“Then the other owner came to us and said to one of us who actually gave a complaint on our behalf, saying “Kanyang dah parut atu..ahh?? Haram tu yang kamu makan ahh.. kuar kamu dari sini!! Haram kamu masuk kadaiku lagi!!”
WHOA! If this is true, then this must be one hell of a restaurant!
The owner had actually dared to say that in the face of their customers?! I’m surprised really. Shocked even! With 40++ other restaurants having Ramadhan Promotions, times are very tough and competitive. I’m just wondering why on earth would a restaurant owner say this.
I think a boycott is in order since. Perhaps not.
- They ignored the initial formal complaint
- Restaurant owner blew everything out of proportion
- Blatant disregard of customers’ rights (why would someone want to pay for something they didn’t even eat?)
- Extremely rude owner
- Extremely rude other owner
- Using the pure name of Islam and Ramadhan in filthy circumstances
- Sexist comments
- The ridiculity of the whole situation
*shakes head* Wow, if this is all true, REVEAL the name of the restaurant so others will not suffer the same fate. If not, and if you are a restaurant owner, THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHAT NOT TO DO.
Update: Please redirect yourself, after reading above blog post, to the recorded interview with Wecan Restaurant owners here. Click!
iammaurina 
One of my girls received a text from the same restaurant for cancelling her booking the last minute, which included, “semoga Allah Ta’ala melindungi dari segala BALA”.
i think that was uncalled for.
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I have an inkling on which restaurant this is..
I parked in front of the place because I needed to bring my maid to a clinic in Gadong. Ahem.
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Heheh Tine. Yea. Lurus. But until I don’t get both sides of the story, nothing official will be published on my site. Hehe.
Twelve. SERIOUSLY? Ehhh evil jua manusianya!
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Macam anal bulih!
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bwoh, jahat jua…bah lets be evil and call to book their place sampai full the place for sungkai..and all cancel last minute..call using a netcard ah…bwahahahahaha….im so evil..MUAHAHAHAHAHA….
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHHA CALI TU EH!!! DO it do it!!!! Then I’ll podcast!!!!! Hahahahahahahahah. Biar ya.
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Mau…
If its the real owner, entah.. cawii tu. inda tah ya tau customer brunei ani macam macam fashion kali ah. yang perlu sabar saja. Jadinya haramtah kadai atu….
hahahaha lain kali kalau buat buffet murah saja. but yea get the fact right from both sides then we will know what caused him to react in such unbelievable manner. I might understand but i certainly wud not lash out like that…
Investigate!!!!
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its wecan i gadong
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Holy Moly! This is so unbelievable it could be true! Mau, time to put on yr Nancy Drew hat and investigate! Heheh! The public needs to know!
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I suggest you guys sue them!!
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Mau…
Thats so rude and provocating. Especially the text messages thingy. I have a history of boycotting shops and restaurants, which give services that are not to my satisfaction. Actually nya… I am easy to be pleased plang.. hehe. Tapi, heran bah… kadang2 some shops don’t even care about customer service.
Do we have an active Consumer Association in Brunei?
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http://muazrashid.blogspot.com/2007/10/wecant.html
Yep, it’s Wecan restaurant in Gadong.
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Where is Wecan, asked the girl who lives under coconut husk.
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its opposite borneo clinic in gadong… the building yang blakang2! i’ve been there once… the food wasnt so great!!!
and i cannot believe the owners macam atu dorang punya response… esp the last bit wen kana halau! atu kurang ajar banar!!!
n yes mau!! GO INVESTIGATE!!!!
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Wow. How rude is that?
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I can set up a recorded interview today with the owner with podcasting. 🙂 But I need someone to hold the camera!!!!!! Plus give moral support hahah. Who wants to come along (if you have digital camera even better!!!)?
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huhu! you go girl! bombard them with all the complaints, not just the recent one.. mention jua the text and the phone call.. mau jua ku tau apa explanation durang..
kalau ku nda banyak assignments, kesana ku nie udah awal ani.. haha..
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The way the Muaz guy is spreading this, he might be ripe for a lawsuit against him for slander. Get the story right first. Its normal restaurant practice that if you booked for 14, then you pay for 14. Its already an agreement. Just like booking an airline seat kan? If you cancel, cancel early. Otherwise, you have to accept the consequences. Also consider this…how would his friends (not him yo) feel if they had turned up that day only to find just 8 seats reserved for them?? And then the owners tell them “sorry. Maaf” etc. Who would be the one swearing then??
