Newton rip-off $239 for 8 prawn
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Sin Huat food also very expensive! but not as blatant a rip-off than this one.
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Originally posted by EarlNeo:American tourists Mike Rigby, his wife and four friends were shocked when the bill came after their meal - nearly $500 for prawns, crabs, baby squid, beer, rice and buns.
Singapore, March 17, 2009 - $30 a prawn or eight for $239 - that's how much American tourists Mike Rigby and his wife had to pay at Newton Food Centre last Saturday, reported Shin Min News Daily.
The amount was almost half of the total bill that they had to foot - $491, which also covered four crabs at $169, half a BBQ chicken which costs $19, baby squids ($15), beer, mantou buns and rice.
When Rigbys and four friends went to the food centre, it was already packed but a stall assistant ushered them to table saying he got one for six diners. So Mr Rigby decided to order food from him.
He said: "We only wanted four prawns at first but the stall assistant insisted that eight prawns would be enough of our group of six. Later he even served us two plates of stingray that we didn't order."Mr Rigby was shocked when he got the bill after their meal - nearly $500 for six diners.
"It was because we had rejected the stingray then we decided to check the bill thoroughly just to make sure. But instead we found that they wanted $200 for the prawns and $19 for half a chicken. Obviously, they were trying to overcharge us," he told Shin Min.
The newspaper sought the views of an industry expert who said tiger prawns usually cost $6 to $6.50 for 100g at restaurants.
"An average-sized prawn is about 50g while a large one weighs 100g," he said."I reckon eight large tiger prawns would cost not more than $52," he added.
Said Mr Rigby: "We were frightened when we were surrounded by four guys, so we decided to pay up. We could have spent that amount on a good meal in a five-star hotel."
He told Shin Min that it wasn't his first time to Newton but it was his first trying out the seafood dishes there.
"I wanted to introduce the food to my four friends and did not expect this to happen. I don't think I'll ever come back to this food centre."
Meanwhile, the National Environment Agency said it would be investigating the matter.They are not the only ones kena. I have friend's oversea friends who kena also.
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this stall think they are some kind of 5 star hotel restaurant?
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well they did stat their prices clearly, and King Tigers are a rare and hard to breed type, only 15percent of a harvest can break the 300g mark, plus i gotta admit, they taste song. still, $30 for 1 is expensive lah, just that if you ask around newton, every stall sell that price.
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Originally posted by snk86:
well they did stat their prices clearly, and King Tigers are a rare and hard to breed type, only 15percent of a harvest can break the 300g mark, plus i gotta admit, they taste song. still, $30 for 1 is expensive lah, just that if you ask around newton, every stall sell that price.
Yes.. that is the price....
but wat they got is really the 400g one? btw, itis hard enough to even reach 300g... not to mention getting charge for 300++g per prawn. ($8 per 100g, they r charge ard $30 per prawn, ard 375g each prawn)
Just look at the price of other stuffs.... 1/2 bbq chicken for $19.. outside rate is only $8 for the whole chicken...
Anyway, NEA had given out their verdict liao.
That stall is ban from opening for 3 month and the staff that charge that bill is ban from working in newton circle for 1yr. Other then that, no compensation.
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Originally posted by EarlNeo:
i wonder if u are ask to pay that amount after eating 8 prawns there....
would u just pay up or.....
wat else will u do?
I'd lup their face... I'd pay 200 for 4 knockouts and 8 prawns
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Originally posted by MooKu:
Sin Huat food also very expensive! but not as blatant a rip-off than this one.
Let me break it down for you..
Newton: okay food, uncle all smiley face, insane price
Sin Huat: good good, uncle guai lan, crazy price
See???? It all evens up
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No one can confirm the type/size of tiger prawns they got?
Straits times say its the huge type, few ppl sell, but available, I ever saw at great world cold storage before, they are the size of lobsters, without claws.Newpaper say its the normal type anyone can get at the wet market.
So if its really the giant type they got, it is quite probable to be charged over 200 bucks for it.
For half a chicken, can't really say much, but I ever paid 18 bucks for half a braised duck, and 2 plates of rice before, in a non tourist trap hawker centre.
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Duck's more expensive than chicken leh..
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Originally posted by Detached:
Duck's more expensive than chicken leh..
Supposedly, but no one can confirm the type of chicken they got at newton. I got braised duck, not roasted.
Maybe their chicken was brewed for 18 hours with cordyceps, and abalone essence? -
my mum was telling me, she read on the papers, they soak the prawns in water, then throw to freezer to freeze, so that the prawns are heavier (coz of the water) ...
but in actual fact, they are not so heavy ..
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Originally posted by ditzy:
No one can confirm the type/size of tiger prawns they got?
Straits times say its the huge type, few ppl
sell, but available, I ever saw at great world cold storage before,
they are the size of lobsters, without claws.Newpaper say its the normal type anyone can get at the wet market.
So if its really the giant type they got, it is quite probable to be charged over 200 bucks for it.
