A customer’s dining experience at the renowned Min Jiang restaurant in Dempsey, Singapore, took a distressing turn when a tea light candle ignited her hair, leading to questions about the establishment’s service recovery and crisis management procedures.
Hair caught fire
The incident occurred on the evening of the 24th of September, when the customer, Ms Chee Peiwen, was dining with friends. According to her account, which she posted via a Google Review on 2 October, a server placed a tea light candle behind her on a table, which she believed was a prep station.
The candle, the server explained, was intended to fend off flies that were hovering around their food. Unfortunately, the candle ignited the customer’s hair.
Quick thinking from a friend sitting beside her prevented further harm, as they promptly extinguished the flames.
To address the situation, the restaurant’s supervisor took the initiative to serve their table with Prosecco and dessert, which the group had not ordered. They also received a 25% discount on the bill, and miscellaneous items were removed from the final total.
Joshua, the supervisor, handed out membership card forms, which the customer filled out in hopes of facilitating communication. It was a reasonable expectation, given the traumatic experience she had just endured.
Cost of her hair repair
Min Jiang at Dempsey, known for its 5-star Tatler Editor’s Choice rating and recognition in the Michelin Guide, shocked the customer with its response to the incident.
The supervisor and manager, both in the restaurant and during a phone call later that night, questioned the cost of her haircut while she was still in a distraught and traumatized state, awaiting assessment from a certified hairdresser.
In the wake of the incident, the customer promptly sent an email to seek acknowledgment and assurance that the matter would be addressed. Her expectations were not met when, for three working days, no formal email response was received.
Instead, on the 27th of September, she received a Goodwood Park gourmet membership card in her mailbox, signed by the Director of F&B Ellyn Heng and dated 26th September 2023. There was no acknowledgment of her email from the 24th of September.
Wants compensation
The customer, who remains distressed and traumatized by the incident, has expressed her intention to seek compensation to restore her hair to its previous condition before the accident. Her desire is to settle the matter privately, quickly, and smoothly to move past this traumatic incident.
She expects a prompt written email response from Min Jiang at Dempsey and Goodwood Park Hotel to assure her that the issue will be addressed. Multiple phone calls with no written acknowledgment of responsibility are not acceptable to her.
Despite her efforts, the customer remains disappointed and dismayed by the lack of formal email responses, even after eight days have passed.
She has expressed her intention to explore legal options and seek authorities’ involvement to ensure her case is taken seriously.
Restaurant responds
Here is what she said in her Google Review (SIC)
Food is okay
Restaurant ambience is nice
Service recovery and crisis management is questionable that makes me as a customer and a victim of an unfortunate fire incident due to this establishment’s negligence that I lost all faith and trust in Min Jiang at Dempsey and Good Wood Park Hotel group.
24/09/2023 My hair was burnt by an expose tea light candle that a server place it directly behind me on a table top which I believed to be a prep station while me and my friends were in the midst of dining. I was being told this was his intention to fend off flies that was hovering around our food on the dinning table. Fortunately for me, my quick thinking friend who was seating beside me quickly put out the fire on my head to prevent any further burn that may cause me to get physically injured badly.
Seeing the situation the supervisor took the initiative to serve our table with 4 glasses of what I believed to be Prosecco along with dessert which we didn’t order. We were given 25% off the bill which we didn’t request. Miscellaneous items like tea and wet towels were removed from the bill. Joshua the supervisor gave me and 3 of my friends forms to fill up for their membership card. My agenda at that moment for filling up the form is for them to have my contacts to reach out to me.
As a Tatler Editor’s Choice 5 stars and Michelin Guide featured restaurant, I was really appalled by the lack of empathy when the supervisor and the manager on that day in the restaurant and on the phone call that night of the incident questioning me about how much my haircut going to cost when I was still in a distraught and traumatised state not knowing and have yet to get a certified hair dresser to assess the condition of my burnt hair.
I understand accidents do happen but how an establishment who sincerely care about their customers’ well being and take huge pride in taking the right measures and actions swiftly speaks volume about the company values and especially their reputation instead of stalling time and make multiple phone calls with no proper resolution on how long they will get back to me and how to resolve the compensation and settlement.
I followed up with an email on the night of the incident hoping to get acknowledgment and assurance the following day that this serious matter will be look into.
But I was solely disappointed that for a full 3 working days I still did not get a formal email reply that Min Jiang Dempsey will take responsibility for their negligence. I received Good Wood Park gourmet membership card that expires in Dec’23 (3mth from now) on 27/9/23 signed by the Director of F&B Ellyn Heng dated 26/09/23 in the mailbox instead of acknowledge my email that I send on 24/9/23
As this incident has not yet resolve and I am still traumatised, stressed and upset. I definitely would not want to visit any Good Wood Park Hotel F&B establishment anytime soon.
My intention for this incident is to seek compensation for my hair to be restore back to the similar condition as to what it was prior to it being burn and settle in private as swiftly and as smooth as possible in order to put this traumatic incident behind me and move on.
I expect prompt response in the format of written email from Min Jiang at Dempsey and Good Wood park hotel right after I sent the email for assurance that this matter will be look into.
I do not want multiple phone calls which there will be no record of written acknowledgment from Min Jiang at Dempsey and Good Wood Park hotel that they will take responsibility for their negligence.
By now I am very disappointed by how this whole situation was handle with none of my emails being response formally after 8 days. I, as a customer and victim of this incident start to lost faith and trust in how Min Jiang at Dempsey and Good Wood Park Hotel group which supposed to be a reputable hospitality establishment handling such serious incident that I need to seek authorities and legal options to push for my incident to be taken seriously.
Source: Google Reviews