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will mancy brew be making an appearance?
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“muaz guy” eh.. like hello I’m here~ I am not the only one talking about this dear “anon”. This is even a heated argument in HYS, and there are emails circulated regarding this story; none of which is my doing.
and slander? how can it be a false allegation when three different customers have expressed similar experiences from the same restaurant?
and agreement? yes, it’s the policy of the business, but did they CLEARLY inform their customers regarding the said policy? no.
And you like turning the story around don’t you. if the case is reversed, I ASSURE you that these customers, who I know prettty well, would NOT start swearing to the owners’ face.
Why are you so pissed that I voiced this matter out? I voiced it out because I am appalled at such behaviour, so far, we have discovered that similar rudeness have repeated not only once, but THRICE. Even when I have decided to NOT reveal the name of the restaurant; some people already know because they have the same experience.
It’s not the matter of boycotting the restaurant, it’s the matter of putting a halt to such hostile behaviour, it can not be tolerated in the service industry.
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“I can set up a recorded interview today with the owner with podcasting. 🙂 But I need someone to hold the camera!!!!!! Plus give moral support hahah. Who wants to come along (if you have digital camera even better!!!)?” << MAW, IL COME ALONG WITH u~~maritah.. hehe
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aku tau di mana arah nya ni.. its a restaurant below some apartments opposite The Mall, Gadong. huhuhuhu we can’t! hahaha
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let’s just say…. mancy brew might be coming to town. something exciting is coming your way. 🙂
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ive heard abt this from my friend before! It happened last year… my friend was there in the restaurant.
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There are two sides to every story. For every negative story, there usually is a positive. Your friends say the owner is rude, the owners might say that your friends refused to pay. And who is to say that your friends were not rude? None of us were there. I would like to hear the owners side of the story. I understand how the owners feel because the actions of the customers are losing him money. Its lucky only 4 people didnt turn up. What if t had been 10 who didnt turn up? Also, who is right and who is wrong..the owners for not telling his customers o fte ruling or the customers for not cancelling their booking earlier?
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whooo~~ defensive~~ ia kali punya restorant!!!
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awu eh..luan melawan..bapanya kali punya.
kalau balum pernah merasai, jangantah kan c taie. HAHAHAHHA.
Kalau it happend arah the owner – sanggup kN ia bayar extra?
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Mau.. hehe we still want to know the restaurant side punya story…
so far this is a one sided story…. come to think about it.. who were the 1st one to set up the fuse…
obviously, someone ignite the fire…. Mau we need your help hehehe.
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When I first read the account, I was horrified at the way the writer was treated, and after reading the comments, I was all for boycotting the restaurant. But reading Anon’s comments, it has made me stop to think some more. As much as we hate to admit it, there is always two (sometimes more) sides to a story.
I now am leaning in favour of the argument that if you book for a specific number of seats then you are obligated to pay for the specified number booked even if less seats are occupied, with the understanding that if the number of people that turn up is more than the number booked, then you pay for the additional seats as well. When booking functions at hotels or banquet halls, this is always the case and is stated in the terms of conditions. Of course, it also states a deadline of at least 48 hours, for you to confirm the number of pax./per head.
In this case, I think the restaurant does have a right to demand for payment of 14 pax (which the customer booked for and ultimately this is deemed an agreement) instead of the 10pax that only turned up. It also sounds like the restaurant have experienced alot of this cases which means business loss…BUT I also think that the way the restaurant owner behaved was appalling and uncalled for. The owner should be able to explain firmly with tact and diplomacy and without offense.
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The story was, the other 4 remaining seats was given to a waiting list customer..waiting list would mean that no initial confirmed booking..if u noe what I meant..I went there last year too..the food wasn’t that nice too..n awal abis..payah lagi kan berefill tu..buffet tia konon…kalau policy durang cematu because durang ikut number of people to cook the food, pasal apa pulang inda cukup if 4 people inda turned up rite? So this policy for me not so ryte. and to anon, u think lots of people disini one-sided? Look at u..ur one-sided too..
