Concealed Carry. Why bother?

[poikilotrm]

Kids?

[silencertalk]

This is what I told my friends on Facebook (I have photos of each guy):

My friend warned me that Naples was to be avoided. He said to cancel the trip. A few days earlier, my father-in-law was pick-pocketed 800 Euros there from a fanny pack on the front of his body, so I knew it was bad, but we already had the apartment rented.

As we approached the city, we stopped to get fuel at a normal rest area with an Esso station. It was expensive - 1.609 Euros per liter, (I had previously never paid over 1.2) but Italy seemed to be that way at every station. My wife filled up the van while I went inside to buy iced cream for me and the kids. I bought three Magnum bars that came to 6.9 Euros total. I started to hand my Amex card to the guy on the left. The guy on the right signaled for me to give the card to him. I did, and he handed me a receipt, and then the guy on the left handed me another receipt. I walked out to the van, and my phone popped up an Amex "foreign transaction" alert for 69 Euros. I looked at the first receipt and it said 69 Euros. I went back inside, took the photos of the guys, and then demanded my 69 Euros back. They acted surprised, and like it was a mistake. I waited for the money. They asked me if cash was ok, and handed me 69 Euros from the register. I left.

I then asked my wife how much the fuel came to. She said 130 Euros. That seemed like a lot, even for 1.609 per liter. I did the math and they would have needed to put in 80.8 liters to come to that. The van has an 80 liter tank, and it was almost 1/4 full when we pulled in. I estimated that he overcharged us by almost 30 Euros. It was odd that the receipt had no details on it. I went to the guy who ran the pump, and asked for 30 Euros. I don't understand Italian, but he was pretending nothing was wrong. I then went inside and talked to the guy who had ripped me off for the iced-creams, and he went into the fuel computer and eventually pulled out a transaction for pump 21 that was for 130 Euros and 80 liters and claimed that was mine. I didn't accept it, as it was not possible to put 80 liters into my tank, and asked for my 30 Euros again. He then pulled out a second transaction that was for 106 Euros and 65 liters. That was as expected. He then called over someone who may have been a manager, and I showed him the two receipts. I then went to the guy who ran the pump again and asked for my money again, and said I would call the Police. The manager-looking guy asked him to cough up the money, and he gave me 24 Euros from his own wallet. We learned to pay by cash in Naples.

We drove away, and then had to pay a toll when entering the city. It was over 56 Euros - the largest toll I have ever heard of. This time, we used cash and handed 70 Euros. The toll booth attendant shorted us 10 Euros of change. I would not leave or let other cars behind me go until he gave me 10 Euros. I then got his attention and took his photo. Lesson number two - use only exact change when you pay in cash.

When we got to the apartment, I pulled up right in front of the door. The kids went inside. My wife unloaded the car. I did nothing but guard her as she did it as dozens of scooters went by, no doubt ready to snatch-and-grab bags. We left nothing in the car and parked in a secured area. Trust no one here even at established businesses.

[poikilotrm]

Wow. I thought New Orleans was bad.

[silencertalk]

I was reading online discussions and it is funny when someone says "Naples is no worse than any other large city such as LA, Atlanta, etc."

Yeah right.

The gas station and toll booth guy in Atlanta is not going to rip you off. This is a different universe.

I think my daughter had her iPhone stolen in Austria. Or we lost it. At least we can't find it.

[a_canadian]

Serbia is apparently right up there with some Italian cities. Loads of corrupt officials, bribes expected, petty crimes and a lot of threatening behaviours. But I sort of get it with the recent history of Yugoslavia. What's the excuse in Napoli?

[YugoRPK]

Naples no worse than Atlanta? Yeah sure. Naples is no worse than Guadalajara or Mexico city or maybe Rio De Janeiro . Spent a lot of time in Italy but than God it was the north. Southern Italy to me seems no different than (non tourist) Mexico.

[TROOPER]

I was a victim of crime three times in my first hour in the city of Naples Italy just now. I recovered my money all three times with some effort.

Please elaborate.

[poikilotrm]

Please elaborate.

He did. Look above.

[TROOPER]

Please elaborate.

He did. Look above.

I had logged out for a few days, and in reading the thread to catch up, I didn't make it to the explanation in time... just jumped-the-gun, I guess.

I left the airport in Bahrain and as we went out to the cabstand, a guy asked us if we need a cab. I figured the guy was simply breaking the rules by jumping ahead of the other cabs in the queue. So myself and the other guy get in to what is obviously a privately owned auto. I sit behind him, and the other guy sits beside him in case this turns into a future ISIS-Youtube video, our positioning would allow us to wreck the car if nothing else.

Skip ahead -- we get to the diplomat area of the city and our hotel just fine, then we ask the guy how much and he says -- with a perfect, 50-50 blend of 'smug' and 'sheepish' - "Twinnnn tee dahlerzzzz". Smug because he knew that we foolishly didn't check the price before the ride, but sheepish because he was over-charging us by about a factor of 3. The Bahraini Dirham is ~$3 US, and this particular trip always cost about $7 BD.

It's our own fault for getting into an unmarked "cab". That was just under a year ago.

I've heard somewhere, the internet, television, or radio, that polygraphs don't really work on foreigners since, statistically, they don't set off the physiological markers that we do when we lie, because culturally, not too many other countries value honesty to the extent that we do. Perhaps not across every single US citizen or our politicians, but culturally, we value a little more... and this is 'going-against-the-culture' is what stresses us when we lie.

I do wonder if Naples fleeces its own citizenry the way they do to the tourists.

[poikilotrm]

Wasn't really expecting an explanation.

[TROOPER]

Wasn't really expecting an explanation.

I wasn't expecting either of your responses regarding my blunder.