It's from a travel booking website, so it's obviously completely
accurate, but... mon Dieu!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8143780.stm?lsf

I've heard some negative comments about French bus tours and buffets

It's from a travel booking website, so it's obviously completely
accurate, but... mon Dieu!

On Jul 10, 2:20 pm, d4g...@yahoo.co.uk (David Horne, _the_ chancellor
(*)) wrote:
It's from a travel booking website, so it's obviously completely
accurate, but... mon Dieu!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8143780.stm?lsf

I've heard some negative comments about French bus tours and buffets
here . Quite a difference from the politiness I find in France or
when I toured in Egypt with a French touring party.

John Kane Kingston ON Canada

It's from a travel booking website, so it's obviously completely
accurate, but... mon Dieu!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8143780.stm?lsf

Interesting how the British are seen as the second best worldwide,
but the worst behaved in Europe. It's obviously down to the sort of
holidays different types of people go on rather than any national
stereotype. For instance British pissheads going on a stag weekend,
or a cheap package week getting burnt all day on the beach and
clubbing all night, will tend to go Europe rather than further afield.

Also national culture, for instance Americans being most generous and
most likely to complain is obviously down to the US tipping culture
and consequent expectation of good service, and the French being
"penny pinching" probably just means they're more resistant to being
ripped off like paying £1.50 for a stale cup of coffee or hotels
marking up phone, broadband, mini bar, room service costs by
ridiculous amounts, which British and American suckers are happy to
pay.

Andy Pandy wrote:

Interesting how the British are seen as the second best worldwide,
but the worst behaved in Europe. It's obviously down to the sort of
holidays different types of people go on rather than any national
stereotype. For instance British pissheads going on a stag weekend,
or a cheap package week getting burnt all day on the beach and
clubbing all night, will tend to go Europe rather than further afield.

Also national culture, for instance Americans being most generous and
most likely to complain is obviously down to the US tipping culture
and consequent expectation of good service, and the French being
"penny pinching" probably just means they're more resistant to being
ripped off like paying £1.50 for a stale cup of coffee or hotels
marking up phone, broadband, mini bar, room service costs by
ridiculous amounts, which British and American suckers are happy to
pay.

Well, if I read your post right, you are saying only the French know when
they are being ripped off. Surely, no one would be so ignorant as to write
that....

Andy Pandy wrote:

Interesting how the British are seen as the second best worldwide,
but the worst behaved in Europe. It's obviously down to the sort of
holidays different types of people go on rather than any national
stereotype. For instance British pissheads going on a stag weekend,
or a cheap package week getting burnt all day on the beach and
clubbing all night, will tend to go Europe rather than further afield.

Also national culture, for instance Americans being most generous and
most likely to complain is obviously down to the US tipping culture
and consequent expectation of good service, and the French being
"penny pinching" probably just means they're more resistant to being
ripped off like paying £1.50 for a stale cup of coffee or hotels
marking up phone, broadband, mini bar, room service costs by
ridiculous amounts, which British and American suckers are happy to
pay.

Well, if I read your post right you are saying only the French know when
they are being ripped off.

Surely, no one would be so ignorant as to write
that....

Pat wrote on Jul 11, 2009:

Andy Pandy wrote:

Interesting how the British are seen as the second best worldwide,
but the worst behaved in Europe. It's obviously down to the sort of
holidays different types of people go on rather than any national
stereotype. For instance British pissheads going on a stag weekend,
or a cheap package week getting burnt all day on the beach and
clubbing all night, will tend to go Europe rather than further afield.

Also national culture, for instance Americans being most generous and
most likely to complain is obviously down to the US tipping culture
and consequent expectation of good service, and the French being
"penny pinching" probably just means they're more resistant to being
ripped off like paying £1.50 for a stale cup of coffee or hotels
marking up phone, broadband, mini bar, room service costs by
ridiculous amounts, which British and American suckers are happy to
pay.

Well, if I read your post right, you are saying only the French know
when
they are being ripped off. Surely, no one would be so ignorant as to
write
that....

