Datca Watch - Rip Off Restaurants

[Marguerite&Jim]

Following from the Thread 'Rip Off Restaurants' we think it's time to start our own 'Datca-Watch'. We have made this a separate thread as the suggestion came at the end of the original thread and may have been missed by some. The idea of a 'Datca-Watch' essentially is a serious suggestion for us 'ex-pats' to swap comments about services we receive, prices charged and of course quality of food, a bit like a restaurant review. We could also 'officially' award them our own 'Ex-Pats' 'Almond' rating? An idea to also rate restaurants and Bars in a league table, awarding points for areas of service and if a restaurant or bar receives 2 or 3 complaints or bad reviews then we can approach them as an English community to make them realise we are serious and we are watching them. We would be happy to talk through any thoughts on this and take any other ideas onboard, or meet up with anyone on this to take it further. Who knows, if could catch on in other areas?

 

[Yildez Datca]

As a long-term (20 years) visitor and now resident of Datca I can state catagorically that I have never been "ripped off" by a bar or restaurant. I always check my bill and if I am unhappy about anything I speak to the owner myself. You seem unaware that the ex-pat community in Datca includes many nationalities who already have well-established formal and informal links and vote with their feet when service is poor.

Datca is Turkish; foreign residents, including the British, are an extremely small minority who already have an effective channels of communication. I find your idea absolutely ridiculous and certainly do not support it in any way.

 

[zakkum]

As a long-term (20 years) visitor and now resident of Datca I can state catagorically that I have never been "ripped off" by a bar or restaurant. I always check my bill and if I am unhappy about anything I speak to the owner myself. You seem unaware that the ex-pat community in Datca includes many nationalities who already have well-established formal and informal links and vote with their feet when service is poor.

Datca is Turkish; foreign residents, including the British, are an extremely small minority who already have an effective channels of communication. I find your idea absolutely ridiculous and certainly do not support it in any way.

Well said Yildez - I am with you on this one hundred per cent.
zakkum

 

[dandrwilson]

Well said Yildez - I am with you on this one hundred per cent.
zakkum

We also say well said Yildez. We have been visiting Datca and Marmaris and other parts of Turkey for 25 yrs and haven,t found any problems so far. We have now had our apartment in Marmaris for 10yrs and are enjoying every moment of the Turkish life............

 

[Rainbow]

We could also 'officially' award them our own 'Ex-Pats' 'Almond' rating? An idea to also rate restaurants and Bars in a league table, awarding points for areas of service and if a restaurant or bar receives 2 or 3 complaints or bad reviews then we can approach them as an English community to make them realise we are serious and we are watching them.

Does anyone else find this arrogant and condescending?

I believe that even if we have residency status in this country we are still essentially "guests".

As stated, if you are unhappy with a bar or restaurant, make it known to the owner or vote with your feet.

Setting up a vigilante corp is definately not the way to resolve the issues.

Soo x

 

[hijo]

..exactly rainbow ..if you don,t like the programme ..just change the channel, i have a few friends from in and around Datca..and they say the prices are reasonable around there..maybe they just landed in the wrong kind of restaurant ....:31:

 

[Yildez Datca]

We could also 'officially' award them our own 'Ex-Pats' 'Almond' rating? An idea to also rate restaurants and Bars in a league table, awarding points for areas of service and if a restaurant or bar receives 2 or 3 complaints or bad reviews then we can approach them as an English community to make them realise we are serious and we are watching them.

Does anyone else find this arrogant and condescending?

I believe that even if we have residency status in this country we are still essentially "guests".

As stated, if you are unhappy with a bar or restaurant, make it known to the owner or vote with your feet.

Setting up a vigilante corp is definately not the way to resolve the issues.

Soo x

You're absolutely right Soo. I find this offensive and insulting, both to the Turkish tradespeople of Datca and to the intelligence of the British residents here.

These people should get a life.

 

[SonnyJim]

At last, people on the same wave length!! I was beginning to think there was no hope for us here in Datca!!!! I had been holding back with my comments but a big thank you to Yildez and Rainbow for expressing their views, with which I agree 100%!!!

 

[gra]

Hi all

Not from your area and fine to say "vote with your feet", but you have previous knowledge of good and bad places to visit, if i visit from belek some advice would be of some help, i would rather vote using my head.

I think star ratings for hotels are rather common because people trust this concept.

Gra

 

[alison09400]

Does anyone else find this arrogant and condescending?

Yes, I do! I have never visited Datca but from what I've read on this Forum it's still a typically turkish, unspoilt town....so why should it's local businesses be graded and awarded by the foreigners living there? Will they now have to try and live up to the "Expat Standard"?? :hail:

 

[gra]

Hi alison09400

Thank you for proving my point, you said in your post "from what i read on this forum ect, ect ".
you would know nothing of Dacta if information had not been made public.

I would rather know both good and bad about any place i intend to visit.

Gra

 

[Rainbow]

Gra
A valid point, however what one person may consider a rip off another may feel is a fair price.The same as not all of us like the same things (thankfully ) You may have what you consider a bad meal somewhere whereas someone else may find the same food excellent.

If I visit a new place and want to eat in a restaurant, I ask to see the menu first. I then decide if what I see is within my budget. If not I move on.

I just feel that as "guests" in this country what right do we have to form vigilante groups against local establishments.

