A woman took to the COMPLAINT Singapore Facebook page recently to warn the public, especially the elderly, about a negative experience her mother had when a hawker stall server did not give her change she said was due her.
While Ms Diana Soh’s mother said she paid $10 for the economy rice she ordered from Teochew Curry Mixed Veg Rice at Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre on Aug 25, the attendant said she had only paid $5.
Therefore, as this was the cost of the dish, no change was needed.
“When my mom tried to ask for the change, they refused to return her any and started arguing with my mom, yelling at my mom asking her to swear that she gave them a ten dollar note and if she didn’t my mom will be hit by a car and die! If my mom swear then they will return my mom the change,” wrote Ms Soh, whose post has received many comments and shares.
The server, she added, insisted that the older women had only paid $5.
“My mother is not color blind, and she can definitely differentiate a red ten dollar note from a green five dollar note!
This hawker stall is very rude and dishonest and bully the elderly thinking they’re helpless and won’t be able to do anything about it,” she added.
She also wrote that her mother was very angry over the incident and wanted to warn others. Furthermore, she asked, “How do we actually lodge a formal complaint against dishonest hawkers in Singapore???”
The server, a Ms Zhang, told Shin Min Daily News on Sept 2 that the woman had only paid $5 even though she insisted she paid $10.
Ms Zhang admitted that she raised her voice at Ms Soh’s mum after they had argued about the payment for several minutes, but that she had not meant to curse the older woman.
The server said she told her “If I had taken $10 from you, I’ll be ploughed to death by a car” adding that she may have spoken too quickly as she was already upset and anxious at that point.
The stall owner, Mr Cai, also said that the server had not meant to get angry at the older woman.
He also defended the server, telling Shin Min Daily News, “My employee did not make a mistake since the money that she had received from the elderly woman was always in her hand.”
TISG reached out to Ms Soh, who told us that her mother said the customer in front of her mother had paid $50, asking if the server had change.
Her mom added that the server said yes, and gave the customer $45 in change, which included the ten-dollar bill that Ms Soh’s mother had already paid her.
But when her mum asked for her own change of $5, the server did not give it.
“And they started arguing, the woman insisted mom gave her $5 and my mom insisted gave $10. The woman yelled at my mom and asked my mom why doesn’t my mom swear since my mom insisted (that she) gave 10 bucks.
How can she ask people to curse themselves?” She told TISG, adding that she felt the woman had bullied her elderly mom, “thinking she’s helpless can’t do anything.”
/TISG
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