Ask for the price list before you order; entertainment venues must show prices, and do not accept "play first, settle later"
Grade AMedium benefitMoneyFreeLittle timeSome willpower
By the rules, an entertainment venue that sells services or goods must show prices clearly, and must take the initiative to show you the price list. So-called sky-high drink charges usually turn up when nobody has seen a price list and the bill is settled afterward from a spoken quote. When you go into the private room, ask for the list and photograph it. After you order, ask for a confirmed list. If the bill is disputed, call 12315 on the spot.
- Cost
- No cost. Ask once for the list. The hard part is asking the price in front of other people. It feels a bit awkward.
- Benefit
- The regulation says: "When an entertainment venue provides entertainment services or sells goods, it shall mark prices clearly and show consumers the price list; it shall not force or deceive consumers into accepting services or buying goods." Violations of price laws and regulations are punished by the relevant department according to law. Disputes over so-called sky-high drinks commonly look like this: no price list was shown, and the bill was settled afterward from a spoken quote. That sentence is the author's experience. No official statistics were found.
- Notes
- What to do: when you enter the private room, ask for 1 price list, on paper or on a screen, and photograph it as soon as you have it. After you order, ask for 1 confirmed list. For a "signature cocktail" or a fruit platter the staff recommend, ask the price before you order, every time. If the bill is disputed, call 12315 on the spot. Do not pay first and seek a remedy afterward. Once you have paid, proving your case is much harder.
Sources · 1
- 国务院 (2006). 娱乐场所管理条例（国令第 458 号，第二十九、五十三条）. gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2008-03/28/content_6…