No, most people know when they're being ripped off, it's just that the
French
complain more.

I must admit to being one of the 'British suckers' in this respect. I'm
not
happy but I do pay and don't usually complain. My rational for this is
that
whilst I'm quite prepared to have arguments and conflict in my everyday
life,
when I'm on holiday I want to have a nice time rather than a nasty one. So
I
would far rather pay £1.50 and leave without drinking the rotten coffee
than
waste my time (and raise my blood pressure) having an argument about it
with
some disinterested employee.

Of course I do try not to put myself in a position where I have to accept
a
rip-off of any kind more than once. That's why I don't book hotels in
advance
for more than a night unless absolutely necessary, and I avoid pre-paid
package holidays of any kind like the plague.

"Mike Lane" <mike.lane.usenet@ntlworld.co.uk> wrote in message
news:0001HW.C67ED08700314223B01AD9AF@news.virginmedia.com...

No, most people know when they're being ripped off, it's just that the
French complain more.

I must admit to being one of the 'British suckers' in this respect. I'm
not happy but I do pay and don't usually complain. My rational for this
is that whilst I'm quite prepared to have arguments and conflict in my
everyday life, when I'm on holiday I want to have a nice time rather than
a nasty one. So I would far rather pay £1.50 and leave without drinking
the rotten coffee than waste my time (and raise my blood pressure) having
an argument about it with some disinterested employee.

Which is exactly why they get away with in the UK. When in France you'll get
a decent cup of coffee for half the price because most people there will
complain if they get overpriced rubbish.

So if you're in France, the fact that other people would complain means you
can get a decent cup of coffee with no arguments.

"Pat" <newintown@home.com> wrote in message
news:7bsfltF24jineU1@mid.individual.net...
Andy Pandy wrote:

Interesting how the British are seen as the second best worldwide,
but the worst behaved in Europe. It's obviously down to the sort of
holidays different types of people go on rather than any national
stereotype. For instance British pissheads going on a stag weekend,
or a cheap package week getting burnt all day on the beach and
clubbing all night, will tend to go Europe rather than further
afield.

Also national culture, for instance Americans being most generous
and most likely to complain is obviously down to the US tipping
culture and consequent expectation of good service, and the French
being "penny pinching" probably just means they're more resistant
to being ripped off like paying £1.50 for a stale cup of coffee or
hotels marking up phone, broadband, mini bar, room service costs by
ridiculous amounts, which British and American suckers are happy to
pay.

Well, if I read your post right you are saying only the French know
when they are being ripped off.

What part of "more resistant to" didn't you understand?

Surely, no one would be so ignorant as to write
that....

Surely no one would be so ignorant as to think "more resistant to
being ripped off" means "the only ones who know they are being ripped
off".

Interesting how the British are seen as the second best worldwide, but the
worst behaved in Europe. It's obviously down to the sort of holidays
different types of people go on rather than any national stereotype. For
instance British pissheads going on a stag weekend, or a cheap package week
getting burnt all day on the beach and clubbing all night, will tend to go
Europe rather than further afield.

I appreciate what you're saying and I'm not trying to defend the
'non-complaining' culture but just trying to explain it. However I'm not
totally convinced about 'half the price' - I've sometimes been astonished by
the price of a coffee in France.

"David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" <d4g4h4@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1j2nkbh.rc9hjk1q53h1wN%d4g4h4@yahoo.co.uk...
It's from a travel booking website, so it's obviously completely
accurate, but... mon Dieu!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8143780.stm?lsf

Interesting how the British are seen as the second best worldwide, but the
worst behaved in Europe. It's obviously down to the sort of holidays
different types of people go on rather than any national stereotype. For
instance British pissheads going on a stag weekend, or a cheap package week
getting burnt all day on the beach and clubbing all night, will tend to go
Europe rather than further afield.

Also national culture, for instance Americans being most generous and most
likely to complain is obviously down to the US tipping culture and
consequent expectation of good service, and the French being "penny
pinching" probably just means they're more resistant to being ripped off
like paying £1.50 for a stale cup of coffee or hotels marking up phone,
broadband, mini bar, room service costs by ridiculous amounts, which British
and American suckers are happy to pay.

