Steve Smulders
tingling. The ringtone of my cell phone. Oh dear, an Italian number. Do I pick up or do I push it away? that is the eternal question. I don't feel like having a conversation because usually it's advertising or nagging. And if it is already a person interested in our bed and breakfast, it leads to a lot of questions and answers, but in 9 out of 10 cases ultimately to nothing. But hey, you never know for sure, so I'll pick it up again this time. With a sigh, yes.
'Buongiorno, sono Claudio. Disturbo?' A pleasant, well-groomed voice that immediately apologizes for the disturbance. That was not that bad.
'no, no, va bene,' I answer.
'grazie, molto gentile,' the man continues politely, explaining in detail that he is currently temporarily staying in Finale Ligure with his wife and 3-year-old child, awaiting the completion of his new home near Voghera in the Oltrepò.
The problem is that the completion of that house has been unexpectedly delayed and he can no longer stay at the current address. Wanted: an apartment for the entire coming month, starting tomorrow. Do we have that available?
The story sounds plausible to me and also music to my ears (Money, Money, Money) and I immediately consult our booking agenda. There is a problem: I knew that the small apartment was booked until next Wednesday, but halfway through the month (oh yes!) someone had also reserved the large apartment. So neither of them are free all month.
I put it to neat Claudio and suggest that he stay in the smaller apartment until Wednesday and then take the bigger one for the rest of the month. Claudio is fine as long as there is one washing machine is.
'Oh no,' I say, 'not in the small apartment', because I get the names for the umpteenth time washing machine (washing machine) and dishwasher (dishwasher) together. Fortunately, my negative answer doesn't scare Claudio: he actually turns out to be a lenient guy! He goes to talk to the woman.
When I hang up, Nico looks at me with curious eyes. 'Who was that?'
"Someone who wants to book the whole month, starting tomorrow."
"Oh, that's nice," my husband says happily. 'Extra money is a nice bonus.'
A little later, Claudio asks if I can pass on the exact position of our B&B. He wants to come by during the afternoon, if possible and not too disruptive, because it's Sunday after all. He remains extremely polite and bends to his knees in gratitude when I let them know it's no problem.
In the meantime Nico has gone for a walk with Tosca and when he returns he starts to say somewhat excitedly: 'I ran into Roberto and Antonica and told them about the lucrative application. Antonica immediately said that they had also had a similar request a month or so ago at the agriturismo Milagro where she works.'
'A young couple with a 3-year-old child, with a similar story about a house under construction. These guys had left a mess and only after a lot of reminders they paid in 3 installments, while it was only 500 euros!'
I furrow my eyebrows. Could it really be the same people? I can not believe it.
'According to Antonica and Roberto, who she also saw, that Claudio is definitely the same person,' Nico continues. 'They didn't remember his name, but the woman's name is Barbara, Antonica was sure of that. And they had a white car. Peugeot 108, said Roberto. Don't start, they said, their dogs even ate the furniture.'
'My God,' I say. 'So did they have dogs? That Claudio didn't say anything about that.'
"Yes, two."
I decide to lure Claudio out of the tent and send him a message asking if they happen to bring dogs too. He immediately calls and calmly says that he has one dog, a second has just died. But this dog is very good and obedient and never causes a nuisance.
'You know what, I'll send you a video so you can see right away what a beautiful place we are staying at,' he finally says. In great surprise I stay behind. A video, why? What interests me that place? Well, I'll wait it out. Who knows, I might be a little wiser.
A few minutes later I actually receive a video. I play it and hear the sonorous, confidence-inspiring voice of Claudio walking through the apartment. The oh-so-good dog is indeed on the balcony.
In the garden behind the house I see someone floating on an air mattress. 'Bye, Barbara!' shouts Claudio. In the parking lot on the side is a white Peugeot 108. In response to this house video, I rudely ask Claudio if they've stayed in the Oltrepò before. Yes, that was correct. Also at agriturismo Milagro?
"Could be," he says, "we've been to so many places."
The similarities are starting to become very coincidental, but I'm also starting to wonder why they're telling me all this if they actually want to scam us.
'Pling!' An app from Roberto. 'Antonica checked with her employer and those guys are indeed called Claudio and Barbara. And they had two dogs.'
So the same names, the same family composition, the same car, the same story. Oof. I quickly let Claudio know that we're not going to do it. Apparently he realizes that we have heard the bad news from the host from one of his previous stays as he is no longer responding. Looking for a next address?
When we discuss this later with Roberto ('Those guys are guaranteed to be on the run from something or someone, the tax authorities or the police') and I innocently confess that I told Claudio about the agriturismo where Antonica works and the name, Milagro, explicitly mentioned, he reacts with shock:Ma noooo, non dovevi farlo, you should not have done that.'
'Why not?' I say, surprised at Roberto's reaction. He just shakes his head at that. This is apparently one of the cultural differences that pop up every now and then. As a direct (brutal?) Dutchman, we confront Claudio straight forward with the truth, while an Italian prefers to proceed cautiously.
Even if it is (presumably) about a defaulter / scammer. What is better? That probably depends on the situation. In this case, our method was fast and efficient!
🇮🇹Reading tip: Want to read more fun stories about life in Italy? You can find it in the three parts 'Italiaanse Status' by Stef Smulders, available at bol.com.
Comments