Numerous stories have been circulating the net lately on the issue of unfair pricing of products and customers being forced to pay additional charges. Yesterday (Wednesday, November 20th), the Sessions Court penalised the restaurant owner who sold the RM20 ‘ayam goreng kunyit’ dish that went viral earlier this year in Langkawi.
The incident in question occurred earlier this year (14th January) where a woman took to social media to express her dissatisfaction about the plate of ‘ayam goreng kunyit,’ which cost her RM24. The post went viral on multiple social media platforms and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Costs of Living (KPDN) issued a notice for the stall to detail their preparation cost for the RM24 meal.
Months after the incident, the proprietor of the restaurant, Danau Bingkuong Enterprise, was fined RM10,000 for neglecting to submit the sales records and receipts that the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) requested. Judge Allan Suman Pillai sentenced the fine on the 22-year-old defendant, Asyuni Mastura Basri, after she failed to submit the records of her restaurant’s products.
Following the sentence, Asyuni became the first eatery operator to have been convicted under Section 53A(3) of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011. KPDN Prosecuting Officer Mohamad Hezrin Abd Wahab prosecuted the case while the owner wasn’t represented. Outside the courtroom, Hezrin commented that the sentence against the accused was the first of its kind in the country.
Unfortunately, there are many more eatery owners who still continue to impose ridiculous pricings on their customers. We hope this case would serve as a reminder for those to set appropriate pricing for their products. What do you think of this issue?
Sources: Oriental Daily, New Strait Times
Tiana contributed to this article.
