Paying for milk and sugar?

Yank

Anyone had to pay for milk for your tea in the Dublin airport? I had this experience on the first floor above the check-in area in the breakfast cafe. 20c for a little tub of milk for my tea! That's as bad as take-aways making you pay for the packets of ketchup and vinegar for your chips.

rondjon

Like having to pay 80c for your tartar sauce with your fish and chips in Beshoff Fish & Chips in Howth.

delly

I've been in that same place in Dublin Airport, and the butter is extra with your toast.

landser

i was there two weeks ago, and the milk and butter were free! you lads must have "SUCKER" written all over you

Lafortezza

Afaik the milk and sugar should be free, dunno what that's about. All I know is that I can get a monster fry for €6 instead of €12 the general public are charged! God bless the staff ID!!

Pints also cost only €3.30 in the airport bars with staff ID

rondjon

lafortezza wrote:

Afaik the milk and sugar should be free[/size]

Cop yerself on.

It's not that they "should" be free. It's not like you can refuse to pay for the milk and sugar if your asked to.

It's that business in the past have always shown goodwill in the fact that if you're buying tea/coffee off them, then they'll give you your milk and sugar for free.

They're free to charge you for milk and sugar if they want. It's not like they're getting them for free off their suppliers.

All they're merely doing by charging you is showing you that they no longer have any goodwill towards you.

And as a consumer, you should simply see that as an invitation to take your business elsewhere.

Lafortezza

rondjon wrote:

Cop yerself on.

It's not that they "should" be free. It's not like you can refuse to pay for the milk and sugar if your asked to.

Unclench.

When I said they "should be free" I meant that from the times I've gone to the Dublin Airport cafes the milk and sugar are usually free. Not that I demand they be free.

kenmc

rondjon wrote:

They're free to charge you for milk and sugar if they want. It's not like they're getting them for free off their suppliers.

Well you would expect that the price of milk/butter be factored into the price of a cup of tea/slice of toast in the first place. Thats usually the way it works AFAIK. I mean you don't ever go into a restauraunt and see the prices of the food, then see "extras" like cooking, washing up afterwards, heating, lights etc...

landser

i've never been charged for milk and sugar in the airport or anywhere else. i think the OP is wrong

Yank

perhaps, if i still had it, i should scan in the receipt of my purchase to show you the extras that were billed on it. But i don't have it, so it's pointless for me to suggest that. :rolleyes:
i remember making a joke with a friend of mine, when we were complaining about paying for packets of ketchup, that next they'll be charging for milk with your tea. Well, a man next to us started up -- not that anyone asked him -- defending businesses for charging whatever they want to, saying that someone has to pay for those little extras, etc. etc. What a bunch of crap. If businesses in the past have been able to make a profit while offering such things for free, or have been saavy enough to adjust their prices so that they can appear to offer little extras for free, then why can't they do it now? It's pure greed, and the fact that they know the Irish population will just roll over and pay it. The way things are going, people in this country will soon pay 5 euros for a loaf of bread, 4 for a cup of tea, 8 for a pint of guinness, and wonder why they have no money left to pay their 800 euro ESB bill!!

landser

Yank wrote:

i remember making a joke with a friend of mine, when we were complaining about paying for packets of ketchup, that next they'll be charging for milk with your tea.

I thought you had been charged for milk, not for ketchup. Either way, I refer you to rondjon's post supra. If you don't like it; go elsewhere. Better than griping about it here...

Yank

landser wrote:

If you don't like it; go elsewhere. Better than griping about it here...

I thought this would be the perfect place to gripe about it, as it's a forum about Rip-Off Ireland??

rondjon

kenmc wrote:

Well you would expect that the price of milk/butter be factored into the price of a cup of tea/slice of toast in the first place.

That is exactly my point. However, because businesses are becoming more greedy, and care less and less about their customers and more and more about their bottom line, their less inclined now about getting repeat business, and more inclined to squeeze as much as possible out of each individual nameless faceless customer.

Just a fact of life. Nothing wrong with what they're doing, just sad that they're going about business in that way.

rondjon

Yank wrote:

I thought this would be the perfect place to gripe about it, as it's a forum about Rip-Off Ireland??

When I said go elsewhere, what I meant was -

1. Complain politely to the person at the till - if necessary, ask to see the manager and let him know how disappointed you are to be paying for milk/sugar/butter/teaspoon/ketchup or whatever.

2. If necessary, ask him why this is necessary etc etc. If you really care.

3. Politely explain to him that you're disappointed that they're taking this form of profiteering, and tell him that you'll be taking your business elsewhere in future - as a direct consequence of their actions.

