Price control

THE Balearics are on a roll. A record number of tourists will be heading to our shores this summer and all appears rosy in the garden of the Balearics. But there is a danger. Price. I received an email from a reader yesterday who was furious that she had been charged almost five euros for a bottle of water. The email reads: “If Majorca wants to keep its tourists it needs less of this rubbish. A café in Palma charged me 4.90 euros for an agua con gas today. The agua con gas in question was a a supermarket own brand that retails at 0.20 cents. That is a percentage increase of 2350%. And then they had the gall to write 'Welcome to Majorca' on the bill. NEVER going back...” Now, this is obviously not the first time that I have heard about cases of major overcharging by some island businesses. When I say some, I am talking about a very small minority, but it does seem to be on the increase, judging by the complaints we are receiving at the Bulletin at the moment. Perhaps the government should ponder the possibility of introducing some form of price control. The problem of excessive pricing appears to be more pronounced in Palma. I have been overcharged myself of late. Businesses must remember that if customers feel they have been overcharged, they simply will not return. Also, it is not good for the island's image. Price is key, especially after the years of hard recession. You can't simply try and cash in on tourists. Welcome to Majorca!