Andy Pandy wrote on Jul 11, 2009:


"Mike Lane" <mike.lane.usenet@ntlworld.co.uk> wrote in message
news:0001HW.C67ED08700314223B01AD9AF@news.virginmedia.com...

No, most people know when they're being ripped off, it's just that the
French complain more.

I must admit to being one of the 'British suckers' in this respect. I'm
not happy but I do pay and don't usually complain. My rational for this
is that whilst I'm quite prepared to have arguments and conflict in my
everyday life, when I'm on holiday I want to have a nice time rather
than
a nasty one. So I would far rather pay £1.50 and leave without drinking
the rotten coffee than waste my time (and raise my blood pressure)
having
an argument about it with some disinterested employee.

Which is exactly why they get away with in the UK. When in France you'll
get
a decent cup of coffee for half the price because most people there will
complain if they get overpriced rubbish.

So if you're in France, the fact that other people would complain means
you
can get a decent cup of coffee with no arguments.


I appreciate what you're saying and I'm not trying to defend the
'non-complaining' culture but just trying to explain it. However I'm not
totally convinced about 'half the price' - I've sometimes been astonished
by
the price of a coffee in France.

When driving through Italy though, I've
often stopped on the motorway and been amazed by the excellence of the
espresso sold for a euro.

(Mind you that's the only thing I'm amazed about -
the motorway service areas are dreadful on the whole.)

I think the poor quality of coffee in Britain is more down to the
tea-drinking culture than anything else.

Mike Lane wrote:

I appreciate what you're saying and I'm not trying to defend the
'non-complaining' culture but just trying to explain it. However I'm not
totally convinced about 'half the price' - I've sometimes been
astonished by
the price of a coffee in France.

and the quantity! I drink coffee black and I drink a lot of it. I've
found it impossible to get it through to French waiters that I want a
LARGE black coffee. They seen to be willing to pay an enormous sum for a
thimblefull. Amazing.

Andy Pandy wrote:
"Pat" <newintown@home.com> wrote in message
news:7bsfltF24jineU1@mid.individual.net...
Andy Pandy wrote:

Interesting how the British are seen as the second best worldwide,
but the worst behaved in Europe. It's obviously down to the sort of
holidays different types of people go on rather than any national
stereotype. For instance British pissheads going on a stag weekend,
or a cheap package week getting burnt all day on the beach and
clubbing all night, will tend to go Europe rather than further
afield.

Also national culture, for instance Americans being most generous
and most likely to complain is obviously down to the US tipping
culture and consequent expectation of good service, and the French
being "penny pinching" probably just means they're more resistant
to being ripped off like paying £1.50 for a stale cup of coffee or
hotels marking up phone, broadband, mini bar, room service costs by
ridiculous amounts, which British and American suckers are happy to
pay.

Well, if I read your post right you are saying only the French know
when they are being ripped off.

What part of "more resistant to" didn't you understand?

Surely, no one would be so ignorant as to write
that....

Surely no one would be so ignorant as to think "more resistant to
being ripped off" means "the only ones who know they are being ripped
off".

Surely no one would be so ignorant as to think that all inhabitants of a
country (or two) are so "non-resistant" to complaining that they are
"suckers" happy to pay for inferior products or services. And yet....

Andy Pandy <spam8times@wonderful.spam.invalid> wrote:

"David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" <d4g4h4@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in
message
news:1j2nkbh.rc9hjk1q53h1wN%d4g4h4@yahoo.co.uk...
It's from a travel booking website, so it's obviously completely
accurate, but... mon Dieu!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8143780.stm?lsf

Interesting how the British are seen as the second best worldwide, but
the
worst behaved in Europe. It's obviously down to the sort of holidays
different types of people go on rather than any national stereotype. For
instance British pissheads going on a stag weekend, or a cheap package
week
getting burnt all day on the beach and clubbing all night, will tend to
go
Europe rather than further afield.

