SINGAPORE: A customer took to social media on Friday (Sept 13) to vent about a stall that wanted to charge extra for another packet of chilli sauce, even though he had already spent $14.50 on two packets of chicken rice.
“If you want to be stingy with chilli, don’t do business,” he wrote in the Facebook group ‘Complaint Singapore’.
“One more packet also cannot. The stall assistant said one packet of chicken rice can only take one packet of chilli. If you want more, you must pay at least $1.50 for a tiny bit of extra chilli.”
The customer was also disappointed by the stall assistant’s attitude. Despite his efforts to be courteous—addressing the assistant as “大哥” (big brother) and frequently using “please” and “thank you”—he felt that the assistant responded with rudeness.
“Went home, Google, then realised their rating only 1.9 stars,” he added.
In the comments section, many netizens shared their own experiences with being charged for basic condiments or encountering poor customer service at other stalls.
One netizen shared, “These days, hawker food prices are up, and their bad attitude is also up. I had a few bad encounters, too. Recent one at Golden Mile Hawker. I ordered a 5dlrs plate to share with a friend and took two chopsticks.
That old lady immediately snatched one chopstick back and said one plate, one chopstick.”
Another said, “These are the idiots we have doing business. They should know people like lots of chilli with their chicken rice. Happened to me before.”
A third expressed, “Some people are not fit to be a hawker. They are just trying their luck only.”
Despite the negative feedback, a few netizens defended the stall, arguing that businesses can set their own policies, including charges for extras and add-ons.
One Redditor argued, “Aiya chilli sauce only. You must understand the reason why they are not giving free. Y’all keep thinking it’s entitled to have, but did y’all even think they can sell you a la carte? Why keep complaining? People always end up not eating and also throw as waste.”
Another added, “Not his fault. The landlord keeps increasing the rent. You pay $14.50 for chicken rice. $7 goes to the landlord.”
Read also: Diner upset because hawkers always let their regular customers cut in line