Getting Ripped-Off in India

Tourists were charged 10,000 rupees for four samosas.
www.flickr.com user kspoddar

It's been all over the newspapers in India this week -- two unfortunate Dutch tourists who paid 10,000 rupees ($200) for four samosas, supposedly made out of top quality ingredients, at a cattle fair in Bihar. Samosas usually only cost around 5 rupees (10 cents) each! Fortunately the tourists doubted that the samosas could really be worth so much, and approached a police officer who made the stall holder refund their money.

You may wonder how such a thing could happen? Apparently, upon seeing that the tourists had 1,000 rupee notes in their possession, the stall holder got greedy and demanded a price of 2,500 rupees per samosa after they'd finished eating.

Sadly, it's actually not an uncommon situation in India -- vendors who provide goods or services then demand exorbitant amounts afterwards. I've experienced it many times in my travels around the country. Once in Goa, a roaming ear cleaner insisted I give him 500 rupees for the pleasure of having removed wax from my ears (I offered him 50 rupees and told him to take it or leave it). Another time in Manali, a group of snake charmers requested 2,000 rupees after I allowed them to put a massive snake around my neck. (We settled on 100 rupees).

This really reflects the importance of always agreeing on the price beforehand. India is a country that does require visitors to remain alert, and if you take a few precautions to avoid getting ripped off, you can greatly reduce the likelihood of anything going wrong during your trip.

More About Scams & Annoyances in India:

• Common Annoyances & Inconveniences
• Top 5 Most Common Scams in India