login

Author Topic: Various Questions??  (Read 16936 times)

Offline harribobs

  • Regulars
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1830
    • Yahoo Instant Messenger - harribobs
    • View Profile
    • http://themanchesters.org
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #15 on: August 09, 2007, 11:18:03 PM »
we've been once.....


we sat there for 20 minutes and were ignored

Offline harribobs

  • Regulars
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1830
    • Yahoo Instant Messenger - harribobs
    • View Profile
    • http://themanchesters.org
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #16 on: August 09, 2007, 11:27:16 PM »
btw....

Bigal

are you the same Bigal from the thassos forum?

Offline bigal

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 14
    • View Profile
    • http://
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #17 on: August 10, 2007, 09:32:12 AM »
Quote from: harribobs
btw....

Bigal

are you the same Bigal from the thassos forum?


No I am not. I am al from Glasgow

Offline shinaria

  • Regulars
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 295
    • AOL Instant Messenger - shinaria@aol.com
    • View Profile
    • http://www.reuters-design.de
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #18 on: August 10, 2007, 11:55:29 AM »
Just want to say that we never made any bad experience with christos. Friendly staff, good food and one of the most beautyful locations to have the dinner. Not the cheapest, but they even created some specials for our little children that were not on the card. And if you were overcharged it may just have been a mistake and no intention?! In all the years I can only remember a single time when we were fooled by a staff-member and that was in a place at Frangocastello: 95DM [about 50€now] for two "sardines",chips,a poor salade and portokalada. But this Taverna is no longer there. Some of the other Tavernas at the seafront in Plakias give us the feeling to sit in an aquarium cause of the plasticwalls around. Except the tables in the first row.

Bon voyage
shinaria

Offline George

  • Regulars
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1375
    • View Profile
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #19 on: August 10, 2007, 11:59:29 AM »
Quote from: harribobs
we've been once.....


we sat there for 20 minutes and were ignored
That happened to me once, we got up and left, and haven't been back since!

That was a long time ago though.

george g...

Offline ostraco

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 521
    • MSN Messenger - bbaazz@hotmail.com
    • Yahoo Instant Messenger - FinikasUK
    • View Profile
    • Welcome to Plakias
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #20 on: August 10, 2007, 01:29:58 PM »
Quote from: George
Quote from: harribobs
we've been once.....


we sat there for 20 minutes and were ignored
That happened to me once, we got up and left, and haven't been back since!

That was a long time ago though.

george g...
I've had some good food at Christos - the Shrimp saganaki is popular with my frinds (tho a bit spicy for me)
so, I'd rate it about 6/10 - and as so many other places get 9 or 10 - why bother to return?
John - Ostraco

Offline Noopsy

  • Sponsors
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 497
    • View Profile
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #21 on: August 10, 2007, 07:31:19 PM »
Quote from: Greecemad
Noopsy, welcome back to the forum. Was Plakias as good ever? how did you get on with the buses to the airport?

Greecemad
Hallo Greecemad,

Yes, Plakias was lovely. I posted an update on the situation at the time in "Reporting In" but there was no reaction from anyone. Was it something I said?  

I had your instructions with me but when the bus stopped at what appeared to be the place you described I chickened out and didn't get off. [Blushing with shame.] I waited until the bus reached its destination, and then, in more familiar surroundings, followed Stuart & Hilary's directions to Elefterias Square, and caught the airport bus from there. (Thank you Stuart.  )

But next year I promise to be brave  and try catching the airport bus earlier from the stop that you mentioned.

Noopsy
« Last Edit: August 10, 2007, 07:37:40 PM by Noopsy 500 »
Ελευθερία ή θάνατος

Offline Mike G

  • Regulars
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 807
    • View Profile
    • http://
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #22 on: August 11, 2007, 09:49:57 AM »
Quote from: Ploppy
Haven't been to Christos since our first year. No real reason apart from at the time it didn't take credit cards and aslo i'm not a big seafood fan. May try it again this year if only for the location.
Hello Paul,

I'm interested to hear you use your CC to pay for meals. A couple of  questions. Is there resistance in the tavernas to this as they must pay commission to the CC company? Do you pay in € or do they convert to £ (at a disadvantageous exchange rate to you)? I find my CC exchange rate is much better than that obtained changing £ to € and with a Nationwide one there is no commission.

Mike

Offline Ploppy

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 725
    • View Profile
    • Hounslow Weather
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #23 on: August 11, 2007, 02:51:23 PM »
Hi Mike,

We used credit cards in the first couple of years due to not taking enough cash and lack of cash machines.
Now use the CC less but it still gets a fair bashing  

Yes it is billed in Euros and then then converted to sterling. Must admit I have never checked the exchange rates and compared CC Transaction vs Cash withdrawal (I do get charged £1.50 for a foreign Cash withdrawal). Might go back and check last years.

Not really noticed any resistance from the tavernas against paying with CC.

