Ieri sono andato in un barbiere a Kemer, in Turchia. Volevo solo un semplice taglio di capelli e un rivestimento per barba. Il ragazzo ha anche suggerito di cerettare le orecchie e il naso e fare una maschera per il viso. Ho pensato ok, bene, forse circa 700-800 prova max, è normale qui immagino.
Quando abbiamo finito, chiede improvvisamente 2500 tentativi. Onestamente pensavo di averlo sfantato. Ho riso e non ho detto che gli mostrava 1000, continuava a dire “no no, 2500”. Abbiamo discusso un po ‘, ma non si sarebbe ritirato. Alla fine, gli ho dato il 2000 solo per andarsene.
Non riesco a smettere di pensarci. Non è nemmeno i soldi, è quanto si sentiva umiliante. Cerco sempre di essere educato quando viaggio, imparo alcune parole nella lingua locale, saluto le persone, sorridi, cerco di mostrare rispetto. Pensavo davvero che aiuti, sai? Ma qui non importava affatto. Ha appena visto un turista e ha deciso di spremere il più possibile. E quando ho pagato, ha sorriso. Questo mi ha reso così arrabbiato.
È stata un’intera giornata e mi sento ancora frustrato. Continuo a riprodurlo nella mia testa, pensando a cosa avrei dovuto fare diversamente. Forse avrei potuto dire in turco “Bu Haram, Allah Bunu Sevmez” (significa “Questo è Haram, Allah non piacciono gli imbroglioni”). Forse avrebbe funzionato, forse no, non ho idea.
Quindi mi chiedo se qualcun altro abbia avuto esperienze simili in Turchia o in altri paesi. Come voi ragazzi lo gestiscono? Discuti, vai via, chiami la polizia? Ci sono frasi brevi che funzionano davvero? Semplicemente non voglio sentirmi di nuovo così.
https://i.redd.it/fg8jl681q3nf1.jpeg
di jellydao
45 commenti
welcome to turkey. this is a common occurence. haggling skills usually help. also barbers have predetermined prices written on a poster on the wall. if he charges you more than that you can be sure that he is trying to scam.
(*God. Same Abrahamic God.)
And I don think invoking religion would have changed a single thing.
hey man look, our brain constantly thinks “i shouldve done this i shouldve done that” etc. it turns into a loop of negative thoughts, always ending up blaming yourself.
but you were in a foreign country with no idea about safety factors. people get mugged in worse ways and scammed in lesser ways for much higher amounts of money. you were in no way at fault here, you did your best to survive in unknown conditions.
what you can do is to tell about your bad experience EVERYWHERE. there was a woman who got treated inappropriately by an icecream seller and when she made a post in a traveling sub the ministry closed that shop. if you can go viral that guy will be ruined.
however you dont have to go viral or ruin the guy. just tell other travelers your experience. these kinds of assholes are not locals. they are criminals. they exploit this country.
the more people like you talk about their negative experiences, the less tourists will come here. and those who work in the tourism sector (who are 100% leeches like these) will suffer and their constant exploitation of the local markets will come to a halt. and dont worry about locals, tourism barely makes up 10% of the turkish gdp and that’s not even accounted in with the negative impact it has on the national market. please talk about this everywhere, on every platform. do this when you are back in your country (these are criminal people).
Next time I’ll ask first: “Ne kadar?” (how much) before anything.
Lesson learned the hard way
Damn bro I don’t think scammers give a shit about religion
Agreeing comments about “tourists being taken advantage off”, seems like it was not just hair cut but also some other treatments. So the problem here is possibly they add extra treatments without informing you about the price. Unfortunately with the ongoing economic crisis this type of practices becoming more and more common. But don’t feel alone, they do it anyone who’s naive enough not to agree on the price before.
First of all, I’m very sorry you had to go through this in Turkey. Unfortunately, you experienced such a problem and I hope you never have to go through it again. As another Redditor said, you could ask about the price before getting your haircut. As for objecting, I think not arguing was the healthiest decision. Yes, 2000 lira is a lot of money for a haircut but If an argument or fight had broken out, you might have been injured. I should also mention that in Turkey, each province’s barbers’ association prepares and publishes a price list based on the quality of the barbers and their location. If a barber shop is classified as luxury on this list, then 2000 lira is quite cheap for a service, but it is clear that this barber shop is not. Additionally, some barbers often offer services such as masks, eyebrow shaping, and facial waxing to tourists without asking, in order to increase the price. You can just say things like “Bunu yaptırmak istemiyorum.”, “Hayır bunu yapma”, “Sadece saç ve sakal kesimi yeter.”
