Marina Square
Marina Bay, Singapore
09 February 2015
It was some time since we stepped into the Marina Square mall. Due to the renovation, there were few shoppers. The aircon was freezing cold. Despite the very attractive promotions, many of the shops and restaurants had few visitors.
Feeling a need for steaming hot food after some shopping, we opted for Bangkok Jam. Opened by Creative Eateries, this restaurant is located at the Level 2 dining zone near the Marina Mandarin exit.
This poster was what attracted our attention at dinnertime:
DINNER SPECIAL
50% off second main course
Hesitant about such claims, we clarified with the restaurant staff (lady in black uniform with long rebonded hair) that all the items under "Thai Classic Noodles", " Exotic Spaghetti" and "Aromatic Rice" were included. She even ran her finger down the column to indicate the coverage of the promotion.
Agreeable, the order was made. For a review of the food, refer to "Mini Portions, Intense Flavours".
When it came to the payment, we were shocked to discover the promotion was not extended to us. We queried on this, and were told that the items we ordered were not included in the promotion.
We were shocked. The long-haired lady in black was the same one that welcomed us at the entrance and later, took our order. We were positive that she knew that we were ordering based on the promotion. We tried to call her to verify with her, but she ignored us, being more interested to stay behind the bar counter to handle other tasks.
We had no choice but to contend with the cashier (lady in brown with long hair and spects). She did not seem to understand what we were saying and kept repeating that the promotion included only "fried rice" among the "Aromatic Rice" options.
Thinking that we had misread the Terms and Conditions of the promotion, we double checked the poster. These were the exact words:
- "Main Courses applicable to Thai Classic Noodles, Exotic Spaghettis and Aromatic Rice"
[Yes, we had ordered 2 different Aromatic Rice dishes.] - "Promotion only available at selected outlets"
[Yes, this promotion is definitely available at this outlet.]
There was no mention that it was limited to any dishes. Among the list of dishes that the cashier had included as part of the promotion, some were also not featured in the poster. So why is it that the two dishes we ordered were excluded?
As we were leaving the manager came out and said "不好意思" and that she could not do anything, as it was part of company policy.
We are very upset by this experience - the promotion is misleading, the staff are unpleasant and unprofessional, and the food portions are small.