N the owner losing money? Y shud the owner be concern about losing money, if they do not care about their customers losing money. N btw from what I know, the owner sendiri cakap yang bulan puasa ani besedekah tah or something..y not the owner yang besedekah, semoga maju bisnes. N btw from the story kan, owner mengharamkan makanan yang dimakan customernya…how on earth? Orang bayar, tapi haram? Haram tah duit yang customer bayar arah bisdurang tu? Tutup jua karang ni restoran ah…
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Ok, I would like to agree with Mel D, and Anon, that there are two sides of the story. As appalling as the customer’s side of the story is, let us all wait for the restaurant side of the story.
I would also like to add that “namakuitamlagam” (lol -sorry I just had to laugh, cali wah nick ah) was right that the remaining four seats were given away to other customers and that somehow questions the validity of the reservation.
Although, I need to correct most of you, the customers involved in the story ended up NOT paying for the buffet as they were thrown out of the restaurant and that their payment was refused by the owner (there are witnesses to this).
Other than this, let us calm down and just wait for the OTHER side of the story.
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Certain restaurants does have that policy. They will however inform the customers when they make the reservation. And on the day itself the restaurant will call again to confirm with the customers for their attendance.
They will then remind the customer again that they would have to pay for any non-show individuals unless the customer call back to inform the restaurant of any non-show.
Quite a hassle as you can but that is the correct way to do it to avoid any dispute. But in this Wecan case, I very much doubt it they will go into that process. From the other experiences by other people in here, it seems that they do not care much for customer satisfaction like no refilling their buffet line.
So yes there is two sides of the story but from the way the story goes, I don’t Wecan is on the good side.
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SIGH.
People, it’s Ramadhan!
Shouldn’t the important thing be, we forgive and move on? Yes, the owners were rude to you, and maybe it should be known to the general mass how awful their service is BUT bottom line is, you now know what a “bad” place it is to dine at, just move on and don’t eat there anymore, lah!
Again I STRESS, it is Ramadhan.
By promoting all this, you’re no better than the owners in the end.
So please, just forgive them for their disrespectfulness, and let them bear their own sins.
And so, let us all calm down, and forgive, and pray that the owners will realise their own mistakes and come to their own conclusions whilst we go about with our lives remembering what this holy month is supposed to be about.
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Hey, it happens all the time okay! Its just that sometimes people (NORMAL PEOPLE) just suck it up, and move on.
You have too much time on your hands don’t you?
This sickens me deeply. Seriously.
UGH SICK SICK SICK SICK. Sick.
Suck it up bitches .. Move on . IT HAPPENS. For the love of god, It is ramadan. Behave yourself k please?
So ashamed to be Bruneian now.
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Hi everyone,
I don’t mean to heaten up the argument here about this problem. But I am not surprise with the bad customer service this restaurant gives. I got a story of my own last year when my sister booked this restaurant for our family gathering. We booked 3 days before the event and they confirmed us that we have the private room for the function. On the day, My sister came to the place to confirm the menu when they told her that our booking had been cancelled due to the owner were having a function on the same day and it includes the private room that we had booked. It was frustrating since we had all planned for the day and they had confirmed it 3 days before. If that’s the case, why should they even consider of opening the restaurant for the public when the customers are not guaranteed for their rights. We stopped going there since.
But that was not the first experience we had. Way before that, We had another function held over there.In their menu, they offered set buffets which includes starters,selected main dishes and desserts. On the same day of our function, there were also another family having a private function and they had their own set buffet too. The funny thing is, we and the other party had a separate buffet area but our desserts were combined in an area and it seems that the desserts were enough for one party only. Not fair coz each of us paid for our own sets of buffet. They didn’t even make any refill.
It’s sad that the place has actually a potential to attract lots of customers. We love the place because of the good ambience and the food. But the lack of service (slow) and customer rights were not a thumbs up, thus we never go there anymore.
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Interesting comments! I’m witholding mine for the moment. Relax people. All will be revealed in time. 🙂
Keep tuning in to Turquoise and Roses!
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Nora Ramli, you’re one to speak reminding us all here its ramadhan when you are also addressing everyone as bitches? That is so uncalled for really when everyone in here is trying to have a constructive discussion.
Now your comment really made me feel ashamed to be a Bruneian.
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I am an expat in Brunei and I think I know which restaurant this is too. Appalling really, we don’t get this kind of ‘service’ in restaurants in Malaysia where I am from. Probably because there competition is higher and restaurateurs cannot afford to treat customers in this way.
Very nice blog you have here.
