Save money and nerves

[steve]

I'm with Gambrinus on this. If you are only a visitor here the whole thing must seem like a storm in a teacup but as a resident I do not take kindly to places hiking up prices because they have a tourist market to whom the price for two weeks in the year is largely irrelevant. If you were in England and you substituted Sainsbuys or Tescos for Intermarche I suspect the views expressed would be somewhat different and people would vote with their feet.

It is also sad but true to say that the concept of customer service has largely not yet arrived in the Algarve be it in shops or in public offices. Customers are usually ignored until it suits the person behind the desk/counter to acknowledge them and then the attitude taken depends on a variety of mysterious factors seemingly unrelated to the attitude taken by the customer. This process is not reserved for foreigners either.

People say unkind things about America but they have got customer service cracked. Offering a good service is not seen as demeaning but a sensible way of maximising business benefits.

[cowboy]

There does seem to be a problem.......


Huge fall in tourism


Unoccupied hotels in the Algarve could be due to the high prices

Semi-deserted beaches, empty restaurants, unoccupied hotels and apartments. This is the picture currently in many resorts in the Algarve. And this is in July, a month that should be one of the busiest in the region.

http://www.algarveresident.com/algarver ... sp?ID=5043


And this didn't help:


Border control could return

Following a comprehensive analysis of the positive effects the reinstatement of land, air and sea border controls had between the end of May and the start of July, several law enforcement agencies linked to the Immigration Office feel their calls to have the terrestrial border with Spain manned permanently are fully justified. According to officials, a large number of criminal elements were detained during the closing of the borders during the Rock in Rio concerts and the European football championships, while thousands more were refused entry.

http://www.the-news.net/

Not to mention the hoops that people who Live in Portugal have to jump through to do the simplest things.

[cowboy]

[

People say unkind things about America but they have got customer service cracked. Offering a good service is not seen as demeaning but a sensible way of maximising business benefits.

Good point, Steve.

[cowboy]

If you are only a visitor here the whole thing must seem like a storm in a teacup but as a resident I do not take kindly to places hiking up prices because they have a tourist market to whom the price for two weeks in the year is largely irrelevant.

Steve, I lived in Florida, for several years, and they do the same thing, but with better service.

[Guest]

Border control could return

Must admit, I think this is a jolly good idea. They should never have opened the borders in the first place.