Yishun zi char stall supervisor files police report against diner who accused staff of $1 overcharge and 'cheating' him
The diner claimed that a zi char stall staff had overcharged him twice to 'cheat' him
PHOTO: AsiaOne
PUBLISHED ONNovember 16, 2023 5:17 AMByLim KeweiA zi char stall supervisor in Yishun has made a police report against a customer who had accused the stall's cashier of cheating him twice.
The upset customer had also threatened him by asking him to either fire or transfer the cashier to another branch, reported 8world.
Deng, a supervisor at local zi char chain One Ocean Seafood, told the Chinese publication that the customer had messaged him last Thursday (Nov 9) accusing the female cashier of overcharging him by $1 for a packet of fried rice.
He also claimed it was not the first time she had attempted to 'con' him.
While Deng denied the accusations, he offered to refund the diner $1 as a gesture of goodwill to settle the issue.
However, the customer was reportedly unwilling to accept the money and insisted it was "a matter of principle".
'Not the first time she overcharged me': Diner
The diner, surnamed Zhuo, told 8world that he first visited One Ocean Seafood at Blk 807 Yishun Ring Road on Nov 2 and bought a packet of fried rice for $12.
Zhuo said that the stall charges $1 for a takeaway box, but he ended up paying $14.
Although he'd already thrown away the receipt, he told 8world he was "200 per cent sure that the cashier overcharged him by $1".
Zhuo alleged that when he visited the zi char stall a week later on Nov 9, the same cashier overcharged him again.
He and his wife had ordered a $38 crab dish and six pieces of fried mantous for takeaway.
Although the menu stated that five mantous cost $3 a set, Zhuo wanted only six mantous, and claimed the cashier charged him $19.80 for that.
The amount also included six takeaway boxes at 30 cents apiece.
Believing that he had been swindled multiple times, Zhuo contacted Deng and requested he take action against the female cashier.
A screenshot of his text message obtained by 8world read: "I give you two options, it's either you transfer her to other branch, or I will report it online or to the authorities.
"This is cheating, don't say she never check on the final bill [sic]."
Cashier had no intention of cheating
Responding to Zhuo’s allegation of being overcharged for the takeaway packaging of his fried rice, Deng told 8world that his point-of-sale (POS) system shows that the cashier charged him $13 and not $14.
He pointed out that Zhuo could not provide evidence to support his claim, yet remained adamant that the cashier had tampered with the system to deliberate swindle him.
Deng also said that Zhuo repeatedly threatened to "take action" against the stall.
Regarding the fried mantous, Deng said the diners did not did not raise any question about the charge after looking at the receipt.
The stall supervisor also told 8world he reviewed the CCTV footage after receiving Zhuo's message. The footage showed Zhuo briefly speaking to his wife after making payment. He then returned to the counter to tell the cashier he did not want the fried buns anymore.
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The cashier then promptly refunded the cost of the mantous to Zhuo.
Deng also claimed that the diner did not bring up the wrong charges and merely told the cashier: "Your mantous are so expensive, six of them cost $19."
After hearing Zhuo's remarks, the cashier realised that there may have been a problem with the POS system which caused her to overcharge them for the fried mantous.
She then clarified the situation with the couple.
Deng added he believes that his staff had no intention of swindling Zhuo, but felt he had to make a police report as the latter was threatening his staff.
AsiaOne has contacted the stall for comment.