A Sydney man has criticized a cafe for adding two surcharges to his order, claiming there was ‘no mention’ of these extra charges.
The sandwich from Kosta’s Takeaway in Rosebery cost $18.50, but ended up costing $21.27 after additional fees were applied.
These include a $2.55 weekend surcharge and a 1.2 percent card payment surcharge, totaling 22 cents.
The man complained about the charges on Reddit, writing, “I was surprised to see the notification on my phone that I was being charged $21.27.
‘The menu price is high, but the total was way too high.
“I went back after I finished dinner and the guy said they had a weekend allowance.”
The customer said the total price of his sandwich surprised him because there was “no mention” of the two surcharges.
‘There is no mention of a weekend surcharge or card surcharge anywhere, on the menu, on the display or at the cash register.
“Almost $3 in sneaky, undisclosed fees for one sandwich is just ridiculous.”
The customer’s sandwich was subject to a weekend surcharge and a credit card surcharge of 1.2 percent
The customer believes that the popularity of the Square payment system has made it more difficult for customers to see what they are being charged since there is no screen facing them
The man also raised concerns about the store’s payment terminal, noting that it did not have a screen to display the total amount before payment.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission states that businesses are legally allowed to charge surcharges on weekends and public holidays, provided these surcharges are clearly displayed to customers.
“They do not need to include these charges in the total price displayed for their products as they are exempt under the law,” it said.
‘However, if they charge such a surcharge, they should include these words on the menu: ‘A surcharge of [percentage] applies to [day or days]’.
“These words should be at least as prominent as the most prominent price on the menu.”
The ACCC said customers should be made aware of any surcharges before ordering, and if they are not on the menu they should be ‘displayed in some other prominent manner’.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kosta’s Takeaway for comment.