SINGAPORE: A woman was shocked after being charged S$378 for a special roast meat platter at a Chinese restaurant, claiming she was not informed by the staff of the price beforehand, which she deemed unacceptable.
As reported by Shin Min Daily News, the woman spent more than S$600 for her meal, and the ‘three-meat platter’ was the most expensive of them all. She also shared that after she settled down at her table, the staff gave her a pineapple tart and told her that it was complimentary, but the bill showed that it cost more than S$36.
“It was clearly said to be complimentary, so why was I charged in the end?” the woman complained.
Furthermore, she pointed out that she purchased 50% off coupons beforehand through Eatigo, but these were only applied to dim sum and certain dishes, while the other orders were charged at full price. She admitted that this was not explained by the staff before she ordered.
What really angered her was one of the ‘three-in-one’ dishes that she ordered because the manager recommended it as a special dish, which was not on the menu. When she asked the manager about the reason why the dish wasn’t on the menu, the manager claimed that it was a ‘special arrangement’ and did not disclose the price. It wasn’t until the bill that she discovered that the three-meat platter dish cost more than S$300.
With this, the woman remarked, “I feel misled. Price transparency should be a basic right of customers.”
In response to this, the restaurant manager emphasised that their staff always explain the prices of dishes to their customers before taking their orders. When contacted, a spokesperson admitted that there had been a misunderstanding between the two parties, but the issue had been resolved.
In similar news, there was a report where a diner complained that a glass of Iced Milo at a restaurant cost more than a beer. In their defence, the restaurant owner declared that the price of the drink was already stated, and did not understand why the diner needed to complain.
Read more about the news story here.
