S’pore Thai Restaurant Held 50% Promo For 2 Years, Despite Claiming It Was Limited

Thai Restaurant Investigated By S’pore Authorities For Misleading Prices

Flashy discounts on colourful ads are so common on our social media feeds that we’re almost immune to them.

But how can we resist 50% off our favourite Thai mookata restaurant, especially if it’s for a ‘limited time only’?

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A local restaurant, Charcoal Thai 1 found themselves in hot soup over an attractive 50% off promotion on their set lunches and steamboat deals, reports Channel NewsAsia.

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) called out the behaviour of the brand on Friday (16 Aug), for not stating an “end date” to the discount period on all promotional material.

‘Limited’ promo ended up lasting for 2 years

Despite advertising the discount as only available for a “limited period only”, the promo ended up lasting for 2 years although it began as early as Feb 2016.

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Fans of the restaurant were thus led to believe that there was a time sensitivity to the deal, giving the F&B company an “unfair advantage” to its competitors.

Currently, the restaurant has decided to comply with CCCS’ ruling and will stop promoting their offer. They will still be monitored by the watchdog in the time to come, but the investigation has been closed for now.

CCCS will continue to keep other businesses in check for engaging in “similar unfair practices” to “mislead consumers”.

Constant sales can’t be real, can they?

As most of us come from the consumer’s perspective, it’s good to know your rights when it comes to enjoying exclusive promotions from brands.

We were surprised to find out that it’s not okay to offer a discount for an overly extended period of time.

Now, will someone help us decipher this longstanding mystery?

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When exactly will everything go? Winner gets a set of 3 for $1 Hello Panda snacks.

Featured image adapted from MyFave.