Vancouver Sun

Café bills customers for phone charging

- Compiled by Andre Ramshaw, Postmedia News

An Austrian restaurate­ur — weary of getting a jolt on her electricit­y bill from patrons charging their laptops and smartphone­s at her café — has started slapping offenders with a user fee. The practice came to light after a visitor to the café in Vienna noticed an extra charge for “electricit­y” on her bill for four glasses of spritzer — and posted the image on social media. The café manager told the Kurier newspaper that she adds one euro to the bill of guests who sap her energy supply for longer than two hours. “Every day, I get a crowd of tourists who are charging their phones, cameras and tablets,” she explained, adding that she informs customers of the new rule. The café is located at the celebrated Hundertwas­serhaus, one of Vienna’s most visited buildings.

 ?? THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Palm trees sponsored by Starbucks are planted in flower beds in front of Milan’s Duomo Cathedral.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Palm trees sponsored by Starbucks are planted in flower beds in front of Milan’s Duomo Cathedral.

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