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To Nora Ramli and everyone else:
Repeat 3 times, though Rasullullah SAW said it twice, three is a charmer:
Allahumma Inni Saa’emah – Ya Allah, sesungguhnya aku sedang ber puasa…
That’s for the ladies.
For the men, I think “Allahumma Inni Saa’em” I think.
Cuba chek cekgu Maurina. Antum lebih fasih Bahasa Arab daripada ana. 😀
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– Anneesa, I know where you are coming from, but it be cool if you don’t be all holy on me. I know my rights as a Muslim – I don’t need a stranger to telling me.
– Speak Up, If would kindly note that ‘Suck it up bitches’ is a term to describe an obsequious behaviour. If you would so check the dictionary over here; http://www.thefreedictionary.com/suck+up 🙂 & if you gonna be all touchy about the word bitches then forget it said it.
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To Speak Up “Nora Ramli, you’re one to speak reminding us all here its ramadhan when you are also addressing everyone as bitches? That is so uncalled for really when everyone in here is trying to have a constructive discussion.
Now your comment really made me feel ashamed to be a Bruneian.”
I SECOND THAT! 🙂
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Speak Up – Good job! I was gonna say the same thing too. This is all just constructive argument/discussion. We all have different point of views and here’s an outlet to express them.
Anneye and Nora Ramli – we are not wrong in expressing our opinions/point of views. I mean what a boring country it would be, if the people of Brunei didn’t have a voice. There would be no changes, no developments, no progress. Your comments only serve to be condescending to an otherwise good and open discussion.
If the objective for all of us is to improve a situation that apparently is not a one-off experience, it shouldn’t be considered a bad or ‘un-muslim-like thing’ is it?
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Nora, I do wish to remain neutral on this and not intervene, but I think Anneesa was not trying to be “all holy” on you but was advising you to be patient (because you are fasting) in light of recent negative comments specifically directed to you. She’s on your side. Apa apa ani bawa bersabar. Come on lah, if org bagi advice baik, you take it regardless of where it is coming from.
Speak Up, Microdia and Mel D was just reacting to what you said. It’s just normal. Relax. Like you said, it’s Ramadhan. We discuss with open minds and hearts and with the goal of being better. So we don’t bash other people yea? Your point of view is as valuable to the argument as is everyone else’s.
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I don’t think I was being condescending, I was merely reminding people that we should remember this holy month. I wasn’t dissuading this “constructive discussion”.
I believe that yes the owners were being disrespectful, and the consumers have the right to know, but at the same time, everyone is running amok and putting down the restaurant.
Everyone is inevitably flawed, that is without a doubt, and we should forgive and forget instead of running up a propaganda against the said establishment.
We learn from our mistakes, and the err caused on the part of the owners is something we should learn from. We should learn that people like that exist, and we should repent and try to not be like them. We should just forgive them and move on. Is that not the point of Ramadhan?
Forgive me if I offend anyone but that is my point.
I feel that the capitalisation of Ramadhan where restaurants have used this holy months as promoting their business has led us astray. Instead of abstaining from our daily pleasures and reflecting on what this month has to offer us, we have become driven to overindulge by scoping out on the best deals and getting riled up over a silly incident.
So again, if you feel that I am being patronising and condescending, I apologise for that is not my intentions. I merely wanted to express my opinion.
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*holy month.
—–
I wish not to argue with any of you because I find it unnecessary. I wish all of you a blessed Ramadhan.
Thank you.
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I didn’t think Anneye was being condescending as well. 🙂 She proved valid points in her first and second comment. *again, don’t want to intervene but I did* I’m neutral here.
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tsk tsk tsk…. Wecan side punya story belum ada lagi?
btw, speaking of being over indulgence like so. Rizqun has like what 100 varieties?? how in the hell a tummy can fit that. 🙂
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Sabarrr. Hehe.
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Anneye – I apologise for saying your comment was condescending. At first reading, I viewed it to be condescending, but after reading it again and accompanied by your 2nd comment, it clarified alot.
Yes, Ramadan is a time for all the good virtues…to abstain, repent, and be patient etc. etc. , but going back to the restaurant issue, it doesn’t matter what month it is, the restaurant owner’s behaviour should not be accepted. Saying all this ‘inda halal’ and ‘kanyang sudah…’ is so not necessary.
Apparently, this is not a lone incident, and many different parties have experienced similar scenes. Should we lie down and except this behaviour and not at least ‘tagur’ the wrongdoing? When will it stop? How many more people should experience such an upset?
