A mother revealed she was charged an eye-watering £16 for a pot of strawberries with a ‘drizzle’ of chocolate at a Christmas market.
Molly Smith, 29, stopped by Christmas in Leicester Square Market with her sister during a theatre break in London’s West End on 15 November.
As the pair ventured through twinkling lights and festive stalls, a vendor selling sweet treats soon caught their eye.
At the stall, which specialised in fruit and marshmallows dipped in chocolate, Molly opted for a large pot of strawberries with melted milk chocolate – which she claimed was advertised for £10.
But only moments after tapping her Apple Pay, Molly discovered she had instead been charged £16 for the snack.
She said the payment notification had flashed up on her phone as she was walking away from the market.
Speaking to What’s The Jam, she said: ‘I was in shock when I saw the price, and I thought it must have been a mistake.’
‘It was so busy, I just tapped it and didn’t really process how much it was until I’d walked off. I double checked the price when the notification came up on my phone.’
A mother revealed she was charged an eye-watering £16 for a pot of strawberries with a ‘drizzle’ of chocolate at a Christmas market
Molly Smith, 29, stopped by Christmas in Leicester Square Market (pictured) with her sister during a theatre break in London’s West End
After realising she had been overcharged, Molly stated she returned to the seller to confirm the original pricing, which was quoted as £10 for a medium cup and £16 for a large.
However, the mother did not ask for a refund as it was ‘overwhelming’ and she had to dash back to the theatre to watch the second half of the performance.
She said: ‘In hindsight, I should have asked for a refund, but it was so busy and we needed to get back to the theatre, so I just left.
‘I assume it would’ve been listed that it was £16 somewhere, but I don’t remember seeing it; these markets are so busy and overwhelming.
‘I’d have been happy to pay up to £10 because I know these markets are expensive, especially in London. But £16 seemed way too much for strawberries and a drizzle of chocolate.’
Molly, who has since reflected on the ‘extortionate’ fee for the snack, said she believes the treat is worth no more than £5.
She said: ‘I understand their pitch fees are extortionate, hence their prices. And you do go to these markets knowing they are going to be more expensive, but I’ve never seen anywhere charge that much for some strawberries and chocolate
‘It’s definitely not worth more than a fiver, but I’d be happy to pay up to £10 at a market.’
At the stall, which specialised in fruit and marshmallows dipped in chocolate, Molly opted for a large pot of strawberries with melted milk chocolate – which she claimed was advertised for £10
After realising she had been overcharged, Molly stated she returned to the seller to confirm the original pricing, which was quoted as £10 for a medium cup and £16 for a large
Christmas in Leicester Square has been approached for comment.
Elsewhere, holidaymakers have revealed the worst ‘tourist prices’ they’ve ever paid – including £47 for plasters and £11 for Coke.
One holidaymaker, who recently returned from a trip to Egypt, shared on Reddit his experience of being charged £11 for a lukewarm can of Coke at a busy ancient site.
Another disgruntled tourist revealed how, during a trip to Florence, they were charged €40 (£34) for a ‘large’ gelato, despite asking for a ‘medium’ portion.
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