A Customer Who Demanded a Refund Saying "It's Not the Same Taste as Before"... "When Did You Ever Finish Your Food Without Leaving Any?"

Self-Employed Community Shares Bizarre Customer Story
Finished Eating Then Requested Refund... "Has the Owner Changed?" Unreasonable Demand

A story of a self-employed person feeling upset because a customer demanded a refund after eating all the ordered food has come to light. According to the self-employed community ‘Apeunikka Sajangida’ on the 17th, a post titled “Upset about refund at my parents’ restaurant” was uploaded on the 14th. The author, Mr. A, said that his parents have been running a restaurant selling Agujjim (braised anglerfish), Haemuljjim (braised seafood), Nakjibokkeum (stir-fried octopus), and more for over 20 years.

[Image source: Screenshot from the self-employed community 'Apeunikka Sajangida']

Mr. A said, “A couple in their 60s came and ate a small portion of Agujjim, two bottles of Makgeolli, and fried rice without leaving anything, then paid 63,000 won.” He added, “But after leaving, they came back inside, went up to the kitchen, and started nitpicking, saying ‘Has the owner changed?’ ‘The taste isn’t the same as before,’ ‘I’m a regular customer here,’ and ‘The texture of the bean sprouts is strange,’ demanding a refund for the food.”

In response, Mr. A’s side asked, “Didn’t you finish your meal?” The customers insisted, “We were hungry because we hadn’t eaten since the day before,” making unreasonable claims. Mr. A said, “It was a busy time with many customers, and only part-time workers and staff were in the hall, so I called the customer and told them to pay for the Makgeolli and that I would cancel the approval for the rest of the meal cost the next day, then let them leave.”

After the call, Mr. A checked the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and found that the customers had eaten almost all the food. He wrote, “They had little conscience to ask for a refund,” and “It looked like they had eaten almost everything, so it’s hard to say they were forced to eat.” The photos Mr. A posted show nearly empty dishes on the customers’ table.

He asked for others’ opinions, saying, “I don’t want to deal with this, so I’m willing to give a refund, but what should I do? Would this count as business obstruction or dine-and-dash?” and “My parents work hard running the business, and this is the first time something like this has happened, so it hurts my heart.”

Netizens who read the story responded with comments such as, “Strongly tell them that food already eaten cannot be refunded, and if they persist, report it as business obstruction,” “Call the police next time,” “They smell like repeat offenders,” and “They even ate the fried rice and then asked for a refund.”