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Some people are totally missing the point. I do not think it is about being vindictive. It is about attitude. I personally do not like people using Islam in vain especially when it is related to food and people.
Astagafirullah was my reaction when I read the post from an email I received. Immediately I thought, I must find out what they(owners) have to say about this.
There are 10 witnesses. It is highly unlikely that all 10 will lie. But the possibility is there, ofcourse.
These are young people if I’m not mistaken(judging from the story) and the owners are older adults(?).
It appears that they(owners) were behaving in an irrational and uncivilised manner.
Instinct makes me lean more towards the customers. But professionally have to be objective and without bias.
Whatever it is, there is just no excuse for behaving the way they did. Without customers, restaurants cannot thrive.
All everyone wants to know, I bet, is the “Why?”…which ironically was what led to the outburst.
Now, there are four possible outcomes from an investigation with the owners.
They can:
Admit and explain.
Deny and clarify.
Or find a spot in between.
OR…decline to comment.
Bottomline, the public has a right to know. And it is up to the people to come to their own conclusions.
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**ANNEYE HAS CHOSEN TO WITHDRAW THIS PARTICULAR COMMENT**
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This has been interesting. The customers were determined not to pay for the extra bookings. They reasoned with the waiters and then with the owners. I bet the reply the received initially were quite civil and polite. But it looks as if they were determined not to pay, no matter what. So i guess over time, the owners got annoyed. I dont blame them. Some people just dont want to accept that at the end a decision was made by the restaurant and they therefore have to abide by it. They should have just accepted that they made a mistake and paid and move on. Asking on and on and on will just annoy the owners. If they had carried on and on again, maybe a real fight will ensue.
I along with others here was initially shocked with the owners ourburst. But then again i have faced similar situations, albeit in a different setting. I am not a restaurant owner but if someone were to ask me again and again, even after i have made a decision and replied, i eventually will start to lose my temper. We all do. Remember our little sister or little brother that just gets annoying sometime? We are all human. No means no, and to try to push against that would just invite trouble.
Am i one sided? i sympathised with the customers and in a perfect world, they would have been forgiven and the restaurant would bear the loss. But I guess $40 is a big thing to the restaurant. I quite understand that too because a loss of $40 a day would mean a loss of $1200 a month. And like i said earlier, what if it had been 10 persons who did not show up instead of 4?
What i really wanted to hear was the response of the owners, and also the other nine customers who were there. How long did they “berunding’ with the waiters and the owners? How did the owners replied initially?
This is all silly. Most of us havent even been to the restaurant and would never even go there.
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Tapi generous lah the owner which let them have a free meal. I don’t think it’s about money at all.
Personally, I think the owner could all be quite well off. I guess he was just pissed off. Maybe in a way of saying “We can survive without you lot coming back” and in the hope the customers gets the message.?? yes ?? No ?? hehe
You know, its one of those days…In contrast, the customer walks away eating free meal. Only God can decide if its haram or not. On business aspect, Wecan is getting popular by throwing its customers out and its not even about thier food. We’re giving Wecan the upper hand if u just realised that. Good marketing we’re doing here.
so anyone wants to do any more favour and kindly interview the owner? hehe
MAU..
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Nora, Alhamdulilah that you know your rights as a Muslim =) I am no stranger to you, I know who you are.
Insya-Allah. =)
I did my duties to protect and advice you thus my work is done. Insya-Allah. It is up to you to take it however you want it, but I meant no malice nor ill intentions towards you. Insya-Allah. =)
I ask for your forgiveness if I offend you in anyway.
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Selalu kan mau, kalau u booked and they provide the food for you only, nada urang lain barutah kana charge ikut bookings.
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y do they have to complain this way? this kind of approach always happen… they complain in HYS, the ‘gossip’ spread like wildfire and in the end, the business will suffer.
I think the better approach will be, approach that owner, and discuss with him telling him that the way he treated his customer is downgrading us.. and he should have treated us better. and if that doesn’t help, let the other customers be a judge to that.
I mean when u think of it, in Islam, if mencari rezeki ani secara baik, maka pulangan nya turut baik. Sebab itulah, dalam Islam, ada hukum hakam berniaga… kalau alum bersedia, jangan tah d mula kan…
There’s even another email i received, a con to this, saying that the customer being rude instead. so sapa tah banar?
