Imagine ordering a regular bottle of water at a restaurant (no, not a fancy brand like Evian or Acqua Panna and being charged RM10 for it. A customer received an unpleasant surprise when they paid for the bill at the end of a meal in Lukut, Port Dickson.

The woman shared about the incident on social media, as reported by Sinar Harian, writing, "Assalamualaikum, I want to ask, a bottle of mineral water priced at RM12, I got shocked. I told the owner that it was less than RM10 at convenience stores. He said, “It’s okay, I will charge you RM10 for it. He didn’t know what price his staff bought it for. His staff said that it was a good quality brand. I always drink mineral water, this won’t be priced at 12 a bottle, cik oi,” they wrote.

In the comments section, the woman said that she only knew about the price of the mineral water when she wanted to settle the bill. Her post received numerous reactions from netizens, who were astonished and asked that the matter be reported to the authorities.

Image Credit: Sinar Harian

As reported by The Star, the Negeri Sembilan Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry imposed an RM200 fine on the restaurant owner after the viral incident. The state director, Muhammad Zahir Mazlan, said the fine was immediately issued under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act (AKHAP) 2011.

However, we think the restaurant owner was only imposed a small fine, so he can continue doing this in the long run and still earn money off of this ‘daylight robbery.’ Hmm.

"The ministry received public information regarding a 1.25-litre bottle of mineral water being sold at RM10. Following the complaint, a team of enforcement officers from the Port Dickson domestic trade branch inspected the premises at 11am on Wednesday (Oct 23)."

According to him, the operation found that the establishment had failed to display a price tag on the mineral water offered for sale. He added that this violation contravened the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Marking for Goods and Services Charges) Order 2020.

Image Credit: 123RF

Muhammad Zahir added, "Traders are advised to display price tags on every item sold to avoid confusion and to help consumers make wise purchasing decisions.”

He said, “In general, a bottle of mineral water 500ml in size is priced at RM1 to RM1.50 according to the standard market rate.” He said the price of RM10 for a small bottle of mineral water wasn’t just unreasonable. It didn’t make sense. According to Lotus’ website, even a 500ml bottle of Evian only costs RM5.65.

Know your rights as consumers! Even if it’s just RM10, don’t give in to traders who want to rip you off!

Featured Image Credit: 123RF, Sinar Harian