Janet in Other News On April 14, 2021, 1:29 pm

RM1 “Sky Juice” Sold At 84 Restaurants Searched By Authorities, Water Should Be Free Or Priced At 30sen

Restaurants overcharging for plain water

Malaysians like to pair our meals with a drink while dining out, as our preferences for spicy food coupled with our hot weather is a combination that calls for icy drinks. But when we do try to be thrifty during mealtimes, we’d tend to switch out lattes or soft drinks for a plain ole glass of iced water, or sky juice. But this is usually the last resort as most of us try to avoid paying for water that most of us can get at home.

Most restaurants charge no more than 30sen for them – with some even serving them free of charge. However, there are restaurants in Malaysia that have been overcharging their customers for plain water at RM1 and more too. The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) has since issued notices to 84 restaurants nationwide for doing so.

Water priced at no more than 30sen

On 9th April 2021, Bernama reported that in just 2 days, 12 restaurants were issued notices for charging over RM1 for plain water during an operation called Ops Catut 8.0 by the Selangor Enforcement Division of the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (MDTCA).

Not leaving anyone out of the search, they covered restaurants, as well as food stalls and fast food outlets.

This comes after the public complained about unscrupulous practices by businesses.

Image (for illustration purposes only) credit: @syazwanichan

Deputy Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid is quoted by Bernama in another article dated 10th April saying that the appropriate price for plain water should only be 20sen or 30sen.

In an interview with The Sun, Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) chief executive officer Saravanan Thambirajah is also quoted saying that water is a necessity that should be served free. But because service is involved before serving it to customers – including boiling or filtering – water should only be priced at 30sen at most.

84 restaurants receive notices for overcharging for water

After receiving more tips from the public, a total of 84 restaurants nationwide were issued notices for selling water at steep prices of over RM1 in the operation, as reported in the same Bernama article.

This includes 14 restaurants in Kelantan that were caught during the operation, and another 12 in Selangor. Restaurants in Sabah (8), Sarawak (8), Johor (8), Pahang (7), Terengganu (6), KL (5), Melaka (4), Labuan (3), Penang (3), Perlis (2), Perak (2) and Negeri Sembilan (2) were also issued notices.

Image (for illustration purposes only) credit: Wikimedia Commons

Restaurants that received these notices will have to get back to KPDNHEP within 2-5 days with an explanation of why they’ve been charging customers for water at over RM1 .

If not, further action will be taken against them under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 for profiteering.

However, it is not stated what the final penalty is for restaurants who fail to give an explanation.

Customers can file complaints too

The public is also advised to keep their eyes out for restaurants and traders who are charging more than RM1 for plain water too. If you do come across them, you are advised to send tip off KPDNHEP through the following channels:

Emailing them at e-aduan@kpdnhep.gov.my.
Calling them at 1800-886 800.
Sending them a message on WhatsApp at 019-279 4317.

Restaurants issued notice for overcharging for plain water

It’s always recommended that we bring our own bottled water to avoid having to place an order for plain water, as some cafes and restaurants are known to charge for them. But in the instance that we do forget, we don’t want to be left paying steep prices for plain water. So authorities are urging anyone who comes across this unfair practice to tip them off.