Restaurant to avoid in Kiev!

[europete]

A word of warning to those who dine out in Kiev.
Last March I went to a restaurant in Kiev called "Hermitage" which is near Andreyivskiy?, the monastery, and the large government building with the big, round , gray columns. Can't do better that that for a location for now. Three of us had a nice meal and the bill was about 200 hrivna($37.00). I paid for the dinner on my VISA card.
Four months later, I was in Kherson, never having left Ukraine, and returned to Kiev. Went to an ATM on Kreshatik to get some cash, and my VISA card wouldn't work. Tried 5 different ATM machines, all giving me the same message: "INVALID CARD". Finally went to a bank to try to draw money out on the card, and get the same answer. So something has gone wrong with my card, and I have no idea why. And all the time Rostic is with me watching all of this happen.
Later, I call my bank and ask why my card does not work. They tell me they saw what they believed to be a suspicious transacton and put a stop on my VISA card. They then tell me that the transaction they regarded as suspect was a 1,200 hrivna dinner bill charge at the Hermitage restaurant about a week earlier, while I was still in Kherson. For that kind of money someone can have a hell of a meal. I finally remembered the restaurant, and went to see the manager with Rostic. The manager showed me the bill. It sure had the right VISA card number on it, but of course not my signature.
I showed the manager my VISA card with my name and signature on it, and told her no one else uses my card, and I was not going to pay for that bill. Somehow someone got hold of my card number, most likely from the same restaurant, and used it thinking I would be long gone from the country.
So be careful using credit/debit cards over there. I rarely use mine, and it has never left my possession; unless someone has taken it away to charge a bill.

[tim360z]

... in response to Restaurant to avoid in Kiev!, posted by europete on Mar 29, 2002

a program with "virtual" numbers.  You can check their web page.  I beleive it is a card with no numbers or special coded numbers. citibankcards.com.  If it works I would expect all cards to use this system. Carbons??? Here most terminals don't use carbons anymore.  One for the merchanrt and one for the cardholder.

[BubbaGump]

... in response to Citibank has just begun, posted by tim360z on Mar 30, 2002

I didn't know if they still used that in Ukraine.  I've only seen a couple of places still use them in the US.  In St Pete they only scanned my card like in the US.  Since I haven't been to Ukraine yet, I was thinking they might be pretty backward.

[wsbill]

... in response to Restaurant to avoid in Kiev!, posted by europete on Mar 29, 2002

I only have one credit card and I have to admit, I wish I had extra one (from a different bank) during that snafu.  

Especially when they maxed it out.

[BubbaGump]

... in response to Restaurant to avoid in Kiev!, posted by europete on Mar 29, 2002

Ask for the carbons from the receipt you signed.  Another scam I've been a victim of is the clerk saying "I made a mistake, I'll just throw this receipt away and make up another."  Not!  He ran both charges through.

[yoe]

... in response to Restaurant to avoid in Kiev!, posted by europete on Mar 29, 2002

coming out of Ukraine, I was stopped by customs and when ask how much money I had, I pulled out a wod of Hyvnia (sp) about 3000-they kept it and fined me 75 more-like I had more. So they took $15 US-but, they did not touch the traveler's checks. I signed 8 pages of documents written in Russian-I still do not know what I signed.
Joe

[PAULD21]

... in response to Restaurant to avoid in Kiev!, posted by europete on Mar 29, 2002

When I was over seas, a few years back, I had a similar problem a few different times, and I must say that I was treated well by my credit card companies(Visa and AMEX).  They launched their own investigations and cleared my account when they could not produce my signature.  Don't feel too afraid to use you cards overseas because the credit card companies would lose a lot of business if word got out that it was that easy to be ripped-off, especially if they weren't willing to back you up.
Paul
P.S. one of the scams was for over $2,000 at an art gallery and I didn't get the bill until I was back in the U.S. and I still had no problem rectifying the situation

[thesearch]

... in response to Restaurant to avoid in Kiev!, posted by europete on Mar 29, 2002

My bet is the manager knew all about it.