Then don't go back.

The problem with "ripoff ireland" is that people don't go to these simple lengths to voice their dissatisfaction.

And, all of this should be done immediately you have a problem somewhere, and then, and only then, should you resort to coming onto a bulletin board such as this.

It's much more effective if you are able to say, they overcharged me, I complained, they ignored my complaint, I told them I would take my business elsewhere, they didn't care, I suggest that no one else goes their either.

rondjon

And just for the record Landser, just cause you haven't been charged for milk and sugar etc, doesn't mean that nobody else here hasn't.

Grow up!!!!!

Yank

As far as my eyes can tell, it was landser who told me to go somewhere else, not rondjon. But anyway . . .
I agree that I should have spoken up about the milk (I wasn't charged for sugar), but I had just been flying in the air for 9 hours through about 10 time zones and wasn't thinking my best. You can rest assured I won't go to that business again, and part of my reason for posting here is to ensure that no one else does, either.
I don't agree that I shouldn't post here until I have tried everything you said -- I can post here whenever I decide to. Even if it's only to be reminded by the others on here to challenge businesses that I think are overcharging me. In fact, I think the Irish would do well to be reminded of this whenever complaining about Rip-Off Ireland. Thank you for reminding me.

Dingatron

Pints also cost only €3.30 in the airport bars with staff ID

Never knew that.

Never been charged for milk up there ever, but it wouldn't suprise me.

parsi

Ah yes... O'Leary's Cafe & Sangwidge Bar

- Breakfast Roll 99cent (excludes filling and related charges)
- Cup of Tea 99c (excludes hire of tea cup, mandatory cleaning charge and charges that we put on because the Government won't let us build a second terminal or charge more),
- lasagne 1.99 (excludes mandatory cooking fee)..

etc etc

SparkyLarks

Hang on a second.
I drink black tea with no sugar, for years I've been subsidiing those who take milk and sugar, hopefully other places will follow suit now

Only joking. I take loads of milk and 2 sugars, but I am a supporter of the user pays, why should that not apply to milk and sugar as well as refuse ect

Xterminator

SparkyLarks wrote:

Only joking. I take loads of milk and 2 sugars, but I am a supporter of the user pays, why should that not apply to milk and sugar as well as refuse ect

Because they make a big enough margin on approx 300 mls of hot water and 1 teabag, when charging €1 to cover what most people would need to drink their tea, eg milk and sugar.

For most people its not tea until their milk is in it!

X

SparkyLarks

Xterminator wrote:

Because they make a big enough margin on approx 300 mls of hot water and 1 teabag, when charging €1 to cover what most people would need to drink their tea, eg milk and sugar.

For most people its not tea until their milk is in it!

X

don't forget that margin has to cover wages, the cost of some carying the tea over, if someone serves 100 teas in an hour, at 7.70 an hour that's 7 cent on wages. Lighting heating, insurance( incase you throw the tea at someone and then slip on the tea and sue) .....

but alot of people drink black coffee why should they pay for other people to have milk. maybe black coffee should be cheaper than the current price of coffee( ya like that would happen) but the question remains valid.

Should black coffee drinkers have to subsidise people who take milk??

rondjon

Xterminator wrote:

For most people its not tea until their milk is in it!

Cool, lets get into a trades descriptions arguement here.

Tea is €1. What is tea? It's some tealeaves/teabags in some hot water with a cup.

Tea. With Milk. Is different from tea. Therefore, €1.10 for example.

Tea. With Milk. With Sugar. Is different from tea also. Therefore, €1.15 for example.

And finally. Tea. With Sugar. Is different again. €1.05.

Why don't you all start complaining about being charged different for chips, garlic chips, chips and gravy, or chips with coleslaw.

They're all spuds ffs.

Yank

I don't like mayonaise on my burger -- why should I have to pay for everyone else's mayo? Every menu should read like this:
Burger 1 e
with mayo 1.05
with salad 1.15
with bun 1.05
with bun and salad 1.20
with bun and salad and mayo 1.25
Chips 1 e
with salt 1.05
with vinegar 1.05
with salt and vinegar 1.10

If all menus were like this, we'd know exactly what we're paying for. Except, we wouldn't, because after having to read a menu such as this just once, we'd all go blind.

No wonder businesses are over-charging in Ireland -- it seems just about everyone is willing to pay.

sceptre

rondjon wrote:

Tea is €1. What is tea? It's some tealeaves/teabags in some hot water with a cup.

Tea. With Milk. Is different from tea. Therefore, €1.10 for example.

Tea. With Milk. With Sugar. Is different from tea also. Therefore, €1.15 for example.