Also national culture, for instance Americans being most generous and
most
likely to complain is obviously down to the US tipping culture and
consequent expectation of good service, and the French being "penny
pinching" probably just means they're more resistant to being ripped off
like paying £1.50 for a stale cup of coffee or hotels marking up phone,
broadband, mini bar, room service costs by ridiculous amounts, which
British
and American suckers are happy to pay.

I posted this as a joke, but before you go off on one on British and
American "suckers" worth remembering that, in addition to drunks, one of
the European complaints against the British tourists were that they were
the most likely to complain, and were poor tippers. (Tipping of course,
certainly in restaurants, is not common in much of Europe, so a bit of
an odd complaint.)

So, maybe French and British tourists aren't worlds
apart, except the latter drink more...

"David Horne" <d4g4h4@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1j2qj0u.r1pt9r1kzhnxaN%d4g4h4@yahoo.co.uk...
Andy Pandy <spam8times@wonderful.spam.invalid> wrote:

"David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" <d4g4h4@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in
message
news:1j2nkbh.rc9hjk1q53h1wN%d4g4h4@yahoo.co.uk...
It's from a travel booking website, so it's obviously completely
accurate, but... mon Dieu!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8143780.stm?lsf

Interesting how the British are seen as the second best worldwide, but
the
worst behaved in Europe. It's obviously down to the sort of holidays
different types of people go on rather than any national stereotype. For
instance British pissheads going on a stag weekend, or a cheap package
week
getting burnt all day on the beach and clubbing all night, will tend to
go
Europe rather than further afield.

Also national culture, for instance Americans being most generous and
most
likely to complain is obviously down to the US tipping culture and
consequent expectation of good service, and the French being "penny
pinching" probably just means they're more resistant to being ripped off
like paying £1.50 for a stale cup of coffee or hotels marking up phone,
broadband, mini bar, room service costs by ridiculous amounts, which
British
and American suckers are happy to pay.

I posted this as a joke, but before you go off on one on British and
American "suckers" worth remembering that, in addition to drunks, one of
the European complaints against the British tourists were that they were
the most likely to complain, and were poor tippers. (Tipping of course,
certainly in restaurants, is not common in much of Europe, so a bit of
an odd complaint.)

Maybe in comparison to Americans? Maybe they expect the British to act more
like Americans than Europeans?

So, maybe French and British tourists aren't worlds
apart, except the latter drink more... :)

I think you can also tell from what they are prepared to put up with in
their own countries. Compare the cost and quality of eating out in the UK
with France.

"Pat" <newintown@home.com> wrote in message
news:7bstbtF24uc85U1@mid.individual.net...
Andy Pandy wrote:
"Pat" <newintown@home.com> wrote in message
news:7bsfltF24jineU1@mid.individual.net...
Andy Pandy wrote:

Interesting how the British are seen as the second best worldwide,
but the worst behaved in Europe. It's obviously down to the sort
of holidays different types of people go on rather than any
national stereotype. For instance British pissheads going on a
stag weekend, or a cheap package week getting burnt all day on
the beach and clubbing all night, will tend to go Europe rather
than further afield.

Also national culture, for instance Americans being most generous
and most likely to complain is obviously down to the US tipping
culture and consequent expectation of good service, and the French
being "penny pinching" probably just means they're more resistant
to being ripped off like paying £1.50 for a stale cup of coffee or
hotels marking up phone, broadband, mini bar, room service costs
by ridiculous amounts, which British and American suckers are
happy to pay.

Well, if I read your post right you are saying only the French know
when they are being ripped off.

What part of "more resistant to" didn't you understand?

Surely, no one would be so ignorant as to write
that....

Surely no one would be so ignorant as to think "more resistant to
being ripped off" means "the only ones who know they are being
ripped off".

Surely no one would be so ignorant as to think that all inhabitants
of a country (or two) are so "non-resistant" to complaining that
they are "suckers" happy to pay for inferior products or services.
And yet....

Surely no one would be so ignorant as to enter a thread entitled "
'Rude' French are worst tourists" and not expect to find other
national stereotypes being discussed.