SINGAPORE: After a woman named Ms Rong bit into a cake she had bought at a Waterway Point food court managed by Koufu, she told the manager on duty about it at once and was told that she could go to the doctor and be compensated for her visit.
Ms Rong, 36, did so and was able to get back the S$105 she spent at the clinic. Shortly afterwards, she suffered from a headache, body pains, and a stiff neck, so she went back to the doctor, a Mar 23 (Sunday) report in Shin Min Daily News says. For this, she again received compensation from the management of the food court.
Ms Rong returned to the doctor because of problems with her neck one more time after having sought compensation twice. This time, however, she has not heard back from Koufu.
She had found the rusty nail in a walnut cake Ms Rong’s husband had bought for her at a drinks stall while they were at the food court at around 3:00 p.m. on Mar 14.
Feeling a hard object inside her mouth, she spat it out and found a rusty nail. When she told the manager about it, he offered her a refund and a free dessert and added that if she sought medical attention, she could ask for reimbursement.
She returned to the manager later on with a receipt for S$105 for the tetanus shot she had been administered at the clinic and was promptly paid.
When she experienced more pain in her body and head afterwards, however, she sought medical attention again two days after the incident, on Mar 16. This time, the doctor billed her S$112, which she took to the manager again. The report said the woman was given a prescription for medicine for headaches, colds, and allergies.
Again, the manager paid the woman’s bill. This time, however, he told her that he could no longer accept additional claims and that Ms Rong should email Koufu if necessary.
A report in Mustsharenews says that Koufu reached out to Ms Rong via email with an offer for a S$100 voucher as well as an apology. Ms Rong has since collected the voucher from the food court in Waterway Point.
This does not mean, however, that Ms Rong’s troubles are over. On Mar 18, while buying groceries. She sprained her neck. Because her previous neck problem had happened after she bit into the cake with the nail, she believes her latest neck ailment also comes from that incident.
She then visited a Chinese doctor and had acupuncture and a massage. Ms Rong was also given medication. She was then billed S$126. She has emailed Koufu to ask for compensation again, but there has been no reply from the company yet.
Ms Rong was not able to walk for a week after the incident and believes that the ill effects on her body are because of it.
Her story has generated a lot of interest online, although a number of netizens feel that she is “going overboard in her claims.”
Others praised Koufu and the manager of the food court for how they have handled the situation. They say that the company has done more than enough and that no further payments should be made.
Some, however, said that the owners of the stall where the cake was purchased should also take responsibility.
The Independent Singapore has contacted Koufu for further comments and/or updates. /TISG
UPDATE: March, 25, 2025
A spokesperson from Koufu clarified the matter with the below statement:
“Following the incident at Waterway Point outlet on 14 March 2025, we had notified our factory to conduct an immediate investigation on the source of the foreign object, but they have not found anything in the factory that resembles the foreign object. However, as a service recovery, the management has compensated 2 medical bills and extended $100 Koufu voucher as agreed with the customer. The customer has collected the $100 Koufu vouchers from the outlet on 20 March 2025.
We have also received the customer’s 3rd medical bill from TCM, and the doctor’s memo indicated that the customer had ‘neck pain while carrying heavy load at home’. We have replied to the customer that the TCM memo did not specify that the sprain is related to the incident at Waterway Point outlet on 14 March 2025. We have also conveyed to the customer that if there are other compensation requests related to this incident, we will seek our insurance agency to review on the claims.”
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