Does having visitors .

boerboel


Joined: 02/05/2009
Posts: 290

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 11:07

leave you SKINT :-(



Whenever we have visitors from the UK, they seem to think once they have paid their air fair - that's it. We are sure they all leave their wallets at Stansted as we don't see many Lira notes being flashed. Is this how it is for others living here or are we just being unreasonable.

dav88



Joined: 01/08/2008
Posts: 605

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 11:09

Yeah I had a friend come over from the UK and it was pretty much the same

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 11:09

No wonder guests say TRNC is so cheap!

joandjelly


Joined: 24/02/2008
Posts: 2953

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 11:33

Same here. We had family over who we hardly ever see or hear from. They brought £200 with them (we worked it out from what they spent including gifts, shoes, etc) and then sat back and expected an all inclusive service of breakfast, lunch and dinner and drinks. They did offer to pay for a bit of shopping but we had paid up front and they only gave us the money the night before they were leaving and they deducted £16 because they had bought us a pizza on the first day!!

Never ever again.

smithy


Joined: 17/07/2008
Posts: 5301

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 11:41

I thought I was the only one who thought that, so happy others have had this experience,

its a free Holiday to them, and we are so happy to see them, but they dont think that when they go back you have the bills arriving with all the extra rooms having a/c on and bedding to clean etc

Dont get me wrong I love having company but everything doesnt come ALL INCLUSIVE, cant just pay your fares and then lay back and enjoy

Jayne


Joined: 01/12/2008
Posts: 499

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 11:51

Happened to me too! TWICE! You would have thought I would have learnt the first time hey!

Apart from the all inclusive package, had extra a/c to pay for and also they used my mobile to ring UK so I had to pay for that too!!!

britvic



Joined: 05/09/2008
Posts: 3039

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 12:01

Our house isn't ready for visitors yet, however I have had the odd subtle hint from friends and family about staying at our place, I have already laid down ground rules about this as I could see where it was going (Yippee a free holiday!).

They should not expect you to pay for everything, if they stayed in a hotel they would have to pay for meals and drinks.



Vicki

nurseawful



Joined: 06/02/2009
Posts: 5934

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 12:04

In my experience friends and family tend to pay for the shopping whenever we go. And they always pay for at least one meal out for us. However it does still cost to have them here with extra for electricity, beers etc. Must admit though my best friend and my brother always leave money for that if they are here in the summer.

paddywack


Joined: 04/05/2009
Posts: 959

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 12:10

Does`nt only happen in TRNC, we live in rural Ireland,known as the back of beyond.Everybody likes to visit,but they must think because it is not the big city, the cost of living is near zero.

boerboel


Joined: 02/05/2009
Posts: 290

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 12:12

So glad we are not the only ones to suffer, but what we can't understand is why do they think like that. We would not dream of doing it if we stayed with any of them in the UK. Have found most not too bad if out for a meal, will mostly pay their way but never ever in the supermarket has any of them said 'we will pay this' when most of the goods are for their pleasure. Also agree with you Smithy, really happy to see them when it is family, but they don't think about the enormous electric bills for the air con plus extra water tanker deliveries (we don't get any mains in the summer) for all the extra showers.

Smity



Joined: 14/09/2009
Posts: 826

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 12:33

Yes people do they think its a free holiday, you have a holiday home that runs on free electric, free water because its abroard and the utilities are free.

Yeh right

Vidal


Joined: 14/05/2009
Posts: 867

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 13:00

We lent our house to some friends, (and I do mean good friends of 17years)and even though we were moving out a few weeks after, we really stretched ourselves to get all the little bits extra that could have waited. Extra new bedlinen, towels etc. All we asked was that they paid their own electric.

When they got here a problem developed with the pool. Disappointing yes, but not too much of a problem as their friends who came at the same time were staying less than 2 mins walk away and they used theirs.

Well they obviously took umbridge at the fact they couldnt walk out of the door and jump in the pool.

Every sheet and towel in the house was used, stained with that damned Hawaiian tropic browning oil, my new white curtains ruined where they and the kids were walking in and out with lotion on. My sunbed cushions all left with brown rings from the same stuff. ..Plus a 600tl electric bill. They stuck they key in a jiffy bag and sent it back and havent made any contact since.





Now you

Vidal


Joined: 14/05/2009
Posts: 867

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 13:10

msg 12 Sorry extra words?? Dunno where they came from. D'oh

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 13:11

Having visitors that are star 'bludgers' is par for the course!



Ask them if you can include them on your tax form as 'dependents'!

minertor



Joined: 14/02/2009
Posts: 1238

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 13:28

Any of you good people want a guest for a week or three?



