Most of us have run up a bar tab from time to time. Sometimes, it's easier to just use the tab and settle up at the end of the night or the following day. However, one 18-year-old woman, who had allegedly used a fake ID to enter an establishment, endured a totally different experience.
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On Friday, August 28, the young woman filed a police complaint. She alleged that a bartender in Bangkok, Thailand, shaved her head over a 60,000 Thai Baht bar tab. In dollars, that tab was worth roughly $1,800.
"The woman, whose identity has not been shared publicly, allegedly used a fake ID to enter the bar in Arun Amarin-Pinklao on Aug. 25, and she was confronted by the bar staff when she tried to leave without paying, according to the outlets," PEOPLE reports.
The woman also claims that she was threatened with violence before the bartender ultimately shaved her head.
"Someone sent a video of the manager of a host bar using clippers to shave a female customer's head. Afterward, he took the woman to the police station. He filed a report saying she ate and didn't pay," Chalida Phalamat of Thailand's Pen Nueng Foundation
wrote on Facebook.The Establishment Has Since Admitted the Bartender Went to Far
According to News.com/au, Phalamat has since received an apology from the bar for how they treated the young girl.
"They contacted me to apologize and admitted that the manager had acted out of anger and impulsiveness," Phalamat said. "They also said they would contact the victim's family to discuss compensation."
Phalamat then continued by noting that while establishments need to turn a profit, there are better ways to recoup an unpaid tab.
"I sympathise with them and understand that they need to make a profit, but the way they handled this was clearly unlawful. A hair purchase contract made under duress is void, and shaving someone's head against their will can amount to assault, coercion and unlawful detention."
The incident has undoubtedly split opinion around the world. However, the punishment clearly went too far. There are currently no further details regarding the situation.
