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Show me the money ... Ben Edelman who is a Professor at Harvard University. Picture: Harvard University website Source: Supplied
A HARVARD Professor has made world headlines after an email trail revealed he demanded $4
back after being overcharged by a “mom and pop†Chinese restaurant.
Harvard Business SchoolAssociate Professor Ben Edelman recently ordered a Chinese meal from the Sichuan Garden restaurant in Massachusetts.
He used the restaurant’s online menu to make his order, which was meant to come to $53.35 in total.
But when he received the bill, he was overcharged by $4, prompting him to email the restaurant directly to ask for a refund.
His request was handled by Ran Duan, who manages The Baldwin Bar, located inside the Sichuan Garden restaurant.
The restaurant was first opened by his parents.
Unhappy with the explanation that the restaurant’s prices had changed and the website was out of date, Edelman started a chain of emails where he and Duan argued over how much he would be refunded before both parties entered a potential legal stoush.
Currently, the menu for the restaurant is unavailable to view.
Under maintenance ... the Sichuan Garden restaurant. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
Read the email trail below, and tell us what you think below.
Duan told Boston.com that the whole situation just “broke†his heart.
“I personally respond to every complaint and try to handle every situation personally,†he said.
“I have worked so hard to make my family proud and to elevate our business. It just broke my heart.â€
Edelman told Boston.com that investigating pricing discrepancies by local eateries was not part of his normal job.
“I mostly look for malfeasance by larger companies,†he said.
“It certainly seems like a situation that could call for legal redress. But this is a small business in the town where I reside.â€
Edelman works at the Harvard Business School in the Negotiation, Organisations and Markets unit.
According to the University’s website, his “current research explores the public and private forces shaping internet architecture and business opportunitiesâ€.
His private consulting practice looks at preventing and detecting online fraud (especially advertising fraud), and clients include AOL, the City of Los Angeles, Microsoft, the National Football League, the New York Times, Universal Music Group, the Washington Post, and Wells Fargo.