Another sad email is about this famous soto vendor… kana tangkap video lagi… kabur lagi that video… sad that we tend to believe wat we saw/hear…
My concerns are… cana tah peniaga Melayu ani kan maju, if they only know how to tutup tudung periuk orang lain? Y cant they help each other… where is the beauty of the malay culture? Ringan sama di Jinjing, Berat sama di Pikul…. I am not ashamed to be Bruneian, I am a proud Bruneian… and I hope we can upgrade ourself not only as a cultured Bruneian but also as a respectable Muslim
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Really interesting reading people comment on this particular restaurant. Let me share with you my comment and experience regarding this restaurant.
I have been there once last year for a birthday occassion. I heard few negative stuffs about that restaurant but I just can’t simply judge it without being one of their customer.
Entered the restaurant and our table was properly set up and really looked nice 🙂 BUT the service is really slow! We pre order our food so we expect the food to be serve when everyone is seated. BUT although we made so many complaint about the food and slow service, they never give a negative atittude. Food quality is below average. My mom’s cooking is much better than their cooking. Anyway, I never set my foot there anymore as I know it is not a recommended restaurant.
About getting charged for 14 person although only 10 person having the buffet is a bit too much. I know each restaurant have their policy. But i’m sure the policy of buffet is charged by per head. ALthough you might have book for 14, doesn’t mean you have to pay for 14 person although 10 person turn up. Unlike if you order dishes. Definitely you will have to pay for the dishes no matter how many attend. I think this restaurant is going downhill and that’s the reason why they ‘MADE’ such policy which no one know about. If this is the attitude of the restaurant, i’m sure you will no longer see their restaurant’s signage display in the next few months! If I was the customer and the owner shouted at me, I will give him no mercy at all! But then again, there is two sides of the story.
I have been to few buffet and non of the restaurant will charged you for the no. of people who didn’t turn up.
I hope all the money they make is HALAL.
Good Luck
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To KuatMakan
“About getting charged for 14 person although only 10 person having the buffet is a bit too much. I know each restaurant have their policy. But i’m sure the policy of buffet is charged by per head. Although you might have book for 14, doesn’t mean you have to pay for 14 person although 10 person turn up. Unlike if you order dishes. Definitely you will have to pay for the dishes no matter how many attend. I think this restaurant is going downhill and that’s the reason why they ‘MADE’ such policy which no one know about. If this is the attitude of the restaurant, i’m sure you will no longer see their restaurant’s signage display in the next few months! If I was the customer and the owner shouted at me, I will give him no mercy at all! But then again, there is two sides of the story”
—> Banar tu, lagipun ada jua udah pengganti for the 4 people yang inda turn up atu with 4 people yang waiting list.
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Uh what? I’ve been busy eating at better restaurants that doesn’t have people yelling at me.
Look everyone, Ramadhan or not, there’s no way to deny that this behaviour is unacceptable. Both on the customers and the owner.
Bullimic hit it right on the head that for certain restaurants, they have that policy up front, and would make certain that the number of people attending is correct. This is good on a business aspect, in that it’s not losing customers by not having available seats, and not taking up space that which can be used to serve other guests. It’s their right as a business operations to charge the extra no show under these reasons. Some restaurants tend not to have it due to the fact that they have extra seatings and will accomodate no matter who comes, or doesn’t, for that matter.
But if you do have it as a policy show it up front, remind them, remind the person who made the booking, so there would be no surprise altercations at the cash register. If the restaurant choose not to, or forget to inform, then they should’ve known better, catch it the first time this particular incident happens, acknowledge their mistake, and remember to tell customers in the future. If they decide not to inform, the blame falls upon them, and this will lead of course, to this whole mess.
The second part of this whole thing is that they have given away the seats, which means they have a verbal agreement with the customers that they have taken the 4 seats, which means they have taken away any rights to charge for the four seats. Simple logic really, but an agreement between a waitress and the customers might have been not sufficient in the eyes of the owner. Whatever the case, the four seats have been taken away. If the owner was aware of this and have any sense of preserving the good name of his business would chalk it up to an operating loss, and have no right to charge the 10 initial customers on the basis of the underperformance of his team.
The customers who had been surprised by the extra charges have a right not to pay for the extra seats taken, but knowing that they have a policy in place for no shows, they could’ve taken the more amicable solution by just paying. $40 is not a whole lot. $4 per person is not at all that much. $40 might seem like a bigger number for one person to pay though. But at least $4 would buy you a lesson not to eat at said eatery again, which IMHO, the cheapest lesson you can get. If that’s not to your agreement, then there’s the four no show buddies you can ask the money from, fully explaining the situation that arised.