And finally. Tea. With Sugar. Is different again. €1.05.

This rather reminds me of that McDonald's advert with the poor sucker paying to get into the disco.

parsi

rondjon wrote:

Cool, lets get into a trades descriptions arguement here.

Tea is €1. What is tea? It's some tealeaves/teabags in some hot water with a cup.

Tea. With Milk. Is different from tea. Therefore, €1.10 for example.

Tea. With Milk. With Sugar. Is different from tea also. Therefore, €1.15 for example.

And finally. Tea. With Sugar. Is different again. €1.05.

Why don't you all start complaining about being charged different for chips, garlic chips, chips and gravy, or chips with coleslaw.

They're all spuds ffs.

Indeed. And we should pay for the saucer and the spoon to stir the tea or squeeze the tea bag.

Lets face it - traditionally a cup of tea had milk and sugar was your free optional extra. That's the way it has been ever since tea came around.

Now everyone is going into the "headline price" marketing scam - a low starting price but most people have to add the extras. So we have tea but milk and sugar is extra, we have coffee but milk and sugar is extra, chips but salt will be extra, toast but please pay for your butter - soon we will all be made pay very close attention to the actual words - tea is tea and just that - and not the normal usage - tea is tea and milk.

So what we will ahev to do in such establishments is eitrher boycoot them or ensure that tehy are doing what tehy are supposed to - lets hassle them about their responsibilties as traders - lets make sure they are scrupulously clean, hire only legal workers, adhere to the wide variety of regulations. If they want to screw us we should screw them back....so if they say sugar is 5c extra then go and take a bucket load , if milk is 10c then take the cow -= after all they didn't specify exactly what they meant did they ?

Urban Weigl

Why don't ye just bring your own milk?

Yank

Yes, and bring your own tea bag and cup and a flask of hot water.
Or, how about this: just drink your tea at home.

*Page*

i had to pay for red sauce but not for milk or sugar and that was only in april

dahamsta

I agree with this post 100%. Irish people are terrible at standing up for themselves. There seems to be this ridiculous stigma attached, that people will think you're a crank or a weirdo if you complain. Well, if they do, they're the fools, not you. We need to see more people stand up for themselves and complain about ill-treatment, bad management and overpricing. Even simple things count, like getting a nasty pint in a pub, or a sub-par meal in a restaurant. Often it will benefit the retailer as much as the consumer.

As a bonus, you'd be amazed at the freebies you'll get just for opening your gob and saying "no, this just isn't on". Seriously.

adam

rondjon wrote:

When I said go elsewhere, what I meant was -

1. Complain politely to the person at the till - if necessary, ask to see the manager and let him know how disappointed you are to be paying for milk/sugar/butter/teaspoon/ketchup or whatever.

2. If necessary, ask him why this is necessary etc etc. If you really care.

3. Politely explain to him that you're disappointed that they're taking this form of profiteering, and tell him that you'll be taking your business elsewhere in future - as a direct consequence of their actions.

Then don't go back.

The problem with "ripoff ireland" is that people don't go to these simple lengths to voice their dissatisfaction.

And, all of this should be done immediately you have a problem somewhere, and then, and only then, should you resort to coming onto a bulletin board such as this.

It's much more effective if you are able to say, they overcharged me, I complained, they ignored my complaint, I told them I would take my business elsewhere, they didn't care, I suggest that no one else goes their either.

petes

I too agree with this thread. For a while if I got a nasty pint Id usually lump it and make excuses to myself like the bar was too busy etc.. Now I say feck that I get a nasty pint and have just paid €4 for it. I tell them that is rank, give me another from a different tap if possible. If not sort that other tap out and give me one from that.

*Page*

a pub in town served myself and my boyfriend drinks in glasses that were coated with wax in the inside for using them as candel holders. we got free drinks after our complaint and a fresh drink. then an hour or so later it happened again. the bar man said he wouldnt have believed me if it didnt happen in front of him..(me taking a swig and pulling out a bit of wax from my mouth.) rest of the night he served us with pint glasss(not used for candles) with an extra shot thrown in.

petes

*Page* wrote:

a pub in town served myself and my boyfriend drinks in glasses that were coated with wax in the inside for using them as candel holders. we got free drinks after our complaint and a fresh drink. then an hour or so later it happened again. the bar man said he wouldnt have believed me if it didnt happen in front of him..(me taking a swig and pulling out a bit of wax from my mouth.) rest of the night he served us with pint glasss(not used for candles) with an extra shot thrown in.

Thats just not right. I wouldnt have stayed tbh.