Expat alleges overcharging by Boat Quay Seafood-restaurant a

saturdaynitespecial · Post by **saturdaynitespecial** » Sat, 18 Jun 2011 1:10 am

Caveat Emptor! He should have known that seafood , especially lobster crabs and fishes are Very Expensive in Sg!!!

http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php? ... -000-lunch

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aster · Post by **aster** » Sat, 18 Jun 2011 1:37 am

I saw a huge argument erupt once between a client and staff at one of BQ's seafood restaurants over the bill. Seems to be normal.

Whenever I order seafood I make sure I know exactly how much it will cost. And whoever doesn't... is obviously just a sheep waiting to be sheared.

And boy are there a lot of happy and eager shearers in Singapore...

Post by **x9200** » Sat, 18 Jun 2011 8:21 am

Is such seafood (crabs, lobsters, etc) so badly overpriced in Singapore? I remember my own surprise many years ago seeing the bill for a few giant tiger prawns in Newton HC.
I guess the problem is that food in Singapore is cheap in general so if you don't know the exceptions you may get into troubles especially that this is not about some fancy places.

saturdaynitespecial · Post by **saturdaynitespecial** » Sat, 18 Jun 2011 5:45 pm

Nobody put a gun on his head and force him to buy the "overpriced seafood.'' The prices of the lobster, crabs, prawns and fishes are advertised openly in their menu and advertisements on public display at the restaurant.

It's a matter of demand and supply. (Economics 101). Even the seafood restaurant and eatery 's competitors do likewise in publicisng the prices on menus and displays, so that nobody can claim that they used unscrupulous means to overcharge the customers.

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x9200 wrote:Is such seafood (crabs, lobsters, etc) so badly overpriced in Singapore? I remember my own surprise many years ago seeing the bill for a few giant tiger prawns in Newton HC.
I guess the problem is that food in Singapore is cheap in general so if you don't know the exceptions you may get into troubles especially that this is not about some fancy places.

Post by **x9200** » Sat, 18 Jun 2011 7:56 pm

Yeah, right. Feel free to make some further assumptions.

saturdaynitespecial · Post by **saturdaynitespecial** » Sat, 18 Jun 2011 8:54 pm

Fools rush in when even angels fear to thread.

However sometime these businesses put up an ambiguous phrase under the seafood commodities. " Market prices"

As a consumer, he/ you should query what are the prices at the time. So he/ you won't die of heart attack when he/ you sees the final bill.

I believe the high prices of that items are due to the scarcity of these items. More demand of the seafood than there is supply.

Sg imports most of its food from abroad. Only about 10% of its seafood are cultivated from local aquaculture.

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saturdaynitespecial · Post by **saturdaynitespecial** » Sat, 18 Jun 2011 9:09 pm

aster wrote:I saw a huge argument erupt once between a client and staff at one of BQ's seafood restaurants over the bill. Seems to be normal.

Whenever I order seafood I make sure I know exactly how much it will cost. And whoever doesn't... is obviously just a sheep waiting to be sheared.

And boy are there a lot of happy and eager shearers in Singapore...

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Hope there are more streetwise pple around or the consumers will be fleeced.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Sat, 18 Jun 2011 9:15 pm

saturdaynitespecial wrote: Hope there are more streetwise pple around or the consumers will be fleeced.

Yeah, you right there. Lord knows, hawker's have absolutely no morals at all here. Even if the prices are marked, if they think they have a rube who thinks the tout was from the stall you table is in front of, that tout is actually from another stall where the prices are different. As a tourist, most aren't advised of these shady tactics practiced at hawker centers like Newton Circus and such.

poodlek · Post by **poodlek** » Sat, 18 Jun 2011 9:16 pm

I wonder if the lobsters fly first class from Maine?

Post by **x9200** » Sun, 19 Jun 2011 7:40 am

@saturdaynitespecial, I will help you but only with this one: I generally think the same (prices should be checked and if they are there, no reasons to complain). The fact I was surprised did not make me angry and still it was not that expensive ($S150) so your wrong assumption: no, I was not complaining. It was still ok as for the local ethical standards at least.
One of these small provocative posts of yours. Unfortunately you did not get the kind of response you expected so you decided to rush in using what was available to spread around your wisdom.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Sun, 19 Jun 2011 12:15 pm

Yup!

aster · Post by **aster** » Sun, 19 Jun 2011 12:46 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Yeah, you right there. Lord knows, hawker's have absolutely no morals at all here. Even if the prices are marked, if they think they have a rube who thinks the tout was from the stall you table is in front of, that tout is actually from another stall where the prices are different. As a tourist, most aren't advised of these shady tactics practiced at hawker centers like Newton Circus and such.

Nice, even I didn't know this one. So you basically sit down in front of a stall, see the prices displayed, and then some guy walks up to you to take your order but he's actually from a different stall... which you find out the hard way when it comes to paying up?

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Sun, 19 Jun 2011 12:57 pm

This one happens in Newton Circus with great regularity. The seating is open seating so the tables don't below to the stalls. Makes for interesting evenings occasionally. Newton is famous for it.

Occasionally the Hawker's get into it with each other as well over this! But most there practice it to some degree or another.

Good habit I ALWAYS practice: Never give your order to the touts. I always look at the table number and then go directly to the stall I want to order from (leaving the rest of the party at the table or taking turns if it's a big party of friends) and then give the table number to the Hawker AT THE STALL. Better safe than sorry. This is a good habit to get into as the one's who usually get into trouble are those who caught happy hours first then go down for a bite to eat in order to prepare for the rest of the evening. People are loosened up and aren't paying that much attention then.

ksl · Post by **ksl** » Sun, 19 Jun 2011 3:34 pm

You live and learn and Sea Food is the worst offender, as some of the dishes are actually that expensive. You can always say you have no money can I wash up

maneo · Post by **maneo** » Sun, 19 Jun 2011 10:00 pm

Crab and lobster at ~$20 per 100g is a bit steep.

However, for the expat to think he can get away with paying only ~$3 per 100g (~$200 total with 4 beers) for King Crab and lobster in a restaurant is also unreasonable.

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Expat alleges overcharging by Boat Quay Seafood-restaurant a

Expat alleges overcharging by Boat Quay Seafood-restaurant a

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