Greece’s (Unfair?) Reputation For Bad Service

Greece Islands specifically Santorini and Mykonos are rip-offs. I live in California, USA, and the beaches, oceanside, nature, etc.s are a lot better and more beautiful. Greece and the tourism industry have made hype by showing a picture of white houses with a blue dome. It is City regulated. It is not worth spending so much money to travel to these islands. Take a picture and Photoshop yourself. Also, Santorini, Mykonos, and Greece want our money but don't want to spend it back on tourists. They can have a public bus circling the Santorini island but they decided that ripping off tourists by forcing them to rent a car or hiring a 40Euro flat rate taxi, is better. Food is so expensive with bad service. On top of that, they shamelessly ask for tips.

PLEASE don't go to rip off islands. There is not much to do than staying at the hotel/resort. Go to Turkey which is cheaper. Taxi drivers are crooks but you can tell them that you will call Tourist Police and they behave.

Is it too much to ask for a menu or a meal at a reasonable price with decent service. The onus should not be on the client to pre filter and research the restaurant to see if they are scam artists. It doesn’t matter how many exceptional other restaurants there may be these cheats and scammers do enormous damage to the reputation of Greece. You dont hear of this type of behaviour in Portugal or Spain. The government needs to clamp down on this practice of deceit and intimidation to pay extortionist prices.

Been in Greece for 6 weeks now traveling throughout the country. There’s probably a few countries where you love the country and get really irritated at the inhabitants sometime. Greece is a strong top 3 of them.

The central aspect to them is that they are some of the most self centered people living in a pretty crowded country. Very little sense of civil acknowledgment of other people, except maybe other Greeks that they’re familiar with. When it comes to each other I guess they’ve grown used to not having any civility. This applies to nearly everything, from driving, laws, commerce, dining, lodging, transport, etc.

For us foreign visitors we might as well be walking pinatas to be smashed as fast as possible. As an solo Asian traveler I have experienced some of the most obvious overt racism in terms of treatment.

On this trip I was also in Romania and Bulgaria. Romanians are a bit cold and standoffish but they remain polite and get what you need done. Bulgarians are mean and loud but they are super helpful if you have any questions. I feel like Greeks will literally stab you if they could without consequences. It’s been tough visiting such a beautiful country and dealing with its people, whether in the tourism industry or just normal Greeks.

I’ve felt like this in China as well, but I’ve found they’re literally just ignorant of expectations. Greeks most certainly are not ignorant of this, they just literally don’t give a shit.

I'm currently staying in Chania, being in Greece for the first time and my first but also second and third impression was that the service is great, hospitality, politeness, professionalism of the staff at our hotel, restaurants, beach bars, car rental company and even petrol station were were really great. Today is our only sixth day here so we haven't yet had chance to try out other services like ferry rides etc. but so far we're very happy being here. And I'm not talking luxury hotels and restaurants here, our hotel is only ⭐⭐

Being a seasoned traveller and a Greek myself I would like to put my two cents in. This article is spot on. Perfect. For those of you who are considering travel to Greece and see yourselves as 'me the client versus them as in service', my advice is stay away. Go to Thailand being served immediately, politely and efficiently is what you are aiming for. Greece and its people are varied and colourful. Whether someone is from the Peloponnese, the Ionian islands, Crete, Thessaloniki, or Ioannina, plays a very distict role as to how they will act, what service they will be able to provide. Please note that there is also a distinct difference with those offspring from the expelled Greeks of Asia Minor and the Black Sea and the rest. Combine that with the type of education, and exposure to the outside world they have had and you have a mish mash of Greeks and resulting quality of service. Greeks are as varied as the terrain of the country, from completely dry arid to lush green. Bottom line, while visiting my magnificent country and you want to actually experience it you need to focus on the fact that there is a human being behind that tray whose life experience does not automatically turn off because she/he is providing you with a service. Keep in mind that by nature Greeks are generally very, very proud, and 400 years of Ottoman occupation are labelled as 'the years of slavery' and they 'eleftheria i thanatos' which means 'freedom or death' is represented in the national flag. Why does that matter? Well connect that to the education and origin part I talked about earlier and you may realize that the 'service industry' can range from the best to the worst because it is composed of people who want or need to be seen as individuals who choose to serve you for a reason. The friendlier ones have a combo of backgrounds and need to be seen as individuals. Most tourist will say that they don't care about any of this, they want to get what they order on time and served with a faceless smile, that's all. Well then good luck to you because Greece will always be a gamble for you.
As for Italy, news flash tourists, they are pretty similar to Greeks in many ways. Italian's and the country are absolutely amazing. Again, to get the full service you need to 'see' the people.
As far as the Americans and tipping commentary, if you are happy with the service you tip, that's why these people are serving you, they are not in this line of work because of vocation. If you see and treat them as 'the service' they see you as 'the tip'.

