tirade tour

Misleading advertising really peeves me. And I was near my last straw last week.

A friend and I were out scouting a restaurant to dine in in Mong Kok.

Outside a restaurant I peered a menu offering. "$59 and up" it says on the menu display, with pictures.

After waiting inside, we are offered a seat in the busy restaurant. We browse the menu and I am looking for the advertised special. Can't find it.

I ask the waiter for one of the names of the special - he points out to an item at $104HKD - same item, but no where near the $59HKD advertised price. The waiter is very busy. I'm getting peeved.

I go outside and take a photo of the ad. I come in to sit. "I want this."
"No more. We have this special."
He gives me a sheet advertising something else for $62HKD.
"I don't want that, I want this."
"No more. That was before."
"Not before, this is now. I just took this photo. It's outside."
"No more!" he is getting angry. "You want this, you take this. You don't, you take something else."
I'm in disbelief. "That is dishonest! Why do you have this poster outside?" The limits of my Chinese are approaching. I'm losing my words.
"Above $59!" he says "These are $62." he runs off.
I'm talking to my friend - who is evidently very embarassed. She asks if I want to leave - she wants to. The waiter comes back and barks at us.
"If you don't want it, leave! I don't have time to waste with you."

This is the Hong Kong climate. I don't blame the waiter for this dishonest marketing - but I'm left with no one to pressure. The word has to get up to his boss, but workers internalize the pressure, do not communicate it to bosses. They should. I hope it would. If enough customers complain about something, this should reasonably reach upper-management. I believe this is done in Canada. Not in Hong Kong. Customers take it. This man won't communicate my dissatisfaction of being misled by the advertisement. I'll have to speak with my dollars. So we leave.

This isn't an isolated incident but the tip of the iceberg of what is institutional in the company-centric capitalist business atmosphere of Hong Kong. Hong Kong lacks people with backbone to hold companies accountable, or a Government oversight to represent the good of the people and enact standards and penalties and guidelines of good business practices. Instead ethics and good business practices are a cost - a cost that reduces the bottom-line to be avoided at all costs. And this seeps into the way businesses, all businesses, do business.

This means restaurants don't have to meet what their ad advertises.
And that a bank (like Manulife) can hang up on callers instead of answering the phone.