Girlie Bar Rip-Off

by Anonymous
(Zurich)

This anonymous post was sent by someone who apparently had a very bad time by going to a girlie bar with a man he met in the street. I have never heard of this kind of thing before. Please think carefully before accepting spontaneous invitations and entering bars with no windows, neon lights and a musclebound doorman… But surely this advice is not just limited to Barcelona?
Here is the story, draw your own conclusions…

I was heading to my hostel at 11pm in passeig de gracia when a 60-70 years old man stoped me asking for directions. He said he was an oil engineer visiting for some business.
He then asked for the location of a street called Berlin street were there is a bar he wanted to visit and which he named. He said his friend suggested this place and it was nice and asked me to join for a drink.
Since my flight was in the next morning at 7:30 am I said I could not go. The man however insisted very politely in a way that appeared as he was an old man that needed company. I agreed and told him I would only have a single drink with him and would leave. On the way he told me the place had some girls and I told him he could do whatever he wanted but I do not want any girls as I have a girlfriend and would only stay for one beer.
We arrived to the bar at appx 21:15. After the first beer he asked the barman to open another one for me, and asked two girls to come and sit with us, I did not touch the girl and barely spoke to her. Then he was offering to me his girl if I wanted and I said I dont care if he prefered to be with the one sitting next to me its not a problem as I do not intend to sleep with any girl.
He then brought a new girl and again did the exchange at that point I had finished my second drink and said I want to leave. He insisted that I stay for another last drink as he also wanted to leave and take the girl so I said fine, the time was roughly 00:20. I finished the drink and asked for my two bags and the bill.
The barman wrote on a white paper 700 EUR.
I was shocked to see the number and told them this was not possible and requested a menu to see the prices but the barman said they dont have one. I said I do not have the money and they said I could pay with a card.
At that time I started to be worried on my safety. I paid at 00:30, went out and called the police who told me they would send someone in 15 min and would call me once there. I was standing far away but still seeing the place. A police car stoped for a minute then left they did not call me so I thought it might not be about me.
I waited another 5 minutes and no one showed up so I called the polica again, and told them exactly where I was, the police then came after 15 min to where I was, I told them the story and they said they would go there. We went there and I picked the bill from the bin which I had thrown before from my anger.
The policeman entered the bar and was told something about me having drinks and a girl having champain. The policeman then came to me and told me that he cannot believe me or them and that I should report in case I have a complain.
While there, somebody threw an orange from one of the buildings facing the bar at the police car and I asked them to remove me from that area because I thought next someone can start throwing bullets!
So the police took me 300m away and left me at an intersection. I asked them to take me to my hostel but they refused and I asked them then to take me to the station and they also refused. So I left and took the first cab to the hostel where I called again the emergency and explained that I wanted to report both fraud and bad behavior from the police.

In the end I spent one hour in a bar and paid 770 EUR for it!