At certain coffee shops in Malaysia, customers who decline to order drinks while dining in are required to pay a 50sen ‘fee’ to enjoy the amenities provided.
A coffee shop in Penang recently took a step further and shamed one such customer on social media, which backfired spectacularly and ultimately led to its demise.
Shamed customer for not ordering drink
In a now-deleted post, a coffee shop named Seng Thor Coffee Shop blasted an elderly customer on its official Facebook page who refused to order a drink.
As shown in the post, it featured the customer having his meal along with several blue arrows pointing towards his pixelated face.
Accompanying the photo was also an impassioned caption, where the coffee shop criticised the customer for refusing to order a beverage:
If he wants to be famous, we will give him a hand. He knew that there was a sign saying that the coffee shop has a small profit margin, so ordering a drink is the bare minimum. But he refused and said that we can’t make him.
“We will show his friends and family his rotten attitude and make him famous online,” read the caption.
Backlash from netizens
Although Seng Thor Coffee Shop later deleted the post and apologised publicly, it didn’t stop netizens from raining down more criticism, who felt that it was insincere.
“Guess you’re the clown now?”
“If I don’t see the boss bowing down and giving an apology, I won’t buy it.”
“You seem to mind a lot about how others look at you online. Why didn’t you think twice before humiliating the customer?”
Another netizen dug up an old Google review where the shop owner responded rudely to a customer who left a bad review.
Aftermath
Following the online outrage, Seng Thor Coffee Shop announced on its Facebook page that it would be closing down permanently after it conducted a public vote over what it should do next.
According to the post, it would arrange an alternative location for existing hawker stalls and pay compensation to affected individuals.
In addition, it promised to track down the customer shamed online and give him a gift as a sign of sincerity and film an apology video.
The coffee shop also wrote that it would holding a self-service buffet for a limited time from 11am to 5pm a day before it closes for good.
What do you think of the entire incident? Let us know in the comments!
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