3am to get more money so the tab or pay it later thing seems to work well! Never done this in my life till here and LOVE it. haha
I let things slide more in Sosua because of what it is. It's a "special" place.

 

[dv8]

As for the posters who say "mmh 250 pesos, not worth it....", well here lies the reason why people in the dr think they can overcharge gringos.....a d then mumble pendejo as u walk away.
250 pesos or 250$, same diffrence..... no way jos?.

exactly. as harley said wisely before: if i gave 5 pesos to everyone who asks me for it then i would be on the street begging for 5 pesos.

 

[GringoInParadise]

read this again:



he did dot rip the restaurant off or knew he was not charged. it was, from the very beginning, a mistake on the part of the business.

Nahhhhhhhhhhh..!!!

He knew.

And he made a scene throwing money at the guy, who is just trying to make a miserable buck in a miserable restaurant in a miserable town.

And then comes bad-mouthing the guy on a public forum, giving just HIS side of a stupid story, and the guy can't even defend himself.

I don't care for Lasagna, but next time in Sousa I'll stop there and buy every bit he has in stock.

 

[BermudaRum]

Great, now he is going to use the "Special Sauce" for anybody that mentions this thread!

Now you know why twice a week I will only talk about how great the weather is.

 

[jd426]

I read the OP several times, and I fail to see where this was an " Overcharge"... it was something the owner MISSED and then later realized he did not charge the customer for.. His fault yes.. and bad how he handled it YES.. but no where do I see an
" over charge"... if this was an over charge , it would be a completely different conversation..
Over charge is if you are sitting at a Bar ( should I name names ?) and me an my expat friend are ordering drinks,. and the bartender PADS the BILL with extra drinks we did NOT Consume, OR claims he used TOP SHELF RUM in my Cuba Libres, which I did NOT ask for nor witnessed him POUR...
THAT is an example of " over charging"..

I totally agree with other posters, that if you BOTH dont put this behind you.. it will haunt you if it becomes a reputation.. just not worth it..

those of you who dont understand the difference between the 2,, i truly feel bad for you..

 

[Norberto61]

There is a reason 9 restaurants out of 10 fail - and guys like this probably account for 4 of them