SINGAPORE: Seafood Paradise, a renowned eatery at Clarke Quay, has vehemently denied allegations made by Japanese tourist Junko Shinba, who claimed she and her family were duped into paying more than S$900 for a crab dish during their visit to Singapore in August. The dispute led to a police complaint and has also been reported to both the Singapore Tourism Board and the Consumers Association of Singapore.
The tourist, Junko Shinba, claimed that a waiter highly recommended the Alaskan King Crab for $30 without explaining that it was priced per 100 grams. The bill eventually reached a staggering $1,322.37, with the chili crab dish alone costing approximately $938, a figure that left the group stunned.
Shinba asserted that they were not informed of the total weight of the crab before preparation, a detail she considered essential for an informed choice. She further claimed that they received an entire crab, which was unexpected as some restaurants serve crabs partially.
Shinba’s dissatisfaction with the bill prompted her to call the police to mediate. During this intervention, the restaurant staff presented a receipt from another customer who had ordered a similar dish to demonstrate that they had not overcharged Shinba’s group. Eventually, the restaurant manager offered a $107.40 discount on the meal, which was settled by one of Shinba’s friends using his credit card.
Following the incident, Shinba reported the matter to the Singapore Tourism Board, who forwarded it to the Consumers Association of Singapore for investigation.
Paradise Group, the parent company of Seafood Paradise, has refuted Shinba’s allegations.
In a statement published on Facebook yesterday (20 Sept), the chain asserted that their staff had communicated the price of the Alaskan King Crab twice to the customers, pointing to the menu where it was clearly indicated as $26.80 per 100 grams. They also claimed to have informed the customers that the total weight of the crab was 3.5 kilograms and even brought the live crab to the table before preparation.
The statement clarified that the group initially requested two cooking methods for the crab, and the restaurant accommodated three different methods without additional charges. Paradise Group highlighted that the customers praised the food quality during the meal.
To resolve the billing dispute, the restaurant manager offered a goodwill discount, equivalent to 400 grams of live Alaskan King Crab, when it became apparent that one of the customers couldn’t pay the full amount.
Seafood Paradise emphasized their commitment to transparent pricing, customer service, and food quality. They also released CCTV footage images to substantiate their version of events and protect their reputation.
The group said: “At Seafood Paradise and all other Paradise Group of restaurants, we consistently uphold a commitment to transparent pricing with a focus on customer service and food quality. Our staff will do their best to communicate clearly to the customers and welcome any queries.
“As much as we value all our customers, we also find it important to uphold Paradise Group’s reputation and protect all our employees. Hence, we are left with no choice but to showcase photos extracted from our CCTV footages to substantiate our statement.”