Rip Off "Pints" at Festivals

CantGetNoSleep

I was at a festival at the weekend and was in a few pubs in the particular town.

All pubs in the town were serving drinks in plastic disposable cups, perfectly understandable in a busy festival type atmosphere where the pub was very busy and there were many people drinking outside

However my problem is the size of these plastic cups. They were 500ml. I noticed this when I was drinking a pint bottle and it didn't all fit into my glass. When you go into a pub and ask for a pint, you shouldn't get 500ml, you should get 568ml. Pubs are legally required to display a price list, so on show was the price for 568ml of each drink, yet when I was served at the bar I was only given 500ml of it. I'm sure this happens at festivals all over the country.

I know 68ml is not a big deal, but it is still an example of pubs making extra profits on occasions when they are using plastic cups (these occasions are almost always very busy anyway). Is it too much to ask for the pubs to either get actual pint sized glasses or else reduce their prices by ~10% on occasions when they are and display this on their price lists?

Latchy

Same here in UK .I had to pay £3 .50 for (1 ) bottle of beer at a recent concert .I know they have to make their money to pay for costs ,staff etc but that's a rip off by any standards .Not surprising that hundreds sneak their own booze in .

CantGetNoSleep

I know people are ripped off at concerts etc, and could go on for hours complaining about it, but this was in a regular pub, the festival was taking place in several pubs in the town

ejmaztec

It seems to be standard procedure everywhere these days, a very sobering experience.

Davidth88

This is in a pub right, they are advertising their drinks ( ie they have a price list ).

If you get short measures report them , just because there is a special event on it does not matter.

Trouble is who is ever going to report them right !

I bet this was only an ' oversight ' on the pubs part , they purchased the wrong mugs or something and were not even realising it .

MOH

A friend was at a gig in the 'a venue' a while ago, queried the size of the plastic cup s a few times, was repeatedly assured they were a pint. He later bought a pint bottle of Bulmers, poured it in, cup was full well before bottle was empty. Barman just shrugged and walked away.

Degsy

Pubs are rip-oof merchant scum and they whinge that people arent drinking in them anymore.

Del2005

It's not just the plastic glasses. I've liberated a few pint glasses from pubs and whenever I fill them from a 500ml can I get the same amount in as when getting one in a pub.

The glass may be a pint glass but when head is taken into account you get less. They should be forced to use glasses that have the pint level marked on them with enough left over for the head.

Although that means the OP was getting less the 500ml.

One thing I've noticed in some pubs is that the price list doesn't list amount but draught and bottle. I'd assume that's how they are getting away with it under selling

Dub13

A reminder of the no MCD rule,I had to edit one post.

whippet

while I believe they should be using imperial measured glassed/plastic for serving the drink don't be too sure that you are not getting the full pint.

I am sure that the 500ml marker on the plastic cup is a little below the brim. Meaning if the cup is filled further than the little marker you are getting more than 500ml.

Shanegggg

Was in dun laoghaire for the festival at the weekend and a certain pub, below a nightclub, we're using 400ml plastic cups for beer and still charging a fiver.

Me and my mate looked at the cups and said there's no way thats a pint and sure enough it wasn't! Had the level at the top and 400ml beside it! :mad:

dudara

At a recent concert, sponsored by a well-known beer brand, all that was available to purchase was their beer. I'm a coeliac, so beer is out. All I wanted was a glass of wine, or a spirit and mixer, but nothing other than beer was on offer.

eth0_

Who would you report this to? The vintners association? Trading standards?

Ste.phen

The metrology department AFAIK?

Oryx

Were pints exempted in the UK when their weights and measures went metric? Id imagine those glasses are imported from an area where 500ml is the standard measure. Sure is an easy way to make extra money for the pubs. And this might be of use.

It also reminds me of the old wry joke where the barman hands over a pint and the punter says hey, could you fit a short in that? When the barman says yeah, customer says 'Well fill the bloody thing up then.'