As a Greek I agree.

Even as Greeks we get treated poorly in these tourist places, and sometimes not even there but just retail stores etc, during every day errands (though Im sure many other countries have the issue of bitter employees)

We have a saying here that roughly translates to "the only thing they didnt do is hit (punch) me!"

Its an expression used often with particularly bad staff, which implies the service and tone was so bad, the only way it could have been worse was if the customer was punched.

This is because Greeks just generally are poor at accepting the idea of customer service or service in general when it comes to work.

On the other hand you can meet someone for the first time and they will lend you their island summer home for a week and arrange for you to go to the best local tavernas.

Americans seriously need to stop this tipping nonsense. Complete Stupidity. Does Americans realize that people in those countrieds that doesnt have tipping culture actually laugh behind your back when you tip? Americans tip because they dont wanna feel "cheap". Complete nonsense. Everyone does perfectly fine without tipping. Maybe if employers in US pay their staffs properly this notion of tipping will die out. There are many restaurants in US that does away with tipping now.

Ben, saying sometimes service is good and sometimes its bad is just horrible thing to accept as a standard. There is nobody in this world that will accept their business to be sometimes good. Sometimes bad. If thats the case that service/business is just plainly bad. Good service is consistently good with maybe errors on rare occasions. For someone that travels so much you shouldnt post things like this. This is pretty much the same attitude you have/had with accepting things "as is" when you should have pushed back.

I am Greek American and I myself agree that most of the service in Greece is awful!!!! They give you a stare and a unpleasant TalkBack! I live in Greece... When I receive service bad I let them have it. My village know me of my self being outspoken person and brought things back to shops ... Bakery cafe.... They best experience I have is AB supermarkets. It is like I was at Publix back in the states ... When a business goes out their way to serve me im happy a as a button but if you lack customer service.... I use my tongue to other tourists where to go and we're not to go so beware!

Will visit Greece for the first time this coming August - in Mykonos. The reviews of the booked villa are outstanding - and the place is actually far more affordable than most places on Mykonos - so we'll see how it goes. I wish the author had mentioned the name of the taxi company that delivered such exceptional service - as it isn't my intention to rent a car or motorbike during the upcoming visit. Finally, I think for the warmest hospitality in the world, people should look to Bali - where everyone is super friendly everywhere on the island. Moreover, the gracious Balinese people can seem even more friendly in settings away from the heavier traveled tourist paths - such as up on the north shore in Lovina. As is often the case in Asian destinations, it is wise to carry local currency in Bali, since smaller merchants don't all accept credit cards - and even those who do, will add a surcharge for credit purchases. This is likely not an issue in Greece - but time will tell come August. Happy travels!

Greece is a very laid back country , this is why we love to vacation there. Service is not bad it is just slower than we are used to perhaps. Isn't that what vacations are for. Greek food is delicious and healthy so all that is really needed is as happy wait person. So what if something is forgotten. I cannot imagine working in the heat that Greece is known for I know it would slow me down. I give my thanks to all wait staff it is a very hard job which would be nicer by having nice patrons

Not sure what Lucky meant, but I have also been to both Japan and Thailand and I cannot say that services from both countries are comparable or even to say Thailand has great service. I had much better service experiences in Japan whereas in Thailand they only provide you services because of the transaction. In Japan, the service was genuine and warm and they gave you extra help without asking for anything in return. In Thailand, my tour guide asked for money from another foreigner simply because he gave him directions. Stayed at the Hilton Phuket where service was all right but it felt very robotic and not as polished.

LOL. You keep saying you’ve been to Greece many times, with the implication you know it well. No, you’ve been to a couple of Greek islands on repeat visits. That is NOT Greece, any more than Key West or Fire Island is the USA.
Many hotels/restaurants on the island are seasonal , relying on imported, transient labour ( rarely the most professional in my observation).
Yes, it’s true that Greeks everywhere don’t engage in the smarmy small talk, sleazy insincerity of hospitality venues in some of the tourist trap destinations ( ...in anticipation of a tip), but it is the provision of good food, efficiently served, without intrusion that is most valued.
Please spend some time in Athens, other smaller mainland towns, or Crete before making sweeping observations about the county’s service ( based ,it seems , on having visited very little of it). Mykonos, Santorini are not in any way a reflection of the rest of the country, although they are not without charm...

