Tired of screen addicts, Vienna cafe says phone juice costs extra
Tired of screen addicts, Vienna cafe says phone juice
costs extra
February 15, 2017
VIENNA (Reuters) - Grumpy waiter service is as traditional
as apple strudel in Vienna, but a cafe in one of the city's most recognizable
landmarks has caused disquiet with what seems to be an Austrian first: charging
customers for charging their phones.
Tired of tourists powering up batteries for hours, cafe
owner Galina Pokorny has introduced a 1 euro ($1.06) fee for those who plug in
their mobiles for too long.
"Tourists - always electricity, electricity,
electricity. Sorry but who is going to pay me for it?" said Pokorny, owner
of the Terrassencafe im Hundertwasserhaus - located inside a colorful patchwork
of apartments designed by artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Customers who charge up during a 15-minute coffee can
still do so for free, she said. An hour, however, is beyond the pale.
"I run a cafe, not an internet cafe," she said,
adding that she knew of no other cafes that levy a similar charge.
"It's getting more and more extreme. People come and
think everything is accessible and free... You don't even open your eyes in the
morning for free."
Pokorny introduced the charge last year, she said, but it
gained attention on Wednesday when tabloid Oesterreich published the
"bizarre bill" one of its reporters was presented with, featuring the
1 euro charge for "electricity".
The fee also applies to laptops and tablets, and for
those using more than one outlet is multiplied by the number of devices plugged
in. Disgruntled customers can take some comfort from the fact that wireless
internet access is still free.
(Reporting by Francois Murphy; editing by John
Stonestreet)
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