A man in Singapore was left feeling upset after a staff member at a chap fan stall allegedly making an insulting remark at him.
However, the staff claimed innocence, saying that it was his Chinese accent that led to the misunderstanding.
What man claimed
Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao, the customer named Zhao (transliteration), said he went to Tong Luck Mixed Rice stall at Funan’s food court on May 14.
While there, Zhao asked whether an additional charge would be applied for takeaway packaging if he only wanted to buy dishes minus the rice.
After queuing up, he was asked to scan a QR code when it was his turn to pay. However, the staff had difficulty understanding his request in English so Zhao switched to Mandarin.
It was then when Zhao alleged the staff had responded: “You still want to scan? You’re really stupid.”
Angered by the remark, Zhao demanded an apology from the staff but the latter reportedly ignored him.
Another staff, believed to be in a supervisory role, quickly intervened and apologised, saying the remark was made due to inexperience.
However, this failed to abate Zhao’s anger, who felt that the staff didn’t give him basic courtesy as a customer.
Staff’s side of story
As for the staff named Sui, he denied making rude remarks at Zhao and laid the blame on his Chinese accent, which may have caused the miscommunication.
He added that is originally from Northeast China and had been working at the stall for two to three months.
Sui said he was processing another customer’s payment at the time of the incident and added he had already told Zhao an extra S$0.30 (approx. RM0.93) would be charged for takeaway orders.
When it came Zhao’s turn to pay, Sui said Zhao tried explaining the payment method in English three times before changing to Mandarin.
However, Sui claimed Zhao used a term that was different from what was commonly used back in China, adding on to the confusion.
“I was finally able to comprehend what Zhao was saying and showed him the QR code. I didn’t call him ‘stupid’ but muttered ‘you’re really something’ out of frustration.
“Although it wasn’t meant as an insult, Zhao was quite upset and never gave me a chance to explain,” said Sui, adding that he had already tendered his resignation before the incident and was due to leave next month.
Company responds
The company behind Tong Luck Mixed Rice later released a statement saying an internal probe had been launched, with initial findings suggesting the staff may have made inappropriate remarks.
A spokesperson expressed regret over the incident and said they will contact Zhou to formally apologise to him.
It also added that although the staff was undergoing training at the time, it was no excuse for his behaviour.
The company said either disciplinary action will be taken or counselling and retraining be arranged based on the investigation’s outcome, as well as fortifying staff training to ensure frontline employees exhibit professionalism and respect.
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