Well, isn’t this some bizarre pricing?
Sinar Harian reported that one family from Kedah was horrified when they learnt that they had to pay RM50 for one bowl of Crab Maggi from a stall at Pantai Cahaya Bulan, Kelantan.
A total of 29 of them visited the place when they came for a family member’s engagement in Pengkalan Chepa. They went to the beach to wind down for a bit, then stopped by the stall to have a meal.
After eating, Siti Roshilah Rosli said that she was shocked to receive the bill amounting to RM413. In addition to the two bowls of Crab Maggi they had, they also ordered iced tea and Kopi O for 29 people. They were charged an average of RM3.50 per drink.
She was quoted as saying,
“I paid RM101 for the drinks, RM109 for the prawn fritters and RM203 for a variety of dishes including the two bowls of Maggi which contained a mangrove crab each and a couple of tom yum dishes.”
“When I asked how the price of the dishes came up to RM203, the owner said each bowl of Maggi with crab costs RM50, but the menu showed that it’s priced at RM15 each.”
Therefore, the dissatisfied Siti Roshilah who had to pay for the preposterous bill reported the matter to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) via Facebook on Sunday (16 September 2018) night.
The Malay Mail reported that the authorities have taken action and raided the shop. Siti Roshilah revealed that she wasn’t the only one who has complained about the prices at that restaurant, as there were many others who experienced the same.
She revealed,
“They have since raided the shop and upon discovery, they told me that I wasn’t the only one who complained about the prices.”
“I hope that stern action will be taken by the authorities so that they will learn a lesson and not take advantage of a customer.”
According to the ministry’s state enforcement chief Firdaus Zakaria, the owner of the stall has misled their customers with the displayed prices. However, the owner has defended their move claiming that the price fluctuates based on the market price and they simply couldn’t find the time to alter their menu.
The authorities also believe that the owner has utilised the holiday season as an advantage. Firdaus then explained,
“We will not compromise and will impose stern action by extending this case to the prosecution for further action.”
Well, that’s some ridiculous pricing they’ve got there!
It’s definitely great that the authorities have taken action on this case. Hopefully, other stalls and restaurants will learn from this owner’s mistake and not charge unfair prices to their customers.
Also read: Restaurateur Fined RM30,000 for Selling Iced Milo At Unreasonable Price of RM3.20