We were charged £600 for two smoothies and a bowl of pasta in ‘sunbed scam’ at Greek bar – don’t make the same mistake
A FUMING couple have slammed a notorious Greek bar after claims they were charged £600 for two smoothies and a bowl of pasta.
Oscar Maldonado and his boyfriend say they fell victim to Mykonos restaurant DK Oyster's alleged 'sunbed scam'.
The pair say they were smooth talked into the venue after being offered a free sunbed by friendly staff members - if they bought a drink.
Without asking to see a menu, the 34-year-old and his partner innocently ordered two non-alcoholic smoothies.
"Then they brought the menu over", Oscar told The Mirror.
"It was misleading to say the least. My boyfriend had the lobster pasta.
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"They brought us the biggest lobster, it was a pasta but with the whole part of a lobster.
"It was a big bit," the medical doctor continued. "I thought it may cost a lot, but I never thought that much."
They said the pasta "wasn't that bad", but definitely not worth the painful £344 bill they were slapped with when they'd finished.
The fuming couple were so shocked after being handed the eye-watering total they thought about calling the police.
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Oscar explained: "I went to pay, and the guy told me the two smoothies were €65 each.
"After that he said it was €600, then he charged €100 for service charged. I felt tempted to call the police, but I didn't want to cause any trouble."
According to the raging holidaymaker, a member of staff blamed the steep prices on service charge.
"I was p***ed off for the rest of the day and it almost ruined my holiday. I would never go there. I would never recommend it," fumed Oscar.
The bar has become so notorious for its outrageous prices that TripAdvisor actually issued a safety warning to potential holidaymakers.
As of publication, DK Oyster has an average rating of 2.0 stars - with 801 terrible reviews, 35 poor reviews, 20 average reviews, 52 very good reviews and 343 excellent reviews.
One of the latest one star reviews on TripAdvisor showed a customer livid after being charged more than £300 for a piece of fish.
The reviewer raged: "They are exploiting the tourist[s] and not being clear and upfront with their business practices.
"Do not eat there."
It was claimed they believed the price of the meal was just €24 (£20) - as this is what was listed on the menu.
However, what they didn't notice was that prices are actually "per 100 grams".
This meant when the bill arrived and they had enjoyed 1350 grams of fish between them, they were charged more than £300.
Meanwhile, a British tourist claimed she was charged £50 for a lemonade so bitter it was undrinkable at the "rip off" bar.
Another holidaymaker revealed how he was charged £360 for four drinks and a snack at the Mykonos restaurant.
Jak Kypri, from London, said that waiters didn't offer him a menu -instead telling him what they had.
I was p***ed off for the rest of the day and it almost ruined my holiday. I would never go there. I would never recommend it."
Oscar Maldonado
He ordered two tequilas, two beers, and some shrimp which turned out to be just "six prawns".
To his horror, when the bill arrived, Jak was handed a receipt for a staggering €425 (£360).
After demanding to see the menu, Jak believed the bill did not equate to the listed prices.
"I told the waiter, 'no, I'm giving you €65 at most,' and I slammed it down on the table", Jak explained.
"They became aggressive and started crowding around me when I questioned the astronomic and unjustified prices," he claimed.
"I thought, I'm an 18-stone guy, I speak Greek, I won't be intimidated."
Eventually, he was able to leave, after threatening to call the police.
Jak told The Sun Online "The place is always empty.
"On one side you have a beautiful hotel restaurant that's full to the brim, there's another lovely restaurant on the other side."
According to the stung tourist, when he told the manager his prices were why the restaurant was deserted, he replied: "Because everyone else is giving it away for free."
Jak added that locals urge visitors not to go, he said: "Taxi drivers will pick you up from the airport and say if you're staying in Platis Gialos, don't go there."
DK Oyster was in fact recently fined £25,000 after an audit by Cyclades Regional Tourism Agency, reports Protothema.
The investigation was carried out after two American tourists claimed they were charged more than £500 for two mojitos and some crabs legs.
Brenda Moulton and her daughter Kaylea, 19, were disgusted when they were charged nearly €600 at the restaurant.
She said when complaining to her travel agent: "While we knew that the bill would not exceed €200, suddenly they asked us to pay €600!"
The receipt showed the pair being charged €520, with a €78 tip.
Brenda's lawyer said that they suffered threats and unfair treatment from the restaurant.
Taxi drivers will pick you up from the airport and say if you're staying in Platis Gialos, don't go there."
Jak Kypri
The restaurant has previously defended its prices, saying "we have carefully accounted for the cost in order to produce a product which we consider to be value for money" and denied any aggressive behaviour from staff.
Dimitrios Kalamaras, owner of DK Oyster, has continuously hit back against complaining customers - claiming they do it for attention.
He said previously that "no adult in their right mind" would order a drink without seeing how much it costs first.
"'Every time I received such a complaint, always by anonymous users through TripAdvisor, I consulted with the personnel, reminding that it is crucial for our reputation to be sure that procedures are followed carefully," he said.
"They always assured me that they abide by the rules.
"So, I used TripAdvisor to encourage our guests to always browse carefully through the menu and the prices."
Kalamaras also defended his "honour" and prices by bragging that they are simply "beyond the budget" of some of his visitors.
He claimed many of the scathing TripAdvisor reviews were lies and he has since put up three blackboards at the entrance of the restaurant displaying his prices.
Justifying his higher-than-average costs, he said that DK Oyster's "concept" was completely different to other restaurants.
And he blamed "influencers" who were looking for a free meal for the hoard of negative reviews.
"Unfortunately, all of us who work in the hospitality sector have been approached by notorious 'influencers' who instead of making their living by advertising products and services to their audience, they put pressure on certain businesses for exorbitant fees and free meals," he said.
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"In DK Oyster, we have advertised in the ways we consider suitable for our restaurant and we will not succumb to the influencers who have been attracted to the beautiful island of Mykonos."
DY Oyster have been contacted for comment.
