# Higher prices for the brits in CY



## cyprussafari (Oct 11, 2009)

As soon as i came to the Island i kept hearing about Brits being charged extra for goods and services by cypriots.

I know one freind who regularly asks the price from a Cypriot and then gets her Cypriot husband to go and ask the price himself, far too often the price goes down for the Cypriot.

I'm starting to find this myself as well. Not all the time, but for alot of them as soon as they see my British white face the price goes up. I'm finding it difficult to understand and deal with. 

I ran a business in the UK, and there if i had put the price up for people based on their race, i would have been in alot of trouble if found out.

Is there no such rules or laws about disrimination here in Cyprus? Are they really allowed to do this?


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

cyprussafari said:


> As soon as i came to the Island i kept hearing about Brits being charged extra for goods and services by cypriots.
> 
> I know one freind who regularly asks the price from a Cypriot and then gets her Cypriot husband to go and ask the price himself, far too often the price goes down for the Cypriot.
> 
> ...


Funny you should say this

I have a friend who lives in Pafos

She sees something she wants ( furniture or whatever ) asks the price and then send s her Cypriot friend to buy it as he gets it way way cheaper than the price she was quoted !!!

No they are not allowed to do it but they do :ranger:


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

I don't think it's a race issue, but a cultural one- Cyprus has a very close knit family and associate network - we often get dicounts because my Cypriot wife knows someone, either through her work, her family or her friends in most businesses - and so do most Cypriots. I've also found that there is an in-built, cheeky, try-it-on haggling that goes on that is alien to most Brits. When my wife asks for the price of something her natural reaction is always, 'You've got to be kidding - that's way too high any chance of a discount?' I think many businesses simply expect to haggle and are always pleasantly surprised when Brits simply pay up (but feel quietly exploited).

Of course there are also the rascals that simply are out to rip you off, but they're probably in the minority. There are regulations and rules and directives of course, but most are simply ignored. In this unfortunately, Cyprus is following in the footsteps of Greece which has had numerous infringement procedures levelled against it - with the result that it is fined hundreds of thousands of euros a day for breaking rules - and look at the mess that the Greek economy is in!


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

mmmm no easy answer to this then except stand your ground if you feel you are being ripped off !


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

philly said:


> mmmm no easy answer to this then except stand your ground if you feel you are being ripped off !


Kimonas is absolutely right.
I will haggle and usually get something off even though I am a Brit and not Cypriot.
I simply say I am not paying that, its tourist price and I am a resident. I saw some lovely shoes recently that were 50 euros, and I got them for 40 by being cheeky.
Of course this only works with smaller shops and businesses where the person you are dealing is the owner, not in places like Debenhams etc.
It is not a matter of race, but as Kimonas says knowing the right people or just being downright cheeky and doing what the Cypriots do and ASKING for a discount.

Veronica


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## theresoon (Apr 11, 2008)

Interesting threat! My very Cypriot cousin was looking at furniture last year and was pretty much decided so she was given a price asked for a discount - the furniture was also on sale- so then she asked for a catalog to take home with her so she could decide for sure over the weekend. Well, she opens the catalog and the furniture she wanted was listed for a lower price than the one they gave her as the discount price and even lower than the one she actually negotiated. This is a very big store in Nicosia that has stores all over the world.


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

I agree with Kimonas and Veronica. Its not a race issue, its more to do with a residence issue, I think. All I can say is, if you don't ask you won't get..... work out what you're prepared to pay and ask for a discount. Most will give a discount, some big, some small. We have a friend who is absolutely murderous when bartering.... and he usually gets what he asks form.

And don't think you are less likely to be ripped off because the firm is run by immigrants, I know of several firms who charge UK labour rates and get away with it because people trust them!


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## RonJeremy (Sep 17, 2009)

Sorry for the bump just thought this was a interesting thread, 
let's hope it's just (perceived)-tourists vs resident as oppossed to cypriot vs white.


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

RonJeremy said:


> Sorry for the bump just thought this was a interesting thread,
> let's hope it's just (perceived)-tourists vs resident as oppossed to cypriot vs white.


Well whats your view ??


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## RonJeremy (Sep 17, 2009)

philly said:


> Well whats your view ??


I just liked how he pointed out that if in UK he would charge a black person higher price and then even get caught doing it, he would be in deep ****, whereas in Cyprus this persons discovery doesn't mean much at all.

My view on that is probably to accept culture as it is, I was born in Sweden in a time of great economy where everyone followed the law to the letter, if you were to ask me when I was 5 how I think it will be 20 years from now I would naively assume that the world (and every country in it) is totally by the law and if you don't like something you write to your local politician and he would get it sorted.

Now however having experienced a declining Sweden and then klast couple of years experiencing UK where ppl spit on the rules & law and hopefully soon will experience living in Cyprus where (despite its many advantages) may be even less "proper" (for lack of better word) I'm starting to understand the world isn't really as I thought it would be when I was 5, 
So a discovery like the original post in this thread there is no reason to think "that's not right! that's unfair!" you simply absorb the knowledge to hopefully take personal advantage of the information yourself some day.


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## voltron (Aug 19, 2010)

The problem is the average cypriot thinks that being forgin means yoru a tourist and having and english/german/whatever accent means your rich.. unfortunately they havent caught on to the fact that the UK is forked and that a pound is near a euro and things are MUCH cheaper in the uk.. 

Often they are trying it on.. but lots of the time the prices really are that crazy! for example i would rather shoot myself than pay 4 quid for a box of cerial in the UK but here its common..

needless to say i dont eat breakfast anymore lol


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

I hear what you are saying

However ........... having lived in many countries over the past years and experienced this before I will say that the Cypriots will certainly try to make more money out of the expats rather than their own folk

Is that right ...... I dont think so but it happens, I think they feel we have more money then them ( not true in most cases ) and they want to make as much as they can from us whilst we are here

For sure they will charge us more and its up to us if we decide to patronise that service provider or not

Personally I ALWAYS vote with my feet, they don t see me again lol

Just MHO !!!


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