Tony



ps can you send list of amenities you provide.







oh yeah, a menu might be 'andy.

boerboel


Joined: 02/05/2009
Posts: 290

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 13:55

Hi Tony - of course you would be welcome. Of course you will stay for three weeks (same as our friends, twice a year), of course we will be at the airport to pick you up and then drop you back at some god forsaken hour of the morning when you leave. We will also run you everywhere, as you won't want to hire a car as you couldn't possibly drive here with all these maniac drivers and no, of course we wouldn't expect you to pay for any of the diesel we use running you around. Oh forgot to say, although we offer a full a la carte menu, the downside is we don't have a pool so probably you wouldn't want to stay somewhere with such poor facilities!!!

laptagal


Joined: 28/05/2008
Posts: 549

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 14:27

A friend of mine who has lots of guests sets up and holds a kitty of £200 each at the start (she and her husband put in the same amount). All shopping, drinks and meals out plus petrol is paid for out of this and if it runs out, she asks for more money. It seems to work for her. I may try it next time.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 15:14

Ask these 'star bludgers' if you can include them in your tax return as 'dependents'!

Smity



Joined: 14/09/2009
Posts: 826

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 15:43

Q 17

I think your freinds had the right idea, will try that 1 when we next have freinds or relatives to stay we us

minertor



Joined: 14/02/2009
Posts: 1238

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 17:35

Actually boerbel, I live in Girne. When I come over next week it will be until May. We have plenty of visitors, we treat them all the same, my family, her family, our family,or friends. I provide the transport, 7 seater, anything they eat/drink in, I provide. Anything out we share the bill. If anyone wants to pay for petrol, drinks to have in, that's up to them. I don't expect them to pay, they are our guests. If I thought I was being take advantage of, I would tell them, nobody else, just them.



Tony

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 17:48

Tony



Be like me, I have no friends so no visitors! Problem solved!



Richard

teatime


Joined: 20/10/2008
Posts: 852

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 18:12

Tony

Totally agree with your approach.

boerboel


Joined: 02/05/2009
Posts: 290

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 19:53

Perhaps we should be staying with you Tony as you are obviously a very generous fellow. What we did omit to say was that we don't actually own our property, we rent a large bungalow, as like many others we have been ripped off by a builder. We don't expect our children to pay, but when it is friends, it would be nice if the offer was there when they know we have the additional cost of rent before we start entertaining.

scoobydoo


Joined: 10/11/2008
Posts: 2434

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 20:03

We experienced the same problem as many of you. On our first summer over here we were inundated with people wanting to come and visit, after the 7th lot of visitors we sent an email to all our friends and family explaining that whilst we would love to see them in the TRNC we are not in a position to fully finance everybodies visits as we basically living on only my husbands pension.



Since then people ASK rather than expect to come and visit us and we usually end up trying to stop them from being over generous. The ones who we felt took advantage and thought they would get free board and lodgings haven't bothered to come again. It soon sorted out the people we thought were friends.



However I do agree with Tony in respect that if we ask someone to come and see us then they are our guest and therefore we do not expect them to putting the money on the table.

negativenick


Joined: 10/11/2008
Posts: 6023

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 20:20

and they laughed when we said we were moving to the TRNC, but didn't give any of our friends our new address...

boerboel


Joined: 02/05/2009
Posts: 290

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 20:24

We like you Scoobydoo have had this problem, 6 lots this year, people just expecting us to accept them when they tell us when they would like to visit but like you we are also living on just one pension. We have also like you e.mailed explaining the financial situation and are now waiting to see what happens in the coming year as to whether any of them take the hint and turn up trumps or we never hear from them again.

CarrieRBag



Joined: 23/12/2008
Posts: 1374

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 20:35

We have had lots of visitors too and we INSIST that they get a hire car so that we do not have to drive them everywhere. We do not expect "keep" per se but I do expect that they will pay for some shopping, especially the extra booze that we seem to have to buy and I do expect that they take us out for a meal sometime during their stay (and they pay). If they offer petrol money, I take it. It's what I would do if I went to them. If I were staying a week or more, I would offer money. Nowt as queer as folk.

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 23:00

Divorce all family and sycophantic friends and have a happy, wealthy solitude life devoting the saved unappreciated time to intellectual self improvement!



What eight discs are you taking with you?!



Richard

burty1987


Joined: 21/07/2009
Posts: 79

Message Posted:
24/09/2009 23:05

Seems us Cypriots do it differently!



When we stayed with family in Eskele in 2007, I am not joking when I say it would of been cheaper so stay at the Mecure for 3 weeks paying £3 for a can of coke



After the hints for the extra electric used, the extra petrol, it cost me and my old man about £2K plus our watches which were given as gifts, including 100TL for each of the 11 cousins!



We always stay in Girne now, and only visit on the last day!



Still costs a small fortune though!

MsGarnet


Joined: 04/01/2009
Posts: 989

Message Posted:
25/09/2009 03:32

Visitors are like fish, they go off after three days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!