Great service requires a society to be slave orientated. The Greeks did not ever make great slaves always fighting throughout their history for their freedom more so than many others. The 5 euro incident has to do more with honesty than service. To always get great service in Greece you must always treat others with respect and not in any way minimize their dignity. These are very proud people with a strong rich bright history that very few other nations can compare to.

We just returned from a 14 day trip to Greece. We spent time in Athens, Naxos, and Santorini. I can't recall a single instance of poor treatment, but there were many examples of excellent service, especially at the boutique hotels we stayed at on Naxos (Argo Hotel) and Santorini (Dreams Luxury Suites). We've never been to Greece before, so can't compare, but I think a large part of the excellent service we experience was because there simply weren't that many tourists there.

To be brief...in Rhodes the taxi driver after 10 min into the ride remarks that he may not really know how to get to the restaurant we asked him to take us but he knows a very nice restaurant near by.....I said fine.....once the taxi pulled up to the restaurant he honks his horn and the proprietor (his cousin most likely) comes and opens the taxi doors for us. A terrible restaurant.
At another fish taverna we pick out the fish from the display, he calls his waiter to weigh it, which by the way the scale is way at the back out of sight....the weight he recorded was more likely twice the actual weight (I know fish)....we said nothing, finished our dinner
, left and never returned..

And I’m Greek (Greek/American)

As I was reading your article about the suite downgrade, I read the back and forth between you and the manger, and I giggled, and said to myself "oh, that's so Greek!". But like you say, it's also French, also Italian, and also Mexican. And also, none of those places, of you're lucky.

I'm in Santorini, now. We actually had dinner at Canarva last night. And I'll be in Greece for another 6 weeks. We were thinking Italy, but ended up here. We love it.

But as you say, if you want to meet a Greek, you've got to be in his family. Otherwise you're a guy contributing to the reason he's not on a beach, or picking wine ans shooting the breeze, with his grandfather, in paradise. And why his uncle can't afford to live on the cliff in Fira anymore, for example!

Greeks are proud. But hospitality is very good. Like the Americans, they have a hatred for bureaucracy built in, thats precisely 568 years old. And each Greek has lived each of those ancient days of shame, every day of their life, as equally as they've mourned the days that have passed since Alexander thr Great has Died. For them, organization and cooperation mean ottoman overlords. They simply don't respond. Unless you're family, and then the world is unlimited.

Sorry to waste the time of your readers. But I hear you, you're right. :)

Go to the Peloponnese. The mainland of Greece is full of small villages with wonderful restaurants that cook the most delicious meals ever. They have homemade wine and serve it in carafes. Always personal, family style. We walk in the kitchen sometimes and see what’s cooking when there’s no menu. In August, you can go to the village festivals and see Greek dancing like you’ll never forget. Join in, they don’t mind letting you in snd circle, knowing you will watch them until you get the step down pat. They usually try to hand you the napkin to wrap around your hand as you lead the circle. You won’t find any Americans there. Relax. If you want to play golf in a top Greek resort, go to COSTA NAVARINO and stay at one of two hotels there ( one more family oriented). The people who work there are village Greeks who are trained and have humility and treat people beautifully. It is near Pylos, a beautiful town in Southwest Greece on the Mediterranean (Adriatic) Sea. The harbor there is where an important naval battle was fought in Greece’s war for Independence from the Ottoman Empire (October 1827).

Ive only been to Greece once, but Ive been to France many times and never encountered the rudeness/lack of service Americans love to complain about.

In the US, aside from fine dining, waiters frequently come by with the check, drop it off without you asking, and say "no rush whenever youre ready". In most countries, thats considered exceptionally rude.

Yeah, it can be annoying in Europe if you have a strict itinerary and you cant find a waiter to bring you the bill, but thats because a 3 hour lunch is expected. If they came by your table more often, THAT would be considered rude.

That being said, there are some countries where tourists are simply seen as a target for scamming. Now thats annoying and you need to be prepared for.

I have been to Rome in August (goes almost without saying, don't do it if you expect decent, friendly service), have had more than my fair share of bad service at restaurants in Germany, and some not-so-great experience in France (along many positive experiences in those countries, I might add). But nothing comes close to what I experienced with my Ex 23 years ago in Greece. From the cab driver to the ferry staff, from the waiter to the hotel check in person, it was just INCREDIBLY bad, unfriendly service. Constant feeling like being a burden, staff acting like they couldn't care less -- or worse -- wanting to take advantage of you. You'd think they care about tourists, since it's the main income source. I decided to not ever go back. Too many great other places to visit. E.g., Portugal (incl Azores) also heavily dependent on tourism but experience has been night and day. Super friendly all around, from the moment we placed foot on the ground until we left.