“Economical bee hoon” for $7.70? — Customer asks coffee shop at Punggol to confirm price, but shop “auntie simply ignores her”

SINGAPORE: A man took to social media to warn others about the “economical bee hoon” (fried noodles) his mother bought, which turned out to be not very economical after all.

Regarding the S$7.70 noodle dish his mum was charged, Poon Man Loong wrote, “Buyers Beware,” in a Wednesday (Sept 25) Facebook post on the Complaint Singapore group page.

Mr Poon’s mother’s bee hoon was composed of fishcake, egg, and vegetables with tofu, he wrote, adding a photo of the noodle dish in a styrofoam container to his post.

And lest commenters think that either his mum or the cashier had mistaken a five-dollar bill for a 10-dollar one, Mr Poon clarified that his mum handed over S$10 and received S$2.30 in change.

And while his mum asked the stall staff to confirm the amount she was being charged for the bee hoon, the staff “simply ignored her,” he claimed.

In a comment, Mr Poon added that he plans to go to the eatery to talk to its management at the soonest time possible. He added pointedly, “The food inside tasted normal and not made of rare ingredients or cooked by a Michelin chef.”

The bee hoon was allegedly purchased at Kopitiam at 108 Punggol Field.

A few years ago, the economical bee hoon cost as little as around S$2.40, depending on where people eat their meals. More recently, the dish has cost around S$3 or even S$3.50.

Commenters on his post agreed that Mr Poon’s mum was charged too much for the noodle dish.

A netizen who said the same thing happened in stalls near his home said they ended up closing down a few months later. “They are chasing customers away,” he wrote.

Another shared that he had a similar experience when he ordered a portion of fried batang fish, steamed egg, cabbage, and rice and was charged S$9.80.

When he asked the woman server about the high price tag, she ignored him and “her attitude changed to rude mode straight away.” A commenter observed that “being rude is the easiest way to stop customers from questioning them. Very common nowadays.”

Another encouraged diners to ask for the prices of food items before ordering so they won’t get shocked when the staff charges them.

The Independent Singapore has contacted Mr Poon, and the Kopitiam, for further updates or comments. /TISG

Read also: ‘Economical bee hoon no more econ(omical)’ — Netizen says as prices shoot up