Pub Crawl Over Charging at some stops, Why ?

People I know are upset with the pub crawl pricing at one of the stops on the crawl.
Bella Donna’s was charging $5.00 US for a Red Stripe and a crazy price for a very small square of pizza was also way over priced. Shame on them .
West End Cluster people take note, don’t kill this great day trip for tourists by getting greedy. Getting tourists to leave the beach and the A/I’s is tough enough to have this going on.
This is the best way to see all the great spots on the West End (One Love Drive) and should not be missed. But over charging people will kill this tour quickly.

What do you think of this practice ?

I think that the places that over charge should be taken off the crawl. Someone tell Lenbert. This is a shame.

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Originally Posted by Rasta Stan

People I know are upset with the pub crawl pricing at one of the stops on the crawl.
Bella Donna’s was charging $5.00 US for a Red Stripe and a crazy price for a very small square of pizza was also way over priced. Shame on them .
West End Cluster people take note, don’t kill this great day trip for tourists by getting greedy. Getting tourists to leave the beach and the A/I’s is tough enough to have this going on.
This is the best way to see all the great spots on the West End (One Love Drive) and should not be missed. But over charging people will kill this tour quickly.

What do you think of this practice ?

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The Jamaicans have a saying, "You can sheer a sheep many times but you can only eat him once."

When times are rough (as they are now and have been for a very long time), it is difficult to teach people to be patient and build a good reputation for service and value to make more money in the long run.

Perhaps that is why Bella Donna has had this place open for a long time and few people have gone there before the Pub Crawl put it back on the map so to speak. Yes, the Pub Crawl needs to constantly evaluate where they take people to insure that the people get good service and value for the tourist dollar.

The concept is a very good one but it too needs to be mindful of how people are treated when they are taken to a business or they too will be tainted by those who take advantage of this rare opportunity to advance their business.

All the best to you Rasta Stan and Betty. Will see you again someday in Jamaica.

Peace and Guidance

Sorry to hear about this ~~ When we stopped at Bella Donna's in November 2011, the pizza was "on the house"

Let me first state that I think the "Pub Crawl" is an excellent idea and a Great outing for all people coming to Negril.

It has become so popular quickly and many people are loving it.
This has introduced many to the wonderful bars and places on the One Love Drive (West End Road).
I'm told the A/I's are now getting in on this Great idea as their customers are asking about this tour, how cool is that.

Over charging is not going to help bring out people to the West End and show them the wonderful places that Negril has to offer.

Don't kill this chance to exspose your places to many new faces by this practice for a quick buck , Negril Cluster members. .


I will speak with Lenbert about this , but I'm pretty sure he knows about it already.

Bill, your so right.Hope we see each other next year.

The One Love Bus is a great way to indroduce tourists to the West End, where they normally wouldnt venture on their own. If they find somewhere they enjoy, they'll come back. By over charging, they are not encouraging new business. Those are places that will not get repeat business. Word of mouth is everything among tourists in Negril This year we discovered a new restaurant on the cliffs. The service was great, food was excellent, and priced right. We went back 4 times in 10 days.

I loved my pub crawl in November and if I remember correctly Bella Donna's was reasonable and the pizza was a free sample. One thing I noticed on my pub crawl was the majority were from the AI on the beach and their tips were not free flowing. We had free samples at Miyard, Choices and Bella Donna's. Would it have hurt them to throw in a couple of bucks at their hosts or servers to help cover the costs? I was on a tight budget but did not think twice to leave a little thanks in the cash department. So I don't think paying $5 for a beer is fair in Negril ......but maybe it is to cover the cost of the cheapskates!

Was on the crawl on April 17th, had a great time. We stopped at Bella Donnas. She was really nice, but yeah, I was annoyed paying $5 for a Red Stripe and a couple bucks for a slice of pizza. Not only that, the single bartender was slow and overwhelmed, and I think they ran out of Red Stripes.

Asked to use a restroom and was taken to what looked like a hotel room, and it was actually pretty nice. I guess they rent rooms there, but it didn't look like it? Maybe I was taken into someones home?

We have always stayed at Couples Negril and have always gotten out to see the "real" Jamaica by hiring drivers and heading out to so many cool and unique places. This past November we did the pub crawl and it was awesome! Bella Donna's did charge $5 per beer, but I believe the pizza was on the house as well. Doing the pub crawl has made us re-evaluate our vacation. This year, we have decided to spend 4 days either at Xtabi or the Wild Parrot and the remaining 10 days at Couples. We want the chance to eat at the local establishments, as well as enjoy the atmosphere at the local pubs.....but CN is a very special place to us and we love to go there to see the staff that have now become our friends.

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Originally Posted by Custer

We have always stayed at Couples Negril and have always gotten out to see the "real" Jamaica by hiring drivers and heading out to so many cool and unique places. This past November we did the pub crawl and it was awesome! Bella Donna's did charge $5 per beer, but I believe the pizza was on the house as well. Doing the pub crawl has made us re-evaluate our vacation. This year, we have decided to spend 4 days either at Xtabi or the Wild Parrot and the remaining 10 days at Couples. We want the chance to eat at the local establishments, as well as enjoy the atmosphere at the local pubs.....but CN is a very special place to us and we love to go there to see the staff that have now become our friends.