Also the staff don’t seem very friendly. How can I put it? Only certain groups go to some barbers. These barbers provide better service to these people and their acquaintances, but they don’t provide very good service to strangers or other citizens. You’ve visited one of these. Just call it a tourist trap.
Don’t think that this is a scam specifically aimed at polite tourists. These idiots do this to everyone. Even the stationery store I’ve been going to for 20 years randomly tried to scam me lol
dude just go to one of the nearest local police station and explain this frustrating situation to them. even if they cannot do anything about his atitute you can tell them that they give you no receipt for the service provided. that means tax evasion which is a serious crime lately.
Arkadaki numaradan bulduğum berber bu arkadaşlar, yorumlarına dolandırılma tehlikesi ile karşılaşabileceklerini yazdım.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Qafq8YQ7hjqQJCrA9
Sorry to hear that. We are also very friendly people and we like to talk. You can ask anything to anyone in Turkey. I hope you would visit again.
Where in Kemer is this barber?
Always ask price before a service. Always and whereever you are
I am sorry for that you had to experience this. Those goblins don’t understand how they are putting our image as a country in a bad light, just to earn 3€ more. There is no dignity or honor in their hearts…
… which leads me to your „haram“ sentence. Mate, they know its haram. They just don’t care. In turkey there is a rule of tumb: The more someone acts religiously, the more you should be hesitated to have any form of interaction. They use it to manipulate, very often.
I live in İstanbul and pay 400 tl for hair and beard, with those services it would be 1000 max. But Kemer is a touristic place and in here prices can be higher like hell in touristic places, like third world countries. It’s a legal robbery I say. Don’t think about it anymore, you maybe lost 1000 tl don’t make it 1000+couple days. Next time check the price list and request the bill, have a nice trip brother ✋🏻
Update: Thanks to everyone for the tips and advice here 🙏
Learned a few useful things that might help other travelers:
• Some barbers add extra services (face masks, eyebrow shaping, waxing, etc.) without asking first to increase the final price.
• If you don’t want extra treatments, here are some short Turkish phrases you can use:
– “Bunu yaptırmak istemiyorum” → I don’t want this.
– “Hayır, bunu yapma” → No, don’t do this.
– “Sadece saç ve sakal kesimi yeter” → Just haircut and beard trim only.
Also, someone shared the Google Maps link to this exact barbershop and left a warning in reviews:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Qafq8YQ7hjqQJCrA9
Lastly, if a place doesn’t give you a receipt for payment, that can be reported as tax evasion at the local police station – apparently, authorities are cracking down on this recently.
Hopefully this helps other people avoid the same trap
Zabıtaya olmazsa savcılığa şikayet etmelisin. Paranı geri alma ihtimalin var. İzmirde bir limonataya 1200 lira alan işletmeciye ceza kesilmişti ve turistlerin parası iade edilmişti diye hatırlıyorum.
Best thing is to ask how much it will cost so no discussion in the end.
Hey man, the price doesn’t seem terrible for high end barbers in Istanbul that offers extra services (i think they offer them to be able to increase the prices cuz there is an organization called berberler odası which regulates the prices and sets a minimum and maximum amount a barber can charge for each service depending on their segment). I know you were not in Istanbul but I expect Kemer to be similar cause they probably also pay outrageous rents. For example according to [this](https://www.milliyet.com.tr/ekonomi/istanbulda-berber-fiyat-listesi-degisti-2-000-tllik-tarife-7285625) class a barbers can charge up to 2000 TL for a simple haircut. I pay something close to what you paid only for haircut and beard trim tbh.
The problems on your story is that:
A) they are supposed to give you their fares for each service, if they don’t display it openly, it’s not ok and you can report them (the link I posted tells how)
B) Its probably not A class barbershop (looking and the picture) so they probably overcharged you. Can’t say for sure cuz location is also important. Again, all of this could be avoided if they were displaying the fares openly.
C) they are avoiding taxes probably, you can report them to maliye bakanlığı
So, if they are in a segment that can charge you those amounts and were infact displaying the prices, only thing you can do is reporting them for tax evasion (they may or may not evading taxes but knowing the barbers in Turkey, I am almost sure they are :)).
Anyway, sorry for your experience.
Sorry for your experience. They invented whole system based on religion before you think of utilizing it man. They are just afraid of pork and critisizing authorities. So, check the menu or ask for the price of the services beforehand. Locals everywhere love to scam outsiders and you are golden as a tourist. You did nothing wrong. Maybe you could record everything and post it on the twitter. But it is not a sexual harassment case; so, nothing would happen probably. Thankfully, you left there safe.
