# Murano story



## justonemore (Jul 2, 2009)

So... We hit the Venetian island of Murano today. This island is well known for its glass making. The trip was arranged by the hotel & we were brought there in a private boat. We were also given a private glass blowing/making demonstration. My daughters got to try blowing glass as well. So far, so good and my only out of pocket cost was tge 20€ tip to the "craftsman". Next came the tour of the "showroom" & with it came the hard sell. Happily I've dealt with American car dealers in my past life. A 32'000€ statue quickly went down to 22'000€ & then, "oh heck, let's just make it an even 20'000€". I stated that my wife & I would think about it over lunch. Of course according to the salesman, lunch on Murano wouldn't be good due to a lack of restaurants but if we waited just a bit, they'd be more than happy to put a private boat at our disposal to go eat on the island of Burano. While waiting for the boat, the "manager" came out & half an hour later the price was reduced to 17'000€ (to generously include shipping & insurance). While talking to the manager, the original tour guide/salesman came back with the glass horse we had watched be made & said he was wrapping it up as "a gift" to the girls. When all was said & done, I simply stated that I would come back tomorrow should we decide to buy. After an excellent lunch on Burano at a restaurant recommended by the boat's "captain" (who was not part of the glass company & was in fact quite pleasant), our private boat took us to Venice proper. After a few hours walking & enjoying the sights, we headed back to the hotel & I did my research. The same statue by the same glass maker seems to be going for $7-8'000 (equal to 5-6'000€) elsewhere. We had a nice time but private boat rides & a "free" 200€ horse are not worth 10-11'000€ in my book. As I was savvy enough not to get taken, I can't really complain too much (the tour alone was interesting & we did have a rather nice day overall at very little cost) but the hell of it is that had they dealt with me honestly, I would have been more than happy to make my purchase with them. Instead, by playing games they lost not only the sale but all the resources they put into it. Private boats aren't cheap in Venice during the high season & while I'm sure the horse is nowhere near the 200€ retail, it did take away from their labour & stock. Of course the time spent by the salesman is gone as well. While I guess the system must work from time to time, I have to wonder how many people plop down that much money on the spot without giving it further consideration. To make matters worse (for them), I will now be posting the same story on tripadvisor not only under their listing but that of the hotel's as well (I can't say that such an experience gives me confidence in the hotel's services either).


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## dwebber18 (Jun 5, 2008)

Glad you got to have a good time on their dime. I'm sure a certain number of "no's" and private rides are factored in to the price especially if they wanted you to pay their heavily inflated price. You know that enough people have to go and get excited and shell out full or almost full price on the tour. Sounds like a time share sales practice here that offer you free vacations to sit through a 10 hour high pressue sales presentation


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