"Did We Get Scammed?" — Tourists Get Charged RM120 For A Haircut In KL
The barber defended his actions by saying that the price is cheaper for locals because they have to pay taxes.
By Parvinsivam Thirunamakarasu — 10 Apr 2023, 06:20 PM
A pair of YouTubers from the United Kingdom, Zoe and Czar, were recently left wondering if they had been scammed, following their experience at a barbershop in Kuala Lumpur
In the two-minute-14-second video posted on TikTok, the couple shared that they entered a barbershop with a signboard that said haircut prices start at RM19.
The barber, who was also a foreigner, was friendly and was asking Czar questions about which country they were from.
However, things took a turn when it was time to pay for the haircut
The barber said that the price for Czar's haircut was RM120. The couple even overheard another foreign customer at the shop being charged RM250 by a different barber at the same shop.
The couple then decided to ask a few locals if RM120 is a reasonable price for a haircut.
They asked two different locals, both of whom said the price should be no more than RM50.
Demanding the payment, the barber defended his actions by saying that the price is cheaper for locals because they have to pay taxes
He also told them that he charged them more because he had to trim Czar's beard, even though the couple said Czar didn't have much facial hair.
In the video, couple can be heard haggling with the barber for a lower price. It is unknown if they paid the full amount.
Leaving the shop, the couple talked about how the experience ruined their whole day
Zoe said it is fair if the barber wanted to charge them a bit more since they are foreigners, but the price he was charging was twice the usual amount.
"It's not fair for them to assume that just because we come from abroad that that means we're made of money and that it's okay to charge us that much," said Zoe.
The couple added that they've been to Malaysia before but this is the first time they experienced something like this.
"Imagine if it was our first time here and we weren't regular travellers. Maybe we wouldn't want to come back. Luckily, we've seen good sides of the country and we do like it here. But you've got to think about the lasting impression that that leaves on tourists," said Zoe at the end of the video.
