A guest demanding a refund after eating all the food they ordered. Captured from online community
A story of a small business owner feeling upset due to a customer who demanded a refund after eating all the food they ordered has garnered attention.
On the 14th, a post titled “Parents’ store – upset about refunds” was shared on the small business owner’s café, ‘I’m the boss because I’m sick’.
The writer of the post, Mr. A, stated that his parents have been running a restaurant selling braised cutlassfish, seafood stew, and stir-fried webfoot octopus for over 20 years.
He mentioned, “A couple in their 60s came and had braised cutlassfish, two bottles of makgeolli, and stir-fried rice without leaving a single grain, paid 63,000 won, and left.”
He continued, “After leaving, they came back in and went all the way to the kitchen, saying ‘Did the owner change?’ ‘The taste is different from before.’ ‘I’m a regular here.’ ‘The bean sprouts texture is off,’ demanding a refund for the meal.”
He further explained, “When asked if they had finished the meal, the couple claimed they were starving from not eating since the day before and pleaded.”
“They were at the restaurant for quite some time, and I had only part-time workers and staff in the restaurant, so I called the customer and told them to pay for the makgeolli and leave, and I would cancel the rest of the meal payment the next day,” he said.
After ending the call, upon checking the CCTV footage, it was evident that they had consumed almost all the food. Mr. A uploaded a photo of the empty dishes, stating, “They were almost done eating, so it’s hard to consider refunding.”
He expressed his dilemma, saying, “I want to refund but how should I deal with this?” and pondered, “Would laws regarding obstructing business or eating and running be applicable?” He added, “My parents have worked hard in the business, and this is the first time such a situation has occurred, so it hurts.”
Netizens who saw this shared reactions such as, “If they finished all the food, a refund is not allowed, and if they continue to demand, report them for obstructing business,” “Call the police next time,” “This smells like a repeat offender,” “They even had stir-fried rice and now asking for a refund,” “If you finish everything, why are you asking for a refund?”