The peak of absurdity of this is that the owners who made sexist and connotations of religious blasphemy onto customers. Customers who are always right no matter what. Customers who have emotions, and have a means to convey their emotions through word of mouth, through online media, through sign language if need be; which, truth be told, has a higher chance of ruining a business than losing money due to no shows ever will. Someone on this comment thread might make is seem like any publicity is good publicity, yes, that would apply in bizarro world. If they didn’t need customers to come, and supply them with a continuous revenue stream, they should just run a soup kitchen, or bar their doors, while making buffets everyday to nonexistant customers.
Look, no matter what people say about not letting comments running amok on establishments that have stiffed their customers, but there’s a reason sites like Consumerist exist, and the US have Buyers Protection Programs to protect their consumers. It’s because we need to empower consumers to make a better choice when buying items or procuring services, and protect them from people who abuse and pervert their spending power. While having the comments posted in Friendster is not a good way to reach the authority that has a right to investigate the claims of the consumer against the restaurant proprietor, or having endless fuel gushed upon by the anonymous legion of HYS commenters, but thereupon highlights the need to have a proper channel for consumers to raise their concerns.
And please, do not call for boycott on the establishment, before the interview, or even after. That’s just downright bad karma. Let the empowered consumer decide for themselves.
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from the legal point of view, when a place is booked for buffet spread of 14 people , the restaurant has a right to be paid the costs of preparing food for 14. Those 10 people cannot then turn around and say that since only 10 turned up, they are entitled to a discount, having demolished the meal prepared for 14. The situation is diferent with a general buffet..for instance at Seasons or orchid gardens. I may book a table for 10, but only 8 turned up, because then, the buffet spread was on offer for those who chose to take it up or if not, to order from the menu. the wecan situation was a prebooked meal for 14. Still, it doesnt excuse the owner of the restaurant screaming abuse, but at the end of the day, she was entitled to be paid her full costs.
Instead of dreaming of suing te restaurant owners, i am afraid it could be the other way around..the restaurant owners could sue those people for whatever is owed, as well as damages for slander to their reputation via the publicity through this blog. Oh, and they could sue you too maurina..for allowing your blog to be used to publicise the slander.
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In one’s excitement to be the voice of social conscience, i would suggest the blogger exercises caution at all times as well as impartiality. On the current issue, calling for and inciting a boycott of the concerned establishment is not impartial, but downright dangerous, hasty and irresponsible. In fact, it is not a very smart move, at all.
Please be progressive enough not to delete my posts, because your readers need to know the facts.
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Oh. as for the 4 extra customers, please recall that the restaurant is entitled to be paid for preparing a meal for 14 heads. When the original customers allowed the 4 strangers to sit at their table to fill up the empty seats, it did not absolve them of thier liability. Of course, if the 4 strangers had joined in the meal, and paid up, that would be great for the original customers. Here, the extra 4 changed their minds, so bad luck to the original customers, who still remains liable to pay the full price. The inadequacy of the meal for 14 complained of is a different consideration altogether.
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Mel D, although they might have experience this kind of situation and it’s a loss of business. But this is during the ramadahan, don’t you think there’s could have been a better solution rather than. Lagi banyak tani buat baik lagi banyak pahala kitani. Haven’t it ever occur to you that maybe the other 4 could not attend because of important reasons. So we cannot point fingers to the other 10pax. And seriously do you think they actually explain the rules and regulation to ever single customers that booked to sungkai at their restaurant. I mean i’ve sungkai at a few restaurant and because my husband is always called off to work at the very last minute, i tend to explain that to the waitresses and we don’t get extra charges for seat that is not occupied. It depends if the owners atu jenis pemaham and tau jaga hati customers and jaga reputation restaurant nya so they won’t loose customers.
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Readers from this thread, please redirect yourself to actual recorded interview in the next post.
https://maurina.wordpress.com/2007/10/06/candid-dialogues/
Jen, i must assure you that it is a policy of mine to NOT delete comments unless they are personal attacks on other readers. 🙂 Thank you for the advice. Like I said, please view my updated point of view after talking to the wecan owners in above link. 🙂
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“WE CAN” – motto durang “Kami Boleh”
hehe, iakah?
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