For half a chicken, can't really say much, but I ever paid 18 bucks for half a braised duck, and 2 plates of rice before, in a non tourist trap hawker centre.
if i am not wrong. it isnt those roast "chicken rice" chicken,..... itis those bbq SPRING chicken....
how to get charge for over $10... esp when u are only getting 1/2 of it...
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Originally posted by ä¸�如就æ»:
my mum was telling me, she read on the papers, they soak the prawns in water, then throw to freezer to freeze, so that the prawns are heavier (coz of the water) ...
but in actual fact, they are not so heavy ..
like that will destroy the texture of the prawn meat liao.... if u wanna cheap, might as well go for the weighting machine...
+ i dun think they weight the prawn infront of any people...
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Originally posted by EarlNeo:
like that will destroy the texture of the prawn meat liao.... if u wanna cheap, might as well go for the weighting machine...
+ i dun think they weight the prawn infront of any people...
don't know where she read it from la ..
most probably wan bao? tabloid newspaper.. haha..
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Originally posted by ditzy:
Supposedly, but no one can confirm the type of chicken they got at newton. I got braised duck, not roasted.
Maybe their chicken was brewed for 18 hours with cordyceps, and
abalone essence?Stated half a BBQ chicken..
Unless you argue the chicken was brewed for 18 hours with cordeyceps, ginseng, abalone essencee... And BBQ with over a rosewood fire..
Then I give it to you la
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Originally posted by EarlNeo:
if i am not wrong. it isnt those roast "chicken rice" chicken,..... itis those bbq SPRING chicken....
how to get charge for over $10... esp when u are only getting 1/2 of it...
Then maybe its 18 year old oak wood roasted bbq chicken marinated with cordyceps, and abalone esssence.
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Originally posted by ä¸�如就æ»:
don't know where she read it from la ..
most probably wan bao? tabloid newspaper.. haha..
but i did know of cases where factory inject water into the chicken meat.....
to add weight to them when they sell it in the wholesale....
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eee.
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No one can confirm the type/size of tiger prawns they got?
Today Chinese paper Zaobao page 12 got one pic provided by Mr.Micheal Rigby,showing the food pic.The pic shown 2 tiger prawns were put in one paper plate.From there,we should roughly know the size of the prawn.
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I think over there, tiger prawn weighs apprx 200g....and if I am not wrong, the price at newton is ard S$8/100g. Even at 200g each, for 8 tiger prawns, it cost max S$128 (as this price .... easily can have better food esle where thou).
I understand those touters there, some bad one will charge you let's say they served a 'small' size plate and charge you at 'medium' size price.
The problem is these foreigners are not to be blamed. Our Tourism Board if you look at the Singapore Travel Attractions catalogue, it strongly recommended Newton Hawker. If that is the case, then the Govt shd step up the regulation about over charging.
Just let the Govt handle the issue. So if go newton, eat the fishball soup better. The one just beside Stall 68. Good fishball and not not that expensive. Market rate. LOL
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NEA suspends Newton hawker stall’s licence for overcharging tourist
SINGAPORE: Stall No. 43 (Tanglin’s Best BBQ Seafood Stall) at Singapore’s Newton Hawker Centre has had its licence suspended for three months for overcharging. ADVERTISEMENT
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said it had investigated the incident of overcharging of American Michael Rigby who was billed a total of S$491, including S$239 for eight tiger prawns.
NEA said it suspended the licence because the stall has breached licensing conditions.
The stall assistant involved in the incident will also be debarred from working at the Newton Food Centre for a year. -
Originally posted by WhoAm...I:
I think over there, tiger prawn weighs apprx 200g....and if I am not wrong, the price at newton is ard S$8/100g. Even at 200g each, for 8 tiger prawns, it cost max S$128 (as this price .... easily can have better food esle where thou).
I understand those touters there, some bad one will charge you let's say they served a 'small' size plate and charge you at 'medium' size price.
The problem is these foreigners are not to be blamed. Our Tourism Board if you look at the Singapore Travel Attractions catalogue, it strongly recommended Newton Hawker. If that is the case, then the Govt shd step up the regulation about over charging.
Just let the Govt handle the issue. So if go newton, eat the fishball soup better. The one just beside Stall 68. Good fishball and not not that expensive. Market rate. LOL
wanna over charge, oso dun go too far mah.... a hawker meal end up costing $500?
how can have no collateral? if overchage 20% to 50% still can get away with it... overcharge 90-100%? greed kill it all...
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Dunno, if its this size
Or this size
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NEA suspends Newton Food Centre stall
The National Environment Agency has suspended Stall Number 43 - Tanglin Best BBQ Seafood at Newton Food Centre for three months for breaching licensing conditions.
This comes after it overcharged a group of six Americans who patronised it on Saturday.
The stallholder asked them to fork out nearly 500 dollars for items such as eight tiger prawns, crabs and baby squids.
The helper involved in the overcharging incident will also be barred from working as a stall assistant in the food centre for a year.
NEA says, this is the first time a complaint for overcharging was filed against Tanglin Best BBQ Seafood.
--938Live
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I don't trust Newton, just like I don't trust Sim Lim