Customer claims high prices lead to payment dispute at restaurant

KOTA KINABALU - A seafood restaurant in Kota Kinabalu says a family left without paying their entire bill.

The incident happened last Sunday at 9.40pm.

The family allegedly paid RM400 out of a total bill of RM1,102.20 because they thought the price was too high.

"There is no reason not to pay when we know what had been ordered. Whatever the reason is, please settle the rest of the payment immediately," the restaurant said via a message.

However, the customers in question had allegedly objected to do as told by claiming they did not expect the price to be as high for three customers.

One of the family members had come forward to explain on Facebook.

The clarification revealed that the restaurant did not provide enough information about the price of the foods ordered.

"We had made the payment as suggested by the restaurant to resolve the issue. It was the cashier there who suggested the idea of paying 50-50 (half), not us.

"When we saw the lobster on the menu, the price was RM48 per 100 gramme which in our eyes seemed to be within our budget if we just ordered a smaller size and the waiter had also convinced us, he would only give us a small one that would not weigh much.

"But apparently, he (the waiter) had ordered one that weighed a kilogramme without letting us know first," he shared.

He was surprised to see the bill considering that only three folks were dining.

"We talked to the waiter because he had ordered a bigger size without telling us the specific price and size.

"Then the cashier came and offered to solve the problem with the restaurant paying half and we paid RM500.

"Before leaving, the cashier returned a RM100 to us and told us that this often happens and many customers had experienced it because the same waiter did not explain the price clearly.

"We then thanked the cashier and thought the issue had been resolved. We did not leave the restaurant without paying. As proof, the payment was also printed on a receipt," he explained.

In the same post, the customer expressed his hope that the misunderstanding could be resolved immediately and adequately.

Meanwhile, Sabah Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) Office will inspect the seafood restaurant that allegedly charged its customers high prices.

Sabah KPDN director Georgie Abas said that he had not received any complaint from the customer so far.

"If there is an official complaint, we will investigate it, but if we refer to the customer's post, it seems as that all the prices are there and there was a misunderstanding between the customer and the restaurant.

"However, this is a difficult matter to prove as there are allegations from both parties, so I will ask some officers to inspect the premises to ensure that all the price tags are clear and advise the restaurant if the customer's allegation was true," he said when contacted by Sinar today.