Students cry foul over bathhouse charges
- Source: Global Times
- [08:21 August 05 2010]
- Comments
The Luwan branch of the chain bath house Dalangtaosha, which allegedly overcharged two students. Photo: IC
By Chen Xiaoru
Two young men have filed complaints with a bathhouse in Luwan district for allegedly overcharging them by more than 800 yuan ($118).
Huang Jiaxi and Wu Sidu, two 17-year-old high school students from Shenzhen, claimed that they were forced to pay 983 yuan ($145) for taking a bath at the Dalangtaosha bathhouse on Zhongshannanyi Road in Luwan district on July 25.
"The staff told us that it costs only 69 yuan ($10.2) to take a bath when we made the phone call before we went there," Huang told local media Wednesday. "However, we did not know that they were going to charge us for some essential oils that they applied to our bodies."
According to the students, the bathhouse staff used more than 10 different kinds of oils on them, each costing more than 40 yuan ($5.9), without informing them of the extra cost.
"They asked us to lie down to apply some oil on us after we finished the bath. When we refused, the employees said that it was a routine procedure for each customer that came to the bathhouse," said Huang.
Huang added that it was not until they went to pay the bill that they discovered they had been charged for the unwanted service.
A manager surnamed Sun from the bathhouse Wednesday told the Global Times that the two customers signed their names on a confirmation sheet after they received the service, which means that they had agreed to it.
However, Bao Gensheng, the director of Shanghai Bath Trade Association (SBTA), the industry association for bath services, told the Global Times Wednesday that bathhouses should ask customers for consent before providing extra services, rather than after.
"Customers need to sign their names on the confirmation sheet before they take the service, and the bathhouse should ensure that each customer understands the price of services," Bao said. "Customers also have the right to refuse to pay for services that were not previously confirmed by them."
Bao added that the association would look into the case to find out if the bathhouse has violated the regulations set out for the industry in the city by the association.
