Public holidays often mean crowds and long waits at eateries. However, on Christmas day, a Senja Hawker Centre customer claimed he waited for a whopping two hours, and their food still had not been served.
Source: Facebook
According to his Facebook post, he approached the Bukit Panjang hawker stall seeking a refund but was shocked when one of the staff reacted fiercely, like a “gangster”.
He alleged that the man also uttered profanities in a threatening manner.
The hawker stall, Jiao Cai Seafood, refuted these claims and lodged a police report.
In the Facebook post shared on Monday (26 Dec), the customer said he and his family patronised Jiao Cai Seafood on Christmas night.
They ordered three dishes and were told the wait would be about 30 minutes.
Source: Facebook
But when the food was still not ready at 8pm, the cashier told them another 30 minutes was needed.
The man said they were understanding towards this as it was a crowded night.
However, they approached the stall again when nothing had been served at 8.50pm. He asked for a refund on their order if it had not been cooked.
To his surprise, one of the staff pointed at him and used Hokkien vulgarities, fiercely telling him to “talk to him (me) properly”.
The man claimed he had a “gangster style” and started threatening people.
Following that, the man insisted on getting a refund. The staff reluctantly obliged but was allegedly murmuring vulgarities while doing so.
In his post, the man attached a picture of the stall with the staff in question, which appears to be Jiao Cai Seafood’s owner Chew Chee Kiat.
In the comments section, Jiao Cai Seafood apologised for the long wait the man endured.
Source: Google Maps
But they denied the man’s claims. According to their version of events, an order was placed at 7.19pm. The man and his wife came to check on the order at 8.10pm.
When the man was told the orders were not ready, it led to a commotion outside the stall.
The stall owner intervened in the hope of solving things amicably, and he said, “Let’s talk properly”.
But the man was allegedly “seething with anger” and demanded a refund with a raised voice and clenched fist.
They noted that the man received a refund at 8.15pm, denying that he had waited till 8.50pm or waited two hours as he stated.
Denying that vulgarities were used or fingers were pointed at the customer, Jiao Cai Seafood asked that the man refrains from “twisting the facts of the incident”.
They said the man’s allegations had caused irreparable damage to the stall’s reputation and integrity.
On Google Reviews, stalls under Jiao Cai Seafood have recently received a slew of one-star reviews alleging bad service.
Jiao Cai Seafood has since lodged a police report and informed its legal team of the matter.
Source: Facebook
They will be leaving the matter to the authorities.
The man later responded to Jiao Cai Seafood’s comments with updates on his Facebook post.
In summary, he said the stall was exaggerating his anger. He stressed that he did not raise his voice and had left his wife to handle the communication most of the time.
He hoped CCTV footage would be released, and the “truth will speak for itself”.
Separately, Jiao Cai Seafood also addressed the matter on their Facebook page, acknowledging there had been a long waiting time on Christmas day.
Nonetheless, they issued the man a refund immediately upon request, although their food was ready by then.
The stall had checked with their staff on the ground, who confirmed that there were no instances where vulgarities were directed, or fingers were pointed towards the customer.
They sought the understanding of customers, particularly during festive seasons and public holidays when the waiting time can be longer than usual.
The post was signed off by the stall owner Chew Chee Kiat.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook and Google Maps.
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