Ice cream van moint choisy ripped off

we should have shut the doors and i am a proud mauritian who chose to stay in my homeland and help unlike those who abandoned their motherland.
-@Lilielle

@Lillelle, why the xenophobic comment on a website specially aimed at expats?

I left Mauritius to pursue my dreams and at last check, Mauritius is still a free country. Of course, changing environments is bound to change people for better or for worse - just as staying at home can change people for better or for worse.

@prospectorland Not sure this is a recommendation, maybe more of another observation. But say we are overcharged 100MUR for an ice cream. We get a double hit from this - one, we have lost 100MUR, and two, our perception of how we feel about that. There's possibly nobody on this forum for whom the loss of 100MUR is really going to make any difference to their life. So it is really number two that is more of a problem for us. So, while we may try to avoid number one from happening, ultimately it is outside our control because it depends upon the actions of others. But number two we have control over, it's entirely up to us how big an issue/problem we want to make it. Again, this is just an observation.
-@andrew9799

@andrew9799, thank you for bringing the issue of control  in this case.  In your example, there are 2 choices: 1) feel bad and 2) not feel bad -because we can afford it.

I think that the "we can afford it" attitude is what is contributing to the perception that expats and returnees are superior than the locals.  In your home country, would you accept such a discriminatory behavior?  I think that if expats exhibit behaviors abroad that are different from their home countries, this will give the locals a false impression of what citizens of those countries are.

Although I neither agree nor disagree with your choices - it is not my place to do so - here is my recommendation for your observation.  If you know that you have been wronged, please take time to report it.  I report both good and bad experiences on tripadvisor and by word of mouth.  This may help someone else AND this is a way to send a message to the vendor.

In my mind, one of the goals of being an expat is to be as close to locals as possible mentally, emotionally, and finally physically.  Why make a change of environments if not to immerse in that environment?

Hope that this helps.

@prospectorland My observation was in a context of Mauritius because that is what this forum is about, but it can be applied just as easily in a person's home country too, doesn't actually make any difference where it is (or whether it is about an ice cream, or about money). Reporting it is fine too, that's a separate issue. I also post reviews online for purchases etc. This is the seventh country I've lived in over the past 20 years period, my experience so far is that the locals in the countries I've stayed seemed to rip each other off just about the same as they did the foreigners. My only point was is that we have some choice over how we feel about these things. We can still then act in any way we feel fit.

This is the seventh country I've lived in over the past 20 years period, my experience so far is that the locals in the countries I've stayed seemed to rip each other off just about the same as they did the foreigners.
-@andrew9799

Thank you @andrew9799 for your observations. Can you elaborate more here? The premise of this current thread is that foreigners / expats / returnees are more vulnerable than locals when dealing with equal things.

However, if you expand the definition to unequal things - like pay, relationships, etc., I can see your point and yes, there seems to be a sense of poetic justice everywhere.

@prospectorland Actually I've only lived in Mauritius just for over 3 months, so too early to get much insight into it here yet, I've not had any issues with anything so far. The immigration department was really great, much friendlier than I have experienced in some other countries. I was in China for 11 years, as a foreigner there you were treated like a guest and due to that I was definitely treated better than if I was a fellow Chinese, felt very safe and never had any issues there. One other country in particular (I won't mention where) I did have some problems with crime, I was robbed a few times (including by the staff in a hotel where I stayed) and witnessed gun fights outside the house I rented and had to run round the block in case I got hit. I felt like a bit of a potential target as a foreigner too and had to be aware and careful. I don't feel at all like that in Mauritius, people are generally friendly and easy-going, certainly doesn't seem anything major to be concerned about.

@prospectorland Actually I've only lived in Mauritius just for over 3 months, so too early to get much insight into it here yet, I've not had any issues with anything so far. The immigration department was really great, much friendlier than I have experienced in some other countries. I was in China for 11 years, as a foreigner there you were treated like a guest and due to that I was definitely treated better than if I was a fellow Chinese, felt very safe and never had any issues there. One other country in particular (I won't mention where) I did have some problems with crime, I was robbed a few times (including by the staff in a hotel where I stayed) and witnessed gun fights outside the house I rented and had to run round the block in case I got hit. I felt like a bit of a potential target as a foreigner too and had to be aware and careful. I don't feel at all like that in Mauritius, people are generally friendly and easy-going, certainly doesn't seem anything major to be concerned about.
-@andrew9799

Thank you again @andrew9799 for bringing into perspective how lucky everyone is in Mauritius as compared to some other unnamed countries.  From that perspective, I do understand that the health benefit of not worrying about the small price difference far outweighs the actual cost.

All things considered, Mauritius is a great country to live in.

@prospectorland

I get taken advantage of by taxi drivers a lot. I know that since I make the same trip frequently and get charged almost double by some.

I give a substantial tip to the ones who charge me the least. It doesn't affect my lifestyle any, and everybody's gotta eat.

The *formal* price differences that I've seen here (and in Thailand) ratchet the question up a notch, though. If you go to Casella or to the aquarium in Port Louis, you'll see they have two significantly different prices for locals and foreigners.

On the one hand, Mauritius had invited me here to boost the economy, so I accept it as part of the deal.

On the other hand, you can't even think about doing that in the USA (except at Disneyland, oddly enough). So it's kind of sticks in my craw.

I've settled on thinking about it from the local's perspective. The aquarium couldn't be built if it were paid for by the locals. It's unjustifiably expensive. But, if you charge everybody the same admission, only the tourists will be able to afford to use it. If I were a typical Mauritian, that would make me feel abused.

Of course, I don't have to go if I think the price is unfair. I don't even have to stay in Mauritius.

In the end I just go Buddhist and accept what "is". Then I get enjoy the ice cream, the zoo, the aquarium, etc., in peace.

I have a Mauritian friend who always asks how much I've paid for a taxi ride. She gets really mad when I get overcharged. So maybe there's more to it, culturally, than meets the eye. I dunno. I feel very fortunate that being overcharged by Rs 100 means nothing at all to me.