fota on ice

we took our son to see santa at fota on ice. it cost €14.50 no bother there but they charged us €4.00 each to go in with him. (a total of €22.50 with no photo!) Did they think we would leave our 2 year old son go in on his own? Any views?

Smithfield Christmas Market

Wedding Photographer

As I am due to get married next year I'm getting loads of information about dj's and other specialist areas, one of which is a photographer. I'm doing this as we have a friend who is taking our photographs and although he isn't bad, I wanted to know what else was out there so I contacted Barry Moore (Photogenic). The cheapest arrangement he can provide is over €2000 the most expensive being closer to €6000.

This is extortionate in the extreme and unnecessary. I know I'll probably see the chestnut responses like "You get what you pay for" but as my husband to be said last night when I showed him these prices, "For that money, I'd want them to be doing a documentary of my life for a year!"

Please please PLEASE don't assume that because a couple decide to tie the knot that they are suddenly loaded. It is usually quite the opposite. Shop around and make sure that whatever photographer you use that they are good and more importantly they have a reputation for good after sales service.

Hair Cuts

Working in D4 Merrion Rd,
Decided to pop out get a quick haircut, went to Petermarks in Merrion Centre ( ya i know a ladies hairdressers, but only place close and they do cut hair..!!)
On entering, i was met by the manager, i asked wether it was possible to get a haircut, no problem she says i'll see if the cutter can fit you in, Was shown to a seat, and was approched by lively liverpool lady, who had i thought drank 15 cups of coffee already and it was only lunchtime, very lively..! she was so lively she kept looking over her sholder looking at the door, she kept doing this and then i realised she was'nt on a caffine buzz she was waiting for her booked appointment to come in, i have short hair i just wanted a quick tidy up, usually 20-30min in a barbers, she took 10min..!! talked about brookside allot, and then finished, i went to pay and was charged 25.40 euros, yes 25.40 euros a joke..!!! that works out if she was working with a conveyor belt of scalps in front of her she would be making 152.40 an hour or approx 1371 a day or approx 8229.6 a week (excluding sundays) or 411480 euros a year
Not bad, i'm all for getting on in life but THIS IS A RIPOFF..!!!!

AIB Travel Insurance Rip Off

I have an annual travel policy through my AIB Gold VISA credit card. Last year the premiums soared and a whole raft of restrictions were imposed. I thought long and hard about not renewing the policy but eventually went ahead.

Today I received a letter from their 'Service Quality Manager (sic) outlining further changes to the policy from next renewal. It started well.....

"Excesses for cancellation, personal property and valuables will be reduced to €65 from either €155 or €125". Wow! that is a reduction worth having.

Then.....

"Cover will reduce as follows.....

Death Benefit from €150,000 to €35,000
Loss of sight or limb from €150,000 to €35,000
Permanent total disablement from €150,000 to €35,000"

WHAT!!!!............

These rip-off merchants with their pukingly arrogant attitudes did not even make the slightest effort to provide any explanation for the reduction of around 80% in key benefits. They might as well have written to all their customers and told them to "**** ***"!!!!

They will not do this to me again as I am now going to vote with my feet and close my AIB Credit Card Account and my AIB Current account. I will buy my insurance elsewhere as well.

What providers would people recommend in the areas of credit card, current account and annual travel insurance policy.

and to AIB.....a plague on all your houses!!!!!!!!!!

The ever increasing cost of Sky

Recruitment

Well jobless, I worked in a recruitment agency for as long as I could bear it. They place ads they have no jobs for, under false contact names so that they can gain information as to what papers are the best to place ads with. In a lot of cases they don't keep your CV on file, they tell you they will, but it gets shreaded. Maybe they are not all like this, but the one I worked in was a 'well established' agency.

Another irish ripoff - Hearing aids...

Recently, a relative was about to purchase a hearing aid and i decided to check it out online to see if she was getting value for money. The company in question was 'Hidden Hearing' (Galway branch) and the price was €1700 - there was a 'special offer' on with this price as a result of a 20% discount

Upon checking it out online, i found an outlet in Essex selling exactly the same product and same level of service for €1000. As this was deemed to be too much of a hassle, the person in question went to Belfast and purchased for €1,050 - this required to trips but clearly it was better than being ripped by one of your own!

opticians - another cartel

I know exactly what your saying querying. I am currently in the process of getting c. lenses but have no intention of buying them in ireland. However, have to get the eye test done here and seeing as i havnt worn lenses before, need to be fitted with the lense that suits - then buy. Theyre charging €30 for test and €30 for 'fitting' - which is unavoidable.

However, at that stage, i'm going to take the prescription and run to www.visiondirect.com and order up online for a fraction of the cost.

Irish consumers take note: opticians are required *by law* to provide you with a copy of the prescription that you paid for!!

Rahona House

I think the doctors in Rahona House, Bishopstown, Cork are a RIP OFF. Unhelpful and unfriendly, if u are late they give out to you. Then they think nothing of keeping u an hour.

All this to be given an unhelpful report is €40. A medical report is €245. They can charge whatever they like.

Get this, I was there today getting a blood test for a virus. It was 4 vials of blood. They wrapped other peoples' blood and urine samples in the same big envelop and got me to take it to the hospital! Can't they do this while charging €40 for 10minutes themselves! This is not the first time I have delivered other people's blood to the hospital!

