Peter Stiff, 78, wife Fran 'threatened' by uniformed cops to pay R75 for meal they said was overcooked and dryPosted: 02 Dec 2011 10:15 PM PST
"Threatening" uniformed cops forced elderly white couple to pay R75.- for a meal they said was poorly prepared. December 3 2011 Journalist Sameer Naik of The Star interviewed Peter Stiff, 78 and wife Fran, who said they were horrified by the abuse they allegedly received from the management of the Crayfish Inn Restaurant in Ramsgate - after they complained about the poor quality of the food. Book publisher Mr Stiff - who moves around on crutches - said 'we were locked in the restaurant, verbally abused by the managers and then were forced to pay R75.- for a meal that had been overcooked and dry.'
A lawyer from Fedhasa, the South African hospitality association, says the police should never have been called in for what was a civil dispute over services. Mr Stiff said the co-owner flew into a temper on hearing their complaints, allegedly telling them that 'regardless of whether we ate the fish or not, we would pay for the fish which cost around R75.' It all happened three weeks ago when they were holidaying at the South Coast.
After complaining of the quality of the food, which they had rejected after just tasting it, the couple stood up and headed for the front door but were blocked by another of the restaurant owners. “He pushed me around and told me to go back to my table and pay for what I had ordered. "There was nothing I could do as I am 78 and I am on crutches, so I was defenceless,” said Peter Stiff. The owners then summoned the police. The uniformed cops then ordered the couple to "pay for the meal they had ordered or be arrested."
The owners of the Crayfish Inn confirmed they’d called the police after the couple refused to pay for their meal. “Neither the staff nor management laid a hand on the couple,” said manager Johnson Shou. “Neither did we verbally abuse either of them.” Shou said the couple had complained consistently from the moment they sat down. Shou said they had attended to every complaint and offered them free meals.
“However, the couple just refused to pay.” “If the consumers felt threatened or were abused in any way by the police they can report this to the Independent Complaints Directorate,” said Bianca Coelho Barata of law firm Goldman Judin Inc. Barata urged consumers to report restaurants to the National Consumer Forum should they be unhappy with the treatment they receive. Ramsgate police did not respond to numerous requests for comment. - Independent on Saturday http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/cops-force-couple-to-pay-for-meal-1.1191567
