CRI听力:"Overpriced Fish" Triggers Discussion on Social Media

A customer surnamed Chen from Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, claimed he was charged over ten thousand yuan for a fish feast during a visit to a wild fish village in Harbin city.

A bill posted by Chen on his Sina Weibo account shows the price of the Huso sturgeon he purchased at the restaurant was as high as 796yuan per kilogram.

Mr. Chen spoke gave more details about his experience in a phone interview.

"I think the restaurant mislead us on the weight of the fish. They first told us the Huso sturgeon was 5.2 kilogram. But when we checked out the bill, the fish's weight showed on the receipt was 7.2 kilograms. After we questioned the price, the restaurant staff clashed with us. Then we called the police."

In response, the manager of the restaurant, Zhao Ling, said their pricing system was transparent and reasonable.

"After customers order the fish, we clearly tell them the price per kilogram. You can also see a fixed price list on the wall. Then we'll bring the customers to weigh the fish, check the kilograms and price with them. In Mr. Chen's case, we gave him a discount over 3,000 yuan to settle the dispute, which means we only charged him the cost price in total of 7,200 yuan. So his claim of spending over ten thousand yuan on the meal was not true."

Though Mr. Chen soon deleted the post of "overpriced fish" on the social media, his experience has triggered an investigation by the local price bureau into the case.

Sun Baisen, director of Harbin Market Supervisory Authority says the investigation confirms the fish was sold at reasonable price.

"Through our investigation into the restaurant involved, their pricing system and standards are in accordance with laws and regulations. By checking the final receipt, we found Mr. Chen's claim is inconsistent with the actual consumer spending and weight of Huso sturgeon."

He added that after checking the surveillance video, the authority found Mr. Chen's accusation that there was a physical altercation involving restaurant staff did not fit the facts.

Sun Baisen indicated they are still trying to contact other customers, in order to get further evidence to ascertain the truth.

Unreasonable charges in China's catering industry has long been a target of public criticism, especially during holidays.

An open-air restaurant in Qingdao, Shandong Province was found to charge a customer over 1,500 yuan for a dish of shrimp during last year's National Day holidays.

It was fined 90,000 yuan with its license suspended at last.

For CRI, this is Huang Shan.