Other unethical methods abound
06:05 PM May 27, 2009
Letter from Murali Sharma
I refer to “Price list = Transparency” (May 20),
The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) survey reported that beverage prices have not increased from the time of its previous survey. This is heartening.
However, it appears that some coffee stalls do not display price lists and some are charging more than the prices shown on their lists.
Some unscrupulous stallholders have also resorted to other unethical methods, it seems. A couple of months ago, a friend went to a stall and joined the queue. The person before her ordered a glass of soya bean drink and paid 80 cents. My friend ordered ‘the same thing’. The charge was a dollar. When she confronted the stallholder, the latter answered with a straight face that hers was a larger glass.
When asked why she was not asked what size glass she wanted, the stallholder replied boldly that my friend had not asked for a smaller glass.
The survey seems to have covered only beverages. On the other hand food prices have certainly increased. I wonder if there is a reason for increases in food prices and not that much for beverages,
Recently I went to my usual porridge stall. The price, which used to be $2.50 per bowl, hadgone up to $2.80. This time around the bill was $3.50. How did this come about? In the past I had ordered only porridge without specifying whether I wanted a large or small bowl. I did the same this time but received the large bowl.
Ethical charging is an area which traders have to work on if we really want to become a first world country.
06:05 PM May 27, 2009
Letter from Murali Sharma
I refer to “Price list = Transparency” (May 20),
The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) survey reported that beverage prices have not increased from the time of its previous survey. This is heartening.
However, it appears that some coffee stalls do not display price lists and some are charging more than the prices shown on their lists.
Some unscrupulous stallholders have also resorted to other unethical methods, it seems. A couple of months ago, a friend went to a stall and joined the queue. The person before her ordered a glass of soya bean drink and paid 80 cents. My friend ordered ‘the same thing’. The charge was a dollar. When she confronted the stallholder, the latter answered with a straight face that hers was a larger glass.
When asked why she was not asked what size glass she wanted, the stallholder replied boldly that my friend had not asked for a smaller glass.
The survey seems to have covered only beverages. On the other hand food prices have certainly increased. I wonder if there is a reason for increases in food prices and not that much for beverages,
Recently I went to my usual porridge stall. The price, which used to be $2.50 per bowl, hadgone up to $2.80. This time around the bill was $3.50. How did this come about? In the past I had ordered only porridge without specifying whether I wanted a large or small bowl. I did the same this time but received the large bowl.
Ethical charging is an area which traders have to work on if we really want to become a first world country.
