Woman says Tampines popiah stall turned her away after making her wait for 40 minutes

A woman who pre-ordered popiah from a stall in Tampines was upset when the stall owner turned her away after making her queue for 40 minutes. 

The woman, surnamed Tan, told Shin Min Daily News that she placed an order for $33 worth of popiah at a stall along Tampines Street 81 last Sunday (Nov 17) for her auntie's birthday. 

Tan, 69, added that she had paid for the food in advance. 

"When I went to collect the popiah at about 10.40am that day, the stall owner asked me to queue up.

"I was in a rush and there were more than 10 people in line, so I asked her to give me a refund but she kept asking me to queue up," Tan said. 

When it was finally her turn, the stall owner allegedly told Tan she didn't want her business and gave her a refund. 

"I had already queued for 40 minutes. If she didn't want to accept my order, she should have just refunded me on the spot instead of making me wait in the queue," Tan said. 

The woman was especially upset because the stall owner did not explain why she decided to reject the order. 

"I've made bulk orders of popiah at the stall in the past, and this has never happened," she said.

"I felt like [the stall owner] doesn't respect her customers, and I was taken for a ride." 

Without popiah for her auntie's birthday celebration, Tan had no choice but to order takeaway. 

She asked for a refund: Stall owner 

The popiah stall owner, who did not wish to be named, told Shin Min on Wednesday that her assistant was the one who took Tan's order. 

Tan was also informed that she would have to queue when picking up her order, said the stall owner. 

The stall owner shared that she had already prepared the ingredients for Tan's order, and needed some time to finish preparing the food. 

Tan, however, became upset after hearing that she had to queue up, and asked for a refund immediately. 

"I figured that she would be unhappy even after eating the popiah, so I just decided to refund her money when it was her turn in the queue," the stall owner said. 

The stall owner also admitted that she was upset after the encounter with Tan, and had to throw away the ingredients for Tan's order. 

Tan also called her a few days later to question her. Although the stall owner tried to explain the matter to her, Tan was still very upset.

"I am running the stall on my own, and it sometimes gets overwhelming. I hope customers can understand this." 

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claudiatan@asiaone.com