Stories of Damage Continue to Emerge in Community of Self-Employed Entrepreneurs
There have been consecutive cases of deliberately putting foreign substances into food and then demanding a refund. The photo is unrelated to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Pixabay]
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] A story has emerged about a business owner who suffered damages due to customers who plucked hairs and put them into food, then demanded a full refund claiming "there was hair in the food." As cases of deliberately inserting foreign substances into food to demand refunds continue, self-employed business owners are facing increasing harm.
According to Yonhap News on the 26th, Mr. A, who runs a snack bar in Seo-gu, Incheon, experienced a ridiculous incident on the 21st where he was deceived by a customer's lie and refunded the full price of the food. Two customers estimated to be in their 60s to 70s ordered jjolmyeon and udon and complained that hair was found in the food. The kitchen staff, taken aback, refunded them 12,000 won. The staff member was wearing both a hygiene cap and mask at the time.
After hearing about the situation, Mr. A reviewed the store’s internal CCTV footage and discovered that the customers had deliberately put hair into the food. The CCTV footage clearly showed one of the customers plucking hair twice from another companion and putting it into the food bowl, then taking it to the kitchen to complain.
Mr. A told Yonhap News, "Even after seeing the footage of the customer deliberately plucking hair and putting it into the food, I couldn't believe it," adding, "I feel troubled experiencing this during already difficult times." He continued, "I am considering whether to request a police investigation," and added, "I hope other self-employed business owners do not suffer such damages."
Self-employed individuals share stories of damage caused by malicious customers and coping methods through online communities. The photo is unrelated to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Pixabay]
Cases of self-employed business owners suffering damages due to malicious customers deliberately inserting foreign substances such as hair into food to demand refunds are increasing. Self-employed individuals are sharing their experiences of harm caused by malicious customers and ways to deal with them through online communities.
In February, according to the online community 'Apeunikka Sajangida' (Because It Hurts, I'm a Boss), a case occurred where a refund was demanded using a receipt paid in cash by another customer. Mr. B, who runs a restaurant in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, said a woman in her late 30s came to the store and requested a receipt. The customer did not know the exact date and time when the food was taken out, so after checking the sales, she found about 30,000 won in cash sales and asked for the receipt to be printed.
Later, the customer claimed, "Something very unpleasant happened. My family took this food out and ate it, but there was hair in it, so I felt very upset and uneasy and threw it all away." Mr. B, who had been in business for only a month, was flustered by the first experience and immediately apologized and refunded the money.
Feeling uneasy, Mr. B checked the CCTV footage and found that the payment at that time was made by his acquaintance, not the customer. Mr. B said, "It seems like they are going around exploiting the feelings of owners who are afraid of malicious reviews," and added, "It's not about getting a few won, but their behavior is very despicable."
In September last year, a story was posted on 'Apeunikka Sajangida' about a customer who claimed there was hair in their jjambbong and was refunded, but upon checking the CCTV footage, the customer was caught putting hair into the food.
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