Diner upset by 'absurd' 50-cent charge to replace cup of ice at Pioneer coffee shop

You might want to hold your cup tightly when you order a cold beverage from a coffee shop drinks stall.

Drop or spill it and you might have to pay extra to get another cup.

But is it fair for coffee shops to impose a charge for replacing spilled ice?

A diner who feels it's not took to Facebook to share her encounter with a drinks stall employee at a coffee shop near Pioneer MRT station, which is an outlet of the Kimly chain.

In a post on Facebook group Complaint Singapore on Tuesday (May 14), user Mandy Lim wrote that her friend had bought two canned drinks from the stall for $1.90 each.

Lim's friend accidentally knocked over one of the cups filled with ice.

This allegedly led to him being "viciously scolded" by an employee, who asked if he was aware of a sign which stated that there is a 50-cent charge to replace the ice.

According to a photo posted by Lim, the handwritten sign in Chinese read: "If you spill the ice and want another cup of ice, we will charge you 50 cents."

"Wow. Who will want to intentionally drop the cup of ice to pay an extra $0.50?" she asked. "One canned drink already costs $1.90, imagine [paying another] $0.50, your drink now will [cost] $2.40."

Lim pointed out that the notice was pasted inconspicuously at the side of the stall among items such as a jug and mugs.

"First time I see such [a] notice pasted at the drink stall... Been here so many times, after the incident then i noticed such [an] absurd thing," wrote Lim, who said she dines at or packs food from the coffee shop weekly.

"The rising costs of drinks and food are also getting more and more ridiculous nowadays," she added.

It is unclear whether Lim's friend paid for a new cup of ice.

AsiaOne has reached out to Lim for more information.

ALSO READ: 'Unethical pricing!' Dinner upset over $1 charge for cup of water at Sengkang cafe

lim.kewei@asiaone.com