Dont be harsh on yourself,i am Turk and i get scammed in Turkey many time only last month a in Urfa i get scammed i just paid 450 lira for something worth of 150 ? Why because i didnt check market prices,i could avoid if i checked before but here we go.its not your fault or mine some people have no honor its simple as that
Ask for price beforehand
You don’t ask for the price beforehand, you justassume what it could be, and get angry that it is more than your own estimation? Go elsewhere to complain.Scammer or not, this is 100% on you.
My last cut was 300 tl.
My previous barber started charging 100 tl, and, after i stopped asking the price, within a year raised the price to 250 tl.
This happens to the locals also, that’s why you always have to ask the price before agreeing to buy
You got a hair cut, got your ears and nose waxed and got a face mask in one of the most touristic and expensive parts of Turkey, and paid 60 dollars. You didn’t get scammed, you just wanted to get a cheap vacation in a country battling an economic crisis and was dumb enough to not ask the price before walking in.
Ask always to see the price list first; sorry for you.
As a Turk, I am very sorry. Unfortunately, I witness such events with sadness. I have also been providing food and beverage services in the tourism sector for 35 years.😥😥😥😥
Geçmiş olsun, nicht mal einen Cent würde ich dort ausgeben, immer AI buchen und nicht aus dem Hotel rausgehen
On the wall, the sign says “for rendevouz”. It means they are working with a tight schedule. Price might be right. Because you are not in ordinary place to get trimmed.
You are in an expensive place. You can try be friend a local. They would help you in lots of things. Just be sure they are really know the area and dont see you a cow needed to milk.
I mean sure 2000 is a lot for a simple haircut but you agreed the extras without asking the price? Even a simple coffee is at least 200-300 TRY right now. I pay 500 TRY to my underground barber. And pay 1000 TRY to normal one and if I get all this extras he would probably charge me around what you paid.
What they did is not ok, but you gotta ask the price before getting the service all the time.
well in istanbul my barber take 750 for hair, beard and eyebrow so the money you should pay for the service you got is max 1000-1250
https://preview.redd.it/gywfsasat4nf1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91300de73351ce877ceb981619d700c94c208f90
https://preview.redd.it/k2r6r0aqt4nf1.jpeg?width=1043&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1a35de1cca676fc5186a5b3f16e9fb8924b887d0
Zabıta responsible for prises of shop
Talk about price first always
Are you still in kemer
It is a legal requirement for such places to display their price list so customers will know. If he doesn’t have this will help the case resolve in your favour.
If he had a price list but you didn’t check, and didn’t ask as well, and the prices of services add up to the amount he asked for then there is not much of a scam, it is rather milking people. I have seen such cases where places with super high scam-like pricing getting fines and notices.
If the numbers he listed do not add up to what he asked, then that’s a blatant scam.
Contact local city police /zabıta and ask for help. If they stay aloof, then escalate this.
I scammed in a pub as a turk,getting scammed and drinking most expensive Guinness in the world is a average turkey experience. Don’t came to Turkey if you don’t want to scammed.
100 lira yerine 600 demisti 100 verdim cekip giddim uc kagtci serefsizler!!!!
Just call tourism police bro when they receive a ticket for scamming he will think twice 40,000TL it was the last time!!!!!
İ dont think your comment would’ve changed anything. Some worship money more than God. They don’t care about anything else.
Also they don’t do this to tourists only. They do the same to Turkish people who live in a different country. They even try this to people who usually live in a different city. Only thing you can do is leave it be or act as them and be aggressive (but it’s their neighbourhood so nothing good will come of this).
Go to the police immediately and file a complaint.
For only hair 800 tl is ok if you get washing, beard, mask, etc.. 2500 tl is expensive yes. but not a scam scam..
If they asked for 3000 yes thats the begining of scam
Sorry but this is not a scam, you just didnt ask the price that is all.
I dont know the haircut price there but it shouldnt be as cheap as you think. Most places ask close to 1000 tl just for hair cut. Probably they would ask similar price to turks also, tourism zones are expensive to us also.
You did not get scammed, at least not that much. In Antalya barbershop prices are high. In Turkey barbershop prices are different on every city. Some shops can even do it for cheaper but it is not legal to do it cheaper.
You can see the official price list here (For Antalya):
[https://www.instagram.com/p/C1olCi1q_7G/](https://www.instagram.com/p/C1olCi1q_7G/)
So hair + beard + wax + wash + mask can easily exceed 2k. If you were to get same service on smaller or non touristic city It would be around like 1k.
Yes it is expensive but its also not a scam so you don’t need to feel bad.