What was your worst TOUT experience?

Please share with us what your worst tout experience was. I must say
that, for myself, my worst experience was at the pyramids in Giza. I
thought that I was already seasoned to deal with them after having
been in India, but it seems to me that the pyramids are the place
where all the very best touts go to after they have graduated from
lesser venues. I can just picture a tout convention where the members
sit around and dream wistfully of the "big show" in Giza.

Bradwell Jackson

On 9 Mar 2004 11:24:06 -0800, Bradwell Jackson wrote:
Please share with us what your worst tout experience was.

What is a tout? I searched the group with Google, and didn't come up with
anything (except the French word).

--
-BB-
To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at least)

"BB" skrev i meddelandet
...
On 9 Mar 2004 11:24:06 -0800, Bradwell Jackson wrote:
Please share with us what your worst tout experience was.

What is a tout? I searched the group with Google, and didn't come up with
anything (except the French word).
Was in my English dictionary though.
That's agents acting for hotels looking for customers.
Especially around rail-stations ports or places where tourists arrives.
Typical in third world countries or semideveloped countries, more rare in
Western industrialized countries.

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 03:11:20 GMT, "Lennart Petersen"
wrote:


"BB" skrev i meddelandet
...
On 9 Mar 2004 11:24:06 -0800, Bradwell Jackson wrote:
Please share with us what your worst tout experience was.

What is a tout? I searched the group with Google, and didn't come up with
anything (except the French word).
Was in my English dictionary though.
That's agents acting for hotels looking for customers.
Especially around rail-stations ports or places where tourists arrives.
Typical in third world countries or semideveloped countries, more rare in
Western industrialized countries.

Also ticket touts, for sporting events,
race touts for winning horses.

"Lennart Petersen" wrote in message
...

"BB" skrev i meddelandet
...

Was in my English dictionary though.
That's agents acting for hotels looking for customers.
Especially around rail-stations ports or places where tourists arrives.
Typical in third world countries or semideveloped countries, more rare in
Western industrialized countries.

Ticket touts are the most common sort, they purchase tickets for big
sporting events and then stand outside the sports ground and sell the
tickets at vastly inflated prices. Often people will arrive without tickets
(because they can often be very hard to secure) in the hope of purchasing
one from a tout. There have been attempts to crack down in it, with ticket
touting being declared illegal in some places, and names being put on
tickets. But sucess has been limited.

Not just sporting events of course, anything like pop concerts for example.

"Mark Hewitt" wrote in message
...

"Lennart Petersen" wrote in message
...

"BB" skrev i meddelandet
...

Was in my English dictionary though.
That's agents acting for hotels looking for customers.
Especially around rail-stations ports or places where tourists arrives.
Typical in third world countries or semideveloped countries, more rare
in
Western industrialized countries.

Ticket touts are the most common sort, they purchase tickets for big
sporting events and then stand outside the sports ground and sell the
tickets at vastly inflated prices. Often people will arrive without
tickets
(because they can often be very hard to secure) in the hope of purchasing
one from a tout. There have been attempts to crack down in it, with ticket
touting being declared illegal in some places, and names being put on
tickets. But sucess has been limited.

Not just sporting events of course, anything like pop concerts for
example.


For the OP, the worst tout I've seen was at the taxi stand outside of
Termini station in Rome. When you exit the station ALWAYS go to the head of
the taxi queue to get a taxi. Don't let anyone lead you away from the queue
towards their vehicle.

For the OP, the worst tout I've seen was at the taxi stand outside of
Termini station in Rome. When you exit the station ALWAYS go to the head of
the taxi queue to get a taxi. Don't let anyone lead you away from the queue
towards their vehicle.

But isn't that dangerous advice? Going to the head of the line will insure you
being physically assaulted by those behind you!!!!!!

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 03:11:20 GMT, "Lennart Petersen"
wrote:


"BB" skrev i meddelandet
...
On 9 Mar 2004 11:24:06 -0800, Bradwell Jackson wrote:
Please share with us what your worst tout experience was.

What is a tout? I searched the group with Google, and didn't come up with
anything (except the French word).
Was in my English dictionary though.
That's agents acting for hotels looking for customers.
Especially around rail-stations ports or places where tourists arrives.
Typical in third world countries or semideveloped countries, more rare in
Western industrialized countries.

Don't know about "rare" in industrialised societies - I live in
Bristol, UK - it seems very difficult to walk more than 100 metres in
the city centre without being stopped. I concedde that under
"President" Blair, the UK might qualify as a semi-developed nation,
however :-)

Anyway:

Homeless people want to sell me a copy of "Big Issue" magazine.

People with clipboards want me to spend my valuable time on "marketing
surveys"

Others with clipboards want me to donate money I simply don't have to
some charity or other.

Yesterday I was stopped four times in approximately 30 minutes. I told
the last one that I was suffering from "being stopped in the street
fatigue".

The worst one of all was a scam at Bristol Temple Meads railway
station last year. I had about 2 minutes 24½ seconds to make my
connection from my local train to a long-distance service, and some
idiot in a suit stepped out in front of me and started some spiel
about credit cards. I managed to hiss at him that a major railway
station with people like me in a hurry was a stupid place to do this,
and he stepped aside otherwise he might be in hospital now and I might
be doing time for grievous bodily harm.

A plague on alll their houses!!!!

"Keith Anderson" skrev i meddelandet
...
On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 03:11:20 GMT, "Lennart Petersen"
wrote:


"BB" skrev i meddelandet
...
On 9 Mar 2004 11:24:06 -0800, Bradwell Jackson wrote:
Please share with us what your worst tout experience was.

What is a tout? I searched the group with Google, and didn't come up
with
anything (except the French word).
Was in my English dictionary though.
That's agents acting for hotels looking for customers.
Especially around rail-stations ports or places where tourists arrives.
Typical in third world countries or semideveloped countries, more rare in
Western industrialized countries.

Don't know about "rare" in industrialised societies - I live in
Bristol, UK -
But touts looking for hotel guests are rarely seen at British rail stations,
right ?

Lennart Petersen wrote:
But touts looking for hotel guests are rarely seen at British rail stations,
right ?

About a million years ago I covered my room and board in a hostel by doing
exactly that at Victoria Station.

miguel
--
Hundreds of travel photos from around the world: http://travel.u.nu/