Can pubs/niteclubs refuse you tapwater?

fret_wimp2

I was in D-Two last night and asked a member of the bar staff for a glass of tapwater. He refused, saying that they had no water.

I know the council were turning off water mains the last few days, but a nite club, who has flushing toilets, have to wash glasses, ice machines etc tell me they cant spare a glass of tap water.

Is that legal?

Paulw

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Is that legal?

Yes, it is. They are under no obligation to give you water, but I'm sure they'd gladly sell you a bottle of still water.

castie

As far as I remember a nightclub cant open without running water.

GerardKeating

castie wrote: »

As far as I remember a nightclub cant open without running water.

Just because they have running water, does not mean they have to give it away free.

And it's not unreasonable to charge for tap water, there is a real cost to the nightclub to give a customer a glass of tap water, the glass does not fill/wash itself.

Padraig Mor

I've often heard it said (including from nightclub staff) that all pubs/clubs (even all public buildings?) must provide water by law at no charge when asked. Is it an actual law? I dunno...... Perhaps it used to be tied into the whole 'hot meal in a nightclub' thing?

Paulw

Padraig Mor wrote: »

I've often heard it said (including from nightclub staff) that all pubs/clubs (even all public buildings?) must provide water by law at no charge when asked. Is it an actual law? I dunno...... Perhaps it used to be tied into the whole 'hot meal in a nightclub' thing?

Can you find that actual law please, and let us know?

That's just an old wives tale.

By law they must have running water, but they have no obligation to provide it to you for free.

MunsterCycling

Paulw wrote: »

Can you find that actual law please, and let us know?

That's just an old wives tale.

By law they must have running water, but they have no obligation to provide it to you for free.

And can you show in law where it states they can refuse? Any place refusing isn't worthy of your custom.

Jagle

im sure they are under no obligation to provide you with water for free, as water comes at a cost, both with staff costs and the cost of cleaning it, but also the fact businesses pay for water

the only reason i imagine a nightclub/pub would ever refuse giving a customer a glass of water would be again as people have mentioned city limiting supply of water

Adyx

I worked in a nightclub before (long since closed) and just before I started working there, they had been prosecuted for not providing cold water in the taps in the toilets and for refusing people glasses of tap water. So certainly I think they would be obliged to provide water. I would think the only issue is do they have to provide it for free.

Nonoperational

You wouldn't have a law saying they can refuse in fairness. That's just silly. It's their business I don't see why they would have to give you free water. Maybe they had running water from a backup supply that they were sparing for essentials.

Padraig Mor

Paulw wrote: »

Can you find that actual law please, and let us know?

That's just an old wives tale.

.

Perhaps you missed the bit in my post that said "Is it an actual law? I dunno...... "?

Cabaal

Given business pay water rates it wouldn't be unreasonable for them to charge for water,

I find it amusing that people will pay crazy prices for drink, admission price for getting into the niteclub but will then complain about not getting free water.....go figure :pac:

reprazant

I thought that anyone was obliged to give you water if you asked for it. That law, if it was a law that is, was in place when water was free. Not sure now.

As for there being no water, if they can't open with no flowing water then no pub, club or restaurant would have been open in Dublin after 7 for the last week.

They have flowing water from their tanks but these are not drinkable. If they have no mains, what do you want them to do? You asked for tap water. They didn't have any.

P. Breathnach

Cabaal wrote: »

...
I find it amusing that people will pay crazy prices for drink, admission price for getting into the niteclub but will then complain about not getting free water.....go figure :pac:

It is equally amusing that a venue charges you a crazy price for admission and then refuses people a drink of water.

reprazant wrote: »

... They didn't have any.

Obviously I don't know the facts in a particular case, and I suspect that you don't either. In general, however, I would be surprised if a bar did not have drinkable water on tap.

matrim

Padraig Mor wrote: »

I've often heard it said (including from nightclub staff) that all pubs/clubs (even all public buildings?) must provide water by law at no charge when asked. Is it an actual law? I dunno...... Perhaps it used to be tied into the whole 'hot meal in a nightclub' thing?

I always thought this only came into effect if they also served food but am open to correction on it.

Plazaman

There's no actual law to force a publican to provide free water. The Vintners Association have an unwritten rule that water should be provided on request for say Customer Service purposes, medical purposes etc. Fine and dandy for a local but for a mahor city centre night club with higher water charges and rates etc a different story. Still unless the customers is asking for pints of water all night, one glass of water shouldn't be a big deal.

Cabaal

P. Breathnach wrote: »

It is equally amusing that a venue charges you a crazy price for admission and then refuses people a drink of water.

They likely figure at that stage if your dumb enough to pay for that your likely dumb enough to pay for bottled water as well.

seamus

MunsterCycling wrote: »

And can you show in law where it states they can refuse?

Ain't how the law works. Unless they're legally compelled to do it, then they may legally refuse.

reprazant

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Obviously I don't know the facts in a particular case, and I suspect that you don't either. In general, however, I would be surprised if a bar did not have drinkable water on tap.

True, I don't know the facts but I do live in the city centre and for the last week my water has been turned off from 7 in the evening until 7 in the morning by the council due to severe water shortages.

If mine has, I would imagine theirs was as well.

TeaServer

About 6 years ago I saw a sign (several actually) displayed behind the bar in The Radisson in Galway.