Cheers,

Paul


Quote from: Mike G
Quote from: Ploppy
Haven't been to Christos since our first year. No real reason apart from at the time it didn't take credit cards and aslo i'm not a big seafood fan. May try it again this year if only for the location.
Hello Paul,

I'm interested to hear you use your CC to pay for meals. A couple of  questions. Is there resistance in the tavernas to this as they must pay commission to the CC company? Do you pay in € or do they convert to £ (at a disadvantageous exchange rate to you)? I find my CC exchange rate is much better than that obtained changing £ to € and with a Nationwide one there is no commission.

Mike
« Last Edit: August 11, 2007, 02:52:03 PM by Ploppy »

Offline Graham_and_Karen

  • Regulars
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 764
    • Facebook
    • Google+
    • View Profile
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #24 on: August 11, 2007, 04:04:18 PM »
Quote from: Mike G
Quote from: Ploppy
Haven't been to Christos since our first year. No real reason apart from at the time it didn't take credit cards and aslo i'm not a big seafood fan. May try it again this year if only for the location.
Hello Paul,

I'm interested to hear you use your CC to pay for meals. A couple of  questions. Is there resistance in the tavernas to this as they must pay commission to the CC company? Do you pay in € or do they convert to £ (at a disadvantageous exchange rate to you)? I find my CC exchange rate is much better than that obtained changing £ to € and with a Nationwide one there is no commission.

Mike
We have a Nationwide account with Debit Card. We get money from ATMs at a good rate (1.47 last month) and no commission, then pay for meals with cash - that way everyone's happy.

Offline Chas

  • Regulars
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 268
    • View Profile
    • http://
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #25 on: August 12, 2007, 12:46:53 AM »
Quote from: Ploppy
... Must admit I have never checked the exchange rates and compared CC Transaction vs Cash withdrawal (I do get charged £1.50 for a foreign Cash withdrawal). Might go back and check last years. ...
Hi, Ploppy,

I may have misunderstood that bit .... but NEVER use a CREDIT card to withdraw cash unless there is no other option!

First off, the card company will start charging interest from the date of withdrawal - no grace period (and depending on which card company, at a higher rate than normal).

Secondly (again, depending on which card company) any payments you then make into the account will be paid-off against purchases before cash withdrawals - so they give themselves a bigger bite of the cherry.

Last but not least, any business which accepts card payments will probably charge an extra premium, to cover their charge from the card company.

I would always try to draw cash on a DEBIT card and use that to pay - assuming I hadn't got enough cash to start with.  

Next time you see that ad. that asks "What's in your wallet?", you'll know the answer is "You thieving b******s!".
Chas



Stupidity is its own reward.

Offline Stuart & Hilary

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 121
    • View Profile
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #26 on: August 12, 2007, 08:39:59 AM »
"Last but not least, any business which accepts card payments will probably charge an extra premium, to cover their charge from the card company."



As in this country we never tend to carry much cash. Even in places like Sougia more & more Tavernas are accepting cards. The exchange rate last year was 1.4826 on Nationwide. No taverna has charged a premium and its not all bad news from their point of view taking cards. It attracts extra business, from people like us, the money is in their account overnight (very important if they are operating on an overdraft). Its probably the same as in the UK that the banks don't like handling cash and charge for paying cash in anyway. Also cash can be mislaid and paying money in must be a headache in some of these villages such as Loutro.

Stuart

Offline Ploppy

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 725
    • View Profile
    • Hounslow Weather
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #27 on: August 12, 2007, 01:37:47 PM »
No I never use a CC to get cash out (can't remember the PIN for starters), thankfully these days with Cirrus and Maestro you can use a debit card pretty much anywhere in the world to get your wedge out.

I've never had a surcharge added by somewhere in Plakias. I think most retailers accept the charge. Indeed as proven by us some places like Christos were losing out because they did not accept CCs so it makes business sense to take the hit.

Offline Ali & Dave

  • Regulars
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 167
    • View Profile
    • http://
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #28 on: August 12, 2007, 03:14:53 PM »
I think cc are becoming more common over here and are being introduced into more tavernas all the time.  

But it is still very much a cash economy over here, cheques are only issued through business accounts and people still like having the cash in their pockets.  But as I say it is slowly changing.

I think the only time you get charged for using credit cards is buying cigarettes, because the government controls the price and the profit margin is so small, shops will usually charge up to 3% to cover the cc charges.

Ali

Offline Noopsy

  • Sponsors
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 497
    • View Profile
    • Email
Various Questions??
« Reply #29 on: August 12, 2007, 04:55:14 PM »
Quote from: Ali & Dave
cheques are only issued through business accounts
Ali,

Do you know what tavernas in Plakias are like for accepting euro travellers cheques in payment?  I've never been brave enough to try offering them - after my experiences on Cyprus - and always convert them into cash first.

Noopsy
Ελευθερία ή θάνατος