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Pub crawl opened our eyes a bit too, had Seastar crossed off the list because it wasn't right on the beach or cliffs, now it's up on the top of the list of places to stay. Also liked hanging out at PeeWees which we wouldn't have noticed otherwise. (It wasn't a stop but is across the street from No Limit bar so we checked it out).

Rasta
thank you for pointing this out about the drink prices on the pub crawl...people should somewhere else...
On the way in to negril driver stopped at a local bar...he charged 5 dollars for a red stripe...he did not smile or thank anyone he made alot of money...

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Originally Posted by lathomas

Rasta
thank you for pointing this out about the drink prices on the pub crawl...people should somewhere else...
On the way in to negril driver stopped at a local bar...he charged 5 dollars for a red stripe...he did not smile or thank anyone he made alot of money...

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Was this a driver from the airport to Negril?

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Originally Posted by HarryS

Also liked hanging out at PeeWees which we wouldn't have noticed otherwise. (It wasn't a stop but is across the street from No Limit bar so we checked it out).

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usually Pee Wees is one of the stops.......that and No Limit Bar......
that is where mi hang and mi see all the Pub Crawlers come thru......

$5 is too steep of a price for a beer unless that includes free pizza.......
mi buddy Lembert da driver already knows about the $5......
so it won't be a problem in the future.....

Cool Runnings, Marko

Them going to kill off the white goose in a hurry!:(

We d.id the crawl last night and everywhere we stopped beer was $3... We didn't go to Bella Donna's though

The bus driver was from the riu...he stopped at a place from the airport to the riu hotel...

I am sure your driver received a kickback from the place(s) they stopped. I bet the prices drop half or more once the bus drives away too.

To Custer: Greetings! Have you met Garnett? He's one of the groundskeepers at Couples Negril. Befriended him years ago and have been keeping in touch with him and his family for years. Speaking of the topic "overcharging" How about Jimmy Buffett??????? Doesn't he charge 6 bucks for a Red Stripe?

To Custer: Greetings! Have you met Garnett? He's one of the groundskeepers at Couples Negril. Befriended him years ago and have been keeping in touch with him and his family for years. Speaking of the topic "overcharging" How about Jimmy Buffett??????? Doesn't he charge 6 bucks for a Red Stripe?

I have found that for the most part the places charge a very good rate and I also think that If I went by myself there would be a better chance of them jacking up the price.
Most know the value of the Pub Crawl bus.

I've been hearing that the Pub Crawl bus has been passing on Bella Donna's lately, good news.
Seeing how I hear that's a relative's place I guess Lenbert is listening to the people.
The places on the "Pub Crawl" for the most part are charging there regular prices to all the crawl peeps.
That's the point, if you charge 200J or 300J everyday for your beer , fine.
Just don't jack up your prices when the bus pulls up.

Lenbert has worked hard to build the "Crawl" and makes a good buck for all his efforts. As it should be.
Taking care of his customers is very important part of this service.
This is a Great party , so hop on the bus , but be aware and keep Lenbert aware of any over charging of the Bus peeps.

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Originally Posted by Rasta Stan

I've been hearing that the Pub Crawl bus has been passing on Bella Donna's lately, good news.
Seeing how I hear that's a relative's place I guess Lenbert is listening to the people.
The places on the "Pub Crawl" for the most part are charging there regular prices to all the crawl peeps.
That's the point, if you charge 200J or 300J everyday for your beer , fine.
Just don't jack up your prices when the bus pulls up.

Lenbert has worked hard to build the "Crawl" and makes a good buck for all his efforts. As it should be.
Taking care of his customers is very important part of this service.
This is a Great party , so hop on the bus , but be aware and keep Lenbert aware of any over charging of the Bus peeps.

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As much as I like Bella Donna as a friend, I don't abide by the overcharging so I hope this does send a message to all the potential stops.

One thing I would like to add. Lenbert does respond to feedback (especially that with Jamaican Portraits like Nanny on the front!). If he gets good, positive feedback (as above) when you finish the crawl, he will work even harder to make it "irie".

I have to say that even though I rarely visit Negril, I would always put the Pub Crawl at the top of my list (just under Saturday Night at Seastar that is!).

Have a great time Stan and Betty!

Peace and Guidance

Hey Stan and Betty hope you are both well, caught you at the Seastar, great show, our first pub crawl and the 2nd bar we visited we were overcharged, plus they had no ice and no limes, our 2nd pub crawl was better, I agree if Lembert is now skipping that bar maybe they will have second thoughts about charging $5 for a red stripe.

We had an awesome time on the Pub Crawl, but.... There were two stops along the way, PeeWee's and Jenny's that tried (and succeeded) to screw people over when converting the price from JMD to USD. It happened to our friends and another couple at Jenny's. They tried it with me, the look on the girls face when I corrected her was "priceless" I also corrected the bartender at PeeWee's when he tried to add on an extra $3.. I let Lenbert know as well.

