Isn’t it time we had service charges based on the ‘service’ we get?

Graig Nunis
·3-min read
Isn’t it time we had service charges based on the ‘service’ we get?
"Isn’t it time we had service charges based on the ‘service’ we get?"

You walk into a fast food joint and peruse the menu on the big screen tablets/machines at the front of the store.

After deciding what to eat, you enter your order and make payment electronically. You then collect the receipt, wait patiently for your number to be called, and collect the food.

Or, you walk into another restaurant, scan the QR code to get the menu, make your selection, and pay electronically. The only difference is that someone delivers the food to your table.

Or how about if you go for a Korean BBQ meal or steamboat, where you once again order electronically, but you cook your own meals?

Yet, when you check the bill, the service charge is the same in all three restaurants.

Isn’t it time we had service charges based on the “service” we get?

That was the topic of conversation I had over lunch on May 8 with friends after we ordered via QR code. We also wondered why we had to key in our mobile telephone numbers to access the menu.

One friend said that at another restaurant, there were tablets on each table for customers to select the food.

“I didn’t need to key in my phone number,” he said.

One friend now refuses to eat in restaurants where he has to order via QR code. He has walked out of many eateries if they don’t have someone taking orders.

He has two reasons for doing this: “The font size is usually so small that I can hardly read it, most of the time.

“After several ‘mistakes’, I decided I was not going to do it anymore, as there are many other places to eat.

“The second reason is because once, days after I keyed in my mobile number, I received several spam messages. It may have been a coincidence, but I don’t want to take a chance.”

Thankfully, my friend from our May 8 date, has not received “funny” messages since our lunch date.

I have keyed in my mobile number at several outlets. I’m okay if a restaurant sends promotional items via SMS or WhatsApp, but anything more than that, I ban that business.

And yes, I also prefer giving my orders to humans.

Meanwhile, another point of contention is the 10 per cent surcharge we pay for parking in malls and some hotels.

Why do we have to pay extra when we use debit/credit, or Touch ’n Go cards, when the operators no longer have to pay staff to collect payment or print parking tickets?

Shouldn’t parking be cheaper as they have eliminated these costs?

Also, why do some outlets demand we have RM20, RM30, or more in our Touch ’n Go cards when the maximum parking fee per day is less than that?

‘Food’ for thought, no?

RAISING THE BAR

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Raising The Bar returns with #RTBFest2024, a two-day celebration of all things hip-hop, featuring a diverse offering of music, art, dance, and education.

Buy tickets online as there are no phone, and over-the-counter sales. For enquiries, WhatsApp +6018 227 7212.

ITEX 24

Asia’s leading invention, innovation, and technology competition and exhibition is happening at KL Convention Centre from May 16-17, with the awards presentation on May 18.

Explore 7,000 inventions ready for commercialisation, spanning multiple fields like agriculture, manufacturing, and smart technology.

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HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

Mother’s Day is tomorrow, May 12. Check out your favourite restaurants, shopping malls and outlets for great deals.

You can’t go wrong with chocolates, and KitKat has launched a new selection called Dark Borneo, made from cocoa beans from Sabah and Sarawak.

Have a good celebration, everyone.

The post Isn’t it time we had service charges based on the ‘service’ we get? appeared first on Twentytwo13.

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