11 September 2023 , 22:02
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A couple who were accused of theft while eating out in Greece said their holiday was 'ruined' by the experience.
Angela and Ian McKie were enjoying a trip away in Koutouloufari in the north of Crete in late August. But things turned sour when they were accused of walking out of three local restaurants without paying.
Pictures of the couple, from Liverpool, were posted on Facebook by one of the venues and claimed that they refused to pay the bill after they had eaten their meal on August 30. The restaurant said it was the third one on the island that they had left without paying.
However, the pair have vehemently denied that they did this. They said that at one restaurant they did not want to pay €12 (£10) for an "overcooked" chicken dish and let staff know.
Following a disagreement, they left after paying the full bill. Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Angela, 54, said: "We ordered two starters and two main meals. Ian had the spaghetti Bolognese which was fine. I had the chicken souvlaki, it was overcooked and the chips were raw.
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"I complained to the waitress but she just smirked. We asked for the bill but said we wouldn't be paying for the chicken, which was €12. The manager then said we should've complained earlier, which we did do."
Angela said that the staff at the restaurant made her and Ian feel uncomfortable when they complained about the quality of the chicken dish. She also added that the manager told her they "would be in a police cell tonight" if they didn't pay for it.
Angela said they paid the €52 (£45) bill in full by leaving the money on a cash box on the table and walked out of the restaurant after feeling worried about the threat. Then, as they were leaving, Angela claimed they were subjected to verbal abuse.
She said: "We were terrified. Someone shouted f*** off back to England." The incident led to the Facebook post, which branded the couple as thieves and said they had left a trio of restaurants without paying, including that one.
Angela said they did not even go to the other restaurants they were accused of stealing from. She added: "It's been terrible, it has upset all of our family.
"We're constantly trying to defend ourselves - there have been vile comments about us that aren't the truth. I'm not being branded a thief. It ruined the holiday."