Such a shame... Word will spread, and pretty soon the bus won't be stopping at these places.. All of the other stops we made were fantastic!!!

We will definitely do the pub crawl again the next time we are in Negril!

The Pub Crawl bus has become so huge that Lenbert should like make his Own bars for the crawl and then like it will turn into his Own town and then like he will have elections for Mayor and like Sheriffs in the town of Pub Crawl on the West End ????

Just a thought.

A note about PeeWees - nice guys, but one of the bartenders will play games with the exchange rates, and try to "tell" you that you are buying him a beer. Don't go for it if you don't want to. To them I think it's a game, as in "lets see what we can get away with"... Otherwise I like the bar and the location, just don't take any crap from them and they'll treat you well.

Was able to make an "off-menu" purchase here that was quite good, from one of the locals who was hanging out, wish I could remember his name, began with a C. The bartender also has these off-menu items, and it's wasn't bad either but he's the middleman, takes your money and comes back later.

The Pub Crawl bus has become so huge that Lenbert should like make his Own bars for the crawl and then like it will turn into his Own town and then like he will have elections for Mayor and like Sheriffs in the town of Pub Crawl on the West End ????

Just a thought.


lMAO

I was on the pub crawl today (Wed May 08) - Lenbert made sure to address the crowd to be aware of the price they were being charged and that a $5 beer was NOT acceptable.
I have an issue now with Xtabi and their price on bottled water. I know that prices vary form place to place and the most that I expect to pay for a 500ml bottle of water is 200 J - xtabi charged me 220 J - I gave the bartender 300 J and never received change. 80 J is not a big deal but the principal is! At least come by and offer me my change - this never happened. 300J for a small bottle of water is NOT cool. Lenbert is aware of the issue and I for 1, will never drop another cent at Xtabi.
Do not assume that my change is a tip.

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Originally Posted by Tawnee2

I was on the pub crawl today (Wed May 08) - Lenbert made sure to address the crowd to be aware of the price they were being charged and that a $5 beer was NOT acceptable.
I have an issue now with Xtabi and their price on bottled water. I know that prices vary form place to place and the most that I expect to pay for a 500ml bottle of water is 200 J - xtabi charged me 220 J - I gave the bartender 300 J and never received change. 80 J is not a big deal but the principal is! At least come by and offer me my change - this never happened. 300J for a small bottle of water is NOT cool. Lenbert is aware of the issue and I for 1, will never drop another cent at Xtabi.
Do not assume that my change is a tip.

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Oh LORD, you will never go to Xtabi over $20J? LOL. Xtabi, I promise to make up which you lost from Tawnee going forward. Xtabi is one of the best values on the Best End. They are very accommodating to all outside guest.

$20J or $80J, I have your back Lembert

yep that's what I said - it is up to ME where I want to spend my money or not.

The point is that $3.00 is overpriced for a bottle of water.

??? Xtabi is an amazing place and although a bit more upscale than some other stops -prices are going fluctuate among all the different places on West End.....this doesn't seem unreasonable at all and I don't believe staff would have done anything maliciously - I usually ask for change if I need it but I think this must have been just a mis-communication. Doesn't seem fair to trash this business publically when everyone struggles so hard to survive economically in Jamaica. I hope you will give them a second chance for your business. It is a very special property.

Tawnee
thank you for the information...will cross Xtabi off my list sorry about the over charging isssues the driver should tell the people the prices & be posted otherwise they are trying to rip you off

thread title should be a stop...not some stops.

"At least come by and offer me my change"

Absolutely agree! otherwise it's shady, and I shouldn't have to ask for my change - I should be given the opportunity to say "keep the change"

This thread is a joke!

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Originally Posted by Sweetness

??? Xtabi is an amazing place ... I hope you will give them a second chance for your business. It is a very special property.

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I enjoyed spending time at Xtabi, but how can a property be special? or "very special"? Yes, it's a nice place and has a beautiful view, and I really like the caves... and it may even hold a special place in your heart... but it's just a bar, and at least one person has been shortchanged. Could it be that drunk people who show up are taken advantage of? I know I stop worrying so much about what I spend when I've had a couple drinks... That's human nature... and bartenders know this. So easy to say, "whoops, sorry" when customers actually ask for their change, you know?


To make myself clear, I am NOT saying "Xtabi takes advantage of people and steals their change", I am saying it happened to one person, they weren't happy and said something about it, and it's not a reason to attack her or make excuses for the venue. It happened, once or hundreds of times, who knows?

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Originally Posted by spottycatz

This thread is a joke!

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why is that? Because you don't agree with something it shouldn't be discussed at all? Because you're wealthy and like to spend more than necessary? You enjoy the vague feeling of "are they taking advantage of me?" when you travel?

Who thinks a local wouldn't ask for their change? Show of hands, LOL!

We are the one's who decide who gets tipped and how much, (except the restaurant bill) not the server, whether we are locals or tourists.