SINGAPORE: Company director Ian McArthur could hardly believe his eyes when he saw the bill for lunch with his friend on Wednesday: It came up to $1,107.32, including S$348.80 for a 1.6kg lobster and $564 for a 3kg crab.

The Scot, who has been working here since last October, told TODAY: " I thought, ’It must be wrong. I can’t believe this.’"

Mr McArthur then approached the staff of Forum Seafood Village — a restaurant at Boat Quay — seeking an explanation. He was told that those were the market prices.

But Mr McArthur told TODAY that the staff did not inform them how much the crustaceans weighed or the total cost before cooking the food. " It wasn’t just the price. We feel that we were misled that’s why we were upset about it," he added.

Apart from the king crab and lobster, Mr McArthur and his friend had a plate of fried rice and four glasses of beer.

Alleging that he was " grossly overcharged" , Mr McArthur filed a complaint with the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) on Wednesday against the restaurant, seeking a S$900 refund.

But Mr Vincent Hoh, a restaurant employee who served Mr McArthur, said he told the diners the crustaceans’ weight. When asked if he told the diners the total cost of the crustaceans, Mr Hoh replied he did not.

Forum Seafood Village manager Jo Chia said the restaurant does not usually inform diners of the total price of their seafood, unless diners ask for it.

Said Ms Chia: " We tried to tell customers (the total price) but some guests say it’s too troublesome and tell us not to bother them."

Some patrons have also commented that, by informing them of the total price, the staff would be suggesting that they could not afford it, Mr Hoh said.

Ms Chia pointed out the restaurant’s seafood prices are listed clearly — according to cost per 100g — at the restaurant’s entrance and on the menu. " Our prices are market prices. We won’t overcharge our customers," she said.

Ms Chia said the restaurant’s owner is overseas and has not decided on its course of action with regard to the complaint.

Forum Seafood Village, which operates two outlets along Boat Quay, charges S$21.80 per 100g for the Australian lobster and S$18.80 per 100g for the king crab, after discounts. The usual prices were S$32 and S$25 per 100g for the lobster and king crab, respectively.

A check with neighbouring restaurants found one restaurant charging S$18.80 per 100g for the Australian lobster and another charging S$10 per 100g for Alaskan King Crab.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, CASE said it has received 12 complaints for overcharging by food and beverage outlets in the first five months of this year. There were 27 complaints last year, up from 15 in 2009. —

TODAY