A couple said their holiday to Greece was ruined after they were accused of stealing from three restaurants.
Angela and Ian McKie, from Netherley, were on holiday in Koutouloufari in the north of Crete in late August. They were accused of walking out of three local restaurants without paying.
Pictures of the couple were posted on Facebook by one of the venues, accusing them of refusing to pay the bill after they had eaten their meal on August 30. The restaurant claimed it was the third on the island that they had left without paying.
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However, the two have denied this is the case. They said that at one restaurant they did not want to pay €12 for an "overcooked" chicken dish and let staff know.
However, they said they left after paying the full bill following a disagreement.
Speaking to the 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.
"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 said the manager then told her they "would be in a police cell tonight" if they didn't pay for it.
Worried about that threat, Angela said they paid the €52 bill in full by leaving the money on a cash box on the table and walked out of the restaurant. As they were leaving, Angela said they were then 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 three restaurants without paying, including that one. Angela said they did not even go to the other restaurants they were accused of stealing from.
She said: "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."
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