Nowadays, it’s common for people to post reviews on social media. However, some have become a little overconfident and post whatever they want, whether the review is positive or negative.
Recently, a Malaysian netizen shared his experience on the Facebook group Law & Justice. He revealed that after dining at a restaurant where he felt the service was unsatisfactory, he posted his thoughts online. Instead of apologizing, the restaurant reportedly hired a lawyer and sent him a defamation notice, demanding RM 300,000 in damages.
The original post reads: “We went to a restaurant, and after eating, we felt the service was poor, so we shared our experience on Facebook. The restaurant, upon seeing our post, did not apologize. Instead, they hired a lawyer to accuse us of defamation and demanded RM 300K for damage to their reputation. What should we do?”
The netizen also mentioned that he consulted a lawyer, who said legal fees would cost at least RM 30,000. He added that as ordinary citizens, it would be impossible for him to afford such costs, while the restaurant, being part of a large group, has no problem covering legal expenses.
From what netizens could gather, the incident seems to have happened at a hotpot restaurant. The original poster recounted that he and his friends were unhappy with how the staff handled their orders.
He explained: “The restaurant has set packages: RM 30+ and RM 50+. Two of us chose the RM 50+ package, while a friend who is vegetarian wanted the RM 30+ package, but the staff said we couldn’t choose different packages while sitting together. We finally all went with RM 50+. Later, two more friends joined us. Since the table only seats four, they went to another table and wanted RM 30+ packages. The staff refused, saying that because they were our friends, they had to order the same package, or we couldn’t share food. We felt insulted, but the owner said this was the restaurant’s rule and insisted it wasn’t personal.”
Online reactions were mixed. Some netizens felt the poster was at fault, noting that leaving negative reviews online can have consequences, especially if they cause financial or reputational harm.
Advice shared by others included:
- Try to resolve issues directly with the restaurant and apologize if necessary.
- Seek legal aid from government resources if facing defamation claims.
- Consider removing the post and settling matters privately.
- Leave reviews on platforms like Google instead of public social media to avoid escalating conflicts.
The consensus seems to be that while customers have the right to voice complaints, publicly posting grievances without first addressing the issue with the business can lead to serious legal repercussions.