It read:

Tap water FREE
Service Charge €2

Clever way around it I thought...

91011

Water has been turned off in dublin for the past few nights - it is causing hell for pubs / restaurants as they have to get in barells of water.

This is probably fine for flushing toilets and washing up after being heated but certainly not foor drinking.

Maybe, just maybe they were actually telling the truth?????????

Then again, maybe the op thinks that the pub staff don't want to be paid, the glasses wash themselves and the rent & heat on the premises is free.

Guy:Incognito

Adyx wrote: »

I worked in a nightclub before (long since closed) and just before I started working there, they had been prosecuted for not providing cold water in the taps in the toilets and for refusing people glasses of tap water. So certainly I think they would be obliged to provide water. I would think the only issue is do they have to provide it for free.

Did you actually see evidence of this prosecution or was this something you were told when you started to avoid you giving out free pints of water?

davo10

Considering the problems last year with bacteria in water in Galway, what would happen if a patron claimed they got sick from drinking tap water in a nightclub?, the water may be coming from a tank, not from the mains, take the hit and pay for a bottle, it's probably safer

nessie911

GerardKeating wrote: »

Just because they have running water, does not mean they have to give it away free.

And it's not unreasonable to charge for tap water, there is a real cost to the nightclub to give a customer a glass of tap water, the glass does not fill/wash itself.

Well the staff in my local would tell you that given a person a glass of tap water saves them in the long run, as it can both stop people from geting sick which theywould then have to clean up, but also it can settle the persons stomach, which will allow them to buy another drink.

But op I dont know if it is illegal not to give you water, i do think it is bad form, and that you should name and shame the place, and if it was me i would not bother going back there.

TouchingVirus

davo10 wrote: »

Considering the problems last year with bacteria in water in Galway, what would happen if a patron claimed they got sick from drinking tap water in a nightclub?, the water may be coming from a tank, not from the mains, take the hit and pay for a bottle, it's probably safer

But what if a rodent got beyond the rentokill and urinated on your bottle, contaminating the neck. Then you touch the neck off the glass while filling it the neck, touch it and pour the water into your glass and then get AIDS!? :eek:

Stop with the nonsense.

Adyx

Stekelly wrote: »

Did you actually see evidence of this prosecution or was this something you were told when you started to avoid you giving out free pints of water?

I don't understand what you mean. Why would they tell me they were being prosecuted for not providing drinkable tap water if they wanted me to continue the practice? For as long as I worked there and in every pub/club I've worked in since, tap water has always been provided free.

In addition to being told, it was also in one of the local papers afair.

91011

Adyx wrote: »

I don't understand what you mean. Why would they tell me they were being prosecuted for not providing drinkable tap water if they wanted me to continue the practice? For as long as I worked there and in every pub/club I've worked in since, tap water has always been provided free.

In addition to being told, it was also in one of the local papers afair.

They got prosecuted for not having running water in the toilets - this is a hygiene issue and they would have been prosecuted under health & safety legis;ation.

Not giving out free tap water is NOT illegal. - If anyone can show where any establishment must give free drinking water to anyone who asks for it, I'll dance naked on O'Connell st (that would be a dreadful sight!:D)

Adyx

91011 wrote: »

They got prosecuted for not having running water in the toilets - this is a hygiene issue and they would have been prosecuted under health & safety legis;ation.

Not giving out free tap water is NOT illegal. - If anyone can show where any establishment must give free drinking water to anyone who asks for it, I'll dance naked on O'Connell st (that would be a dreadful sight!:D)

No they didn't. Read my post again. They had no cold water in the toilets, there was hot water. To be fair this 10 years ago and I'm not 100% sure on the details but I do remember distinctly that the issue was no cold water in the toilets.
For what it's worth I do agree with you that it is not illegal to charge for water and nor should it be. However in practice I think most places do give it for free. A pint of tap water is a tiny amount of water compared to the amount used for cleaning, glasswashers, toilets or even the mineral guns used in some places.

Mark Hamill

91011 wrote: »

Then again, maybe the op thinks that the pub staff don't want to be paid, the glasses wash themselves and the rent & heat on the premises is free.

Pups pay for their staff, the washing up, the rent and heating by charging people for tap water? WTF are the entrance fee, the €2.50 for a small box of pringles and the €5.60 a pint of soft drink in aid of then?

davo10

TouchingVirus wrote: »

But what if a rodent got beyond the rentokill and urinated on your bottle, contaminating the neck. Then you touch the neck off the glass while filling it the neck, touch it and pour the water into your glass and then get AIDS!? :eek:

Stop with the nonsense.

My point being that you cannot be certain if you are getting mains or stored water, personally i prefer to drink the mains water from my Kitchen tap rather than the tap in my bathroom, but thats just me.

Incidently the disease you can get from rat pee is Weil's disease, not AIDS nobby. And as you brought it up, one of the ways it is transmitted is water supplies contaminated by animal urine coming in contact with broken skin/mucosa. I was thinking more of stomach bugs from stored water, you know, that type of nonsence.

"TouchingVirus"?, more like "WhatsaVirus"

foggy_lad

There is a law that I can't recall now that says once you are served in any licensed premises you have the right to use the toilets there and also once allowed onto the premises as a customer you have the right to a drink of water free of charge and after your water you then have the right to use the toilets in the establishment.