Taiwanese netizens were buzzing with discussion and negative talk about Taipei’s Shilin Night Market (士林夜市), after a woman reported yesterday that she was ripped off when buying grilled beef cubes.
In a posted message on the Web site Baoliao Gongshe, the woman said she visited Shilin Night Market on Wednesday and ordered two portions of grilled beef cubes, which cost her NT$600.
“The vendor did not put up a price list, and I ordered two portions, thinking the price would be around NT$200, which was what I paid for grilled beef cubes at other similar vendors. But I was shocked when the proprietor told me to pay NT$600,” the woman said.
Photo: screengrab from the Internet
“I had this item at other places, so I thought it would be the same prices as others, a small portion for NT$100 and a large portion for NT$200. That was why I did not ask for the price beforehand,” she added.
“As the food was already prepared and done with, I reluctantly paid the money... But I did not enjoy eating the beef cubes, due to feeling that I was cheated,” she said.
One person wrote, “Maybe it was the way you dressed, the vendor thinks you were a tourist.”
Another person on the site said, “It is a hard lesson to learn, but do not buy from any night market vendors who do not list prices, they always rip you off.”
Other comments included: “I also had a bad experience there, so I advise people not to go to Shilin Night Market,” and “most Taiwanese people do not go for food at the major city night markets, and the vendors now target foreign tourists with deceitful practices and overcharging.”
It was more bad publicity for Shilin Night Market, after news that an employee at a game shop flashed a knife in front of an Australian man, allegedly due to a misunderstanding.
This year and in the past, there have been numerous reports of tourists being ripped off when buying cut fruit at night markets.
Due to these reports, this once-popular Taipei attraction has earned a bad reputation and is described as being a “tourist trap” by international visitors and bloggers.
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