Brown Thomas, Cork

Stupidly enough I paid €120.00 for a pretty cool shirt in Brown Thomas in Cork. I had never heard of the brand before so i decided to check it out on the Net to see if they did more. The brand is a SAND shirt....it costs $15.00 in the states, i didn't realise it cost €105.00 to import a shirt, total ripoff

West Bar

West is too expensive for one, and the worst part of the night is walking in.. You do feel like your walking through a prison with the bouncers all around, very intimadating altogether. It has some good qualitys aswell though! Women! and plenty of them, the standard has dropped a bit in the past year but there's more than the vineyard or greyhound. Its very true that blanch needs a couple of new spots, and they would be packed as well, so come on rich pub owners do something.

La Stampa

What a joke - this place has priced itself into Laa-Laa Land. Very average meal for 2 cost €185.00 (ok one of us had a very un-healthy looking lobster to start but still..) My choices from the menu were limited to the only think that looked tasty - the rest was basically crap - my dinner partner agreed that she was only interested in 1 of the offerings on the menu. Although we had booked 30 minutes to sit down and even then they put us in a crap position.

Over priced, under tasty. Good example of what has happened to Dublin where people will pay through the nose for below average food and service just because of its name.

2/10 - rubbish

Peploe's Restaurant, Stephens Green

My own 2 cents worth, however - in Sunday's Irish independent (30/12/02) Lucinda O'Sullivan's restaurant review visited Peploe's, a new establishment on Stephen's Green.

She qoutes €7.25 as the asking price for a glass of Sella & Mosca Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine retails in Sardinia for around €2.75 for a whole bottle.

I know because I bought it there. The bottom line is, who the F*** do these people think they are?

Conrad Hotel Dublin

€10.50 for Tea for 3 people @ 10.30pm - such a rip off!

GRUB CAFE, THE PLAZA, SWORDS

Rip-off merchant

1. How about 1.90 for a small carton of Squeez orange juice? You wouldn't mind paying that for freshly squeezed orange juice but far too dear for a small carton (only 250 mls).

2. Menu shows 2 euro for large coffee so when waiter offered choice of black or white, I chose white. However, when I went to pay, I handed the owner 2 euro. He had already pressed his cash register for a cappuccino (2.50). When I said the menu stated it was 2 euro for a large coffee, he said that was only for black coffee. I told him he should get his menu changed to specify what he means. As I had challenged him, he said "OK I'll only charge you 2 euro this time!" but I gave him the 2.50. He'll never see me again!

Rang Consumer Association - they say he can charge as much as he wants - so people should vote with their feet!

Try Chiefs in Omni Shopping Centre - fresh orange juice at 1.65, reasonable prices.

Bon Espresso - Eastpoint Business Park

Today we had a wonderous price increase in Bon Espresso Coffee Shop in Eastpoint Business Park.

Regular lattes etc, jumped 10% to 2.20, while large jumped 13% from 2.30 to 2.60.

No apparent reason, other than greed - vote with your feet folks, don't go there anymore.

Lucan Spa Hotel

Was here the other evening attending function. Felt like a pick up so ordered a Red Bull (no vodka mind) and a Hamlet cigar ( Promise I'll give up soon!). The barman wanted to charge me €4.75 ! The small bottle of Red Bull was €4.15.

I refused to pay despite it having been opened, he just shrugged and appeared to me to agree. How bloody ridiculous

baroque pub rip off

Thought I'd try the new Baroque pub in Clondalkin village. Gin and tonic 5.55.Went across road same drink 4.85!.
The choice is yours!

National Stud

Visited the National Stud recently en famille. Entrance price is good value, however went for the obligatory cup of coffee and chocolate bar for the kids in the canteen after the tour.

They charged (wanted to) €1.65 for a bar of chocolate and sniggered at me when I questioned it. I got the last laugh when my son came up to me and said he didn't like it (unheard of for my son and chocolate) and when I checked the best before date it was 5 months out of date!!!

I complained to the stud people who said the canteen contracted out!!!

Rip off

Glen Royal Hotel Leisure Centre

I am a wheelchair-bound person and wanted to use the facilities in the Leisure, the cost is €500 per annum - just the use of the swimming pool. The wheelchair will not fit into the Steam Room and the Gym is upstairs. They have no lift installed. Even though they built on a new section to the Leisure Cent re no lift was installed. How do they expect me to get up there. So for me the price of a swim is €500 p.a. - yet am I not entitled to the same facilities as an able bodied person? I have to pay for everything but can only use one. I am very angry over this as I live near the Hotel. So much for the Year of the Disabled and equal rights for all.

Terry Brennans- Unfriendly

I have to agree with the last posting. A group of us called in here on the way to Tuam. I remember it used to be called Coynes years ago. A little friendliness goes a long way with me but we felt anything but welcome here. Like one of those cowboy bars you see in westerns where they eye strangers with suspicion. In fact the atmosphere of the place put us off so much that we turned round and left without ordering.
What an unfriendly group of staff behind the bar, women and men included, almost bordering on hostile. They give the impression they couldn't care less. Maybe they are nicer to their local customers but we won't be darkening Terry Brennans door again.
Regards,
James