Resorting to physical harm, regardless of circumstance, is not the best course of action, especially for someone who works in the customer service sector.
However, a public transport staff in Malaysia allegedly hit a man for finishing two cups of instant noodles in a 7-Eleven store without paying.
The altercation was filmed and uploaded on social media, where it went viral.
In response, the staff’s company, Prasarana, said they would be conducting an internal investigation.
On Tuesday (29 Mar) night, videos were uploaded on the We Are Malaysians Facebook page showing the altercation between the two men.
In the first video, the staff in a red uniform seems to be grabbing the customer while asking him to pay up for eating cup noodles.
After the staff repeatedly asked for payment, the customer sheepishly replied in Malay that he “didn’t have any money”.
When the staff member heard this, he appeared to smack the customer on the back of his head.
After another round of questioning, the staff hit the customer again before calling the police.
In the other video, the customer was filmed having a conversation with an auxiliary police officer. The latter’s sleeve says ‘Polis Bantuan’.
The officer implores the customer to make payment for the cups of Maggi in his hands.
The customer seemed reluctant to do so and was mumbling in defiance, but the officer was having none of it and simply asked the man to pay up.
It’s not clear whether the customer paid for the noodles in the end.
When the video went viral on social media, Rapid KL issued a statement on their Facebook page.
In the post, Rapid KL confirmed that they are aware of the incident, as well as their employee’s violent behaviour.
They then stated that they do not condone their employee’s actions as it violates their code of conduct. The parent company, Prasarana, will be conducting an internal investigation into the matter.
In addition, they urged those with more information about the incident to come forward.
Although the videos paint the customer in a pitiful light, it would be wise to reserve judgement as there could be more to the story.
In contrast with the violent nature of the public transport staff, the auxiliary police officer should be commended as he was far more restrained in his approach.
Regardless, resorting to physical harm is unbecoming of a service employee, and we hope Rapid KL and Prasarana deal with the staff appropriately.
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Featured image adapted from We Are Malaysians on Facebook.
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