There are correct channels for reporting bad trading which have also been reported many times on this forum. If people want change - then use the system provided.

Soo x

 

[alison09400]

Hi alison09400

Thank you for proving my point, you said in your post "from what i read on this forum ect, ect ".
you would know nothing of Dacta if information had not been made public.

I would rather know both good and bad about any place i intend to visit.

Gra

Hi Gra

I'm all for recommendations and reviews of any resort, restaurant or bar but I prefer to make my own mind up rather than look at an Award System devised by the expats living there. A Expat is someone who left their own country and chose to live in another...no one forced them to do it so why should they have the power to Grade anyone?

 

[zakkum]

Yes, I do! I have never visited Datca but from what I've read on this Forum it's still a typically turkish, unspoilt town....so why should it's local businesses be graded and awarded by the foreigners living there? Will they now have to try and live up to the "Expat Standard"?? :hail:

I do not live in Datca but have been visiting regularly for 15 years. I even find the 'heading' offensive, "Datca Watch - Rip Off Restaurants". I feel it infers many restaurants are ripping people off which is definitely not the case. There are many eating places in Datca which are excellent in terms of value and quality and I speak from experience. This attitude reminds me of a 'thread' I read on TLF some months back when an ex-pat was complaining that it was about time the local resident Turkish business people learnt to speak more English! Arrogant and condescending definitely but perhaps we should sympathize with their lack of both local knowledge and empathy with the community and remind them how fortunate they are to be able to afford to eat in restaurants.
zakkum

 

[gra]

Hi

I think the issue here is, are some Dacta traders ripping off people or not ?.
We have not been to Dacta, so could not comment, but in our area there is 100% definately a 2 tier price opperating in some places, joe blogs on holiday pays more than me, maybe other areas do not have this problem, name and shame could help people who have limited local knowledge.
Gra

 

[Yildez Datca]

Double pricing? I truly do not believe that this happens in Datca, there are just not enough foreign tourists visiting here, very different from Antalya etc.The majority of visitors are Turks, this is a Turkish town that just happens to be by the sea rather than a tourist resort. The only difference here between summer and winter is that some of the harbour restaurants are closed.

However a couple of weeks ago I did hear a fracas in the bazaar - a stall holder (not from Datca) had told a Greek women the price of some towels in Euros. She gave him a very loud round of abuse - as I would have done - and he quickly apologised and told her the price in TL. He was then told off by a local couple and another local stall holder.

As for local knowledge; if a restaurant or bar is empty there's usually a reason! I would always choose a busy establishment, especially one where Turks were eating - we have no restaurants here catering for foreigners ie English breakfasts, thank goodness!!

 

[demi]

I do not live in Datca but have been visiting regularly for 15 years. I even find the 'heading' offensive, "Datca Watch - Rip Off Restaurants". I feel it infers many restaurants are ripping people off which is definitely not the case. There are many eating places in Datca which are excellent in terms of value and quality and I speak from experience. This attitude reminds me of a 'thread' I read on TLF some months back when an ex-pat was complaining that it was about time the local resident Turkish business people learnt to speak more English! Arrogant and condescending definitely but perhaps we should sympathize with their lack of both local knowledge and empathy with the community and remind them how fortunate they are to be able to afford to eat in restaurants.
zakkum

I couldn't put it better myself, I went to Datca for the first time earlier this year (my 8th visit to Turkey) & I found it to be the most pleasant place I'd ever visited in Turkey.

 

[civciv]

I agree with Yildez about property pricing being the same price for everyone in Datca.

Zeytindali project which was built a few years ago in Datca sold all properties at the same price regardless of nationality except that the prices were in Turkish Lira so foreigners won or lost on the exchange rate. They even had a taksit (instalment) facility which is a great bonus for some buyers. Datca has so many Turkish visitors and property owners.

Perhaps the developers who aim for the overseas market may inflate prices for foreigners, but I think the majority dont.

 

[carolk]

I think the original posters may have been wrong in their wording but, as you can read in a previous thread they have had problems. As for condescending - really?

I am sick to death of hearing we are guests in this country!! We are paying guests aren't we, nothing is free is it? All this talk about ex pats, well all of us 'ex pats' came from a country where we don't refer to someone from another country as an ex pat. Also if it wasn't for the struggle of some wonderful people like MLK and Nelson Mandela to mention only two, all the different cultures in the UK and other cultures around the world would remain ex pats on the outside as we are here!!!

Why the hell is it ok here and not in your homeland, or is that why you left it? I am a tax payer and resident visa holder here in Turkey and wish to be treated as the rest of the people who live here!! No other culture puts up with this when they choose to re -locate/emigrate to another country - they mobilise and expect whats right and fair - except here of course - where we are only guests and forever more will be so.

I am appalled at the absolute lack of any sense of injustice which has been shown and fought for world wide by every other culture who have moved/settled in another country that I have come across except of course here in Turkey where we are only guests!!!!

I came here to enjoy the way of life not to be treated as a second class citizen or cash cow!!

Dacta may be fabulous but a lot of places aren't!!

 

[SonnyJim]

Civciv did anyone mention property??!!

Carolk, wow, you do sound very bitter. You will note the phrase under my name is 'living in paradise', if you don't feel this way any more maybe it is time to move on??

The subject of this thread is a 'Datca Restaurant Watch', there has not been a positive response to this which speaks volumes.....