BUSINESSES SHOULD CLEARLY COMMUNICATE PRICES: CASE

In response to queries from CNA, CASE president Melvin Yong said that the consumer watchdog has received five complaints against seafood restaurants so far this year.

It also received the same number of complaints last year, up from one complaint in 2021 and three in 2020.

In general, customers had gripes about the prices they were charged for seafood dishes, while some complained they were not told of the prices when they placed their orders.

Some consumers also said they were charged separately for Goods and Services Tax (GST) and service charge, despite the menus stating that these were already included in the prices.

Mr Yong noted: “In general, CASE is of the view that the onus is on businesses to clearly communicate prices and any GST and/or service charge to consumers and obtain their consent before proceeding.

“As a matter of good business practice and transparency, restaurants may wish to provide a tentative bill in writing for consumers to confirm their orders to avoid unnecessary disputes which may subsequently arise.”

CASE has also developed a set of best practices to guide businesses on how to display prices and communicate price changes to consumers.

Mr Yong said that consumers, on their end, should check the market prices of seasonal items before going ahead with their orders.

In particular, they should confirm the unit of measurement for prices quoted, the weight of the seafood items and the total amount payable, he added.

WHAT BIGGER CHAINS SAY

CNA contacted several larger seafood restaurant chains for comment.

A spokesperson from TungLok Group, a popular Chinese restaurant chain that operates several seafood restaurants across Singapore, said its restaurant staff are trained to let diners know the price per 100g and the price of the entire dish after it is weighed. This applies to all dishes that are charged by weight.

“This is to ensure that diners are fully aware of how much they are paying to avoid any conflict when they pay the bill at the end of the meal,” she added.

Two of TungLok Seafood’s outlets are located at Gardens by the Bay and Orchard Central shopping mall – areas that are frequented by tourists.

An Alaskan king crab, cooked chilli crab-style, was listed at a “market price” on its menu at these outlets. It was similarly listed at a “seasonal price” on the menu of Seafood Paradise.

The TungLok spokesperson said that at its other restaurants that get more tourists, such as TungLok Heen at Resorts World Sentosa, the price of a dish as a whole is clearly stated on the mobile ordering system.

Jumbo and Long Beach, which also have restaurants along the Singapore River, did not respond to CNA’s queries.