Tourists beware, there’s a new scam blooming in Amsterdam.
Anyone looking to brighten up their gardens should avoid Amsterdam’s famous flower market. Investigators say just one percent of tulips sold at the floating bazaar will ever produce a blossom. On top of that, customers reported that if anything did bloom it did not look like the plant on the package, plus that package often contained fewer bulbs than promised.
The Amsterdam flower market is one of the more popular tourist attractions which means millions of people are being duped. It got its start around 1862 when flower sellers would sail ships up the amsterdam river, drop anchor and sell their wares. Today the market has fixed barges with greenhouses where various plants are sold.
The Royal General Bulb Growers Association says these scam artists give the country a bad name, especially since the tulip is Amsterdam’s national symbol. Plus someone who gets duped is not likely to come back and spend more money.
The issue has now been referred to the dutch consumer watchdog. Who knew a green thumb could cost so much green?
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CBS News Radio national business journalist Brian Banmiller has spent more than 40 years in the news industry, covering business, politics and the economy on television, radio and in print. Currently, his “Banmiller on Business” reports are delivered to an audience of millions nationwide.
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