Man claims dating app match racked up S$741 bill on first date, stuns Singaporeans: ‘Congrats for being scammed’

SINGAPORE: A man has left Singaporeans stunned after sharing on the r/singