A woman in China was left shocked after she was charged an extra 300 yuan (Rs 3,431) because she and her friends were ''not creating a vibrant enough vibe” in a pub, South China Morning Post reported.
As per the report, the unidentified woman had booked a VIP booth at the Boom Shake bar in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, to enjoy with her friends.
When the bill for 4,988 yuan (57,053) arrived, they were surprised to find an extra bottle of wine and a mystery charge of 300 yuan added. The woman confronted the staff and was told that the extra charge was a ''punishment'' because the atmosphere around their booth was not good enough.
''He said we were fined as the vibe around us during the last hour there was not vibrant enough,'' the woman told news site Pear Video.
The woman who was left speechless by the response said, ''We went there as consumers, not to work to create a vibe. Why should we be penalised?”, adding that she was also charged for an extra bottle of wine which cost more than 1,000 yuan (Rs 11,438).
Soon, an argument ensued between the woman and the bar management, following which the group decided to settle the bill.
However, after the woman made repeated complaints to the company that owns the bar, the waiter who added the charge repaid 1,480 yuan to the woman for the ''vibe fine'' and the extra bottle of wine they had not ordered.
Social media users were left bewildered by the strange incident. The bizarre case also triggered an online discussion about consumer rights in China.
One user said, ''At first, I thought it was the worker being fined. Then I confirmed the consumer was fined, and I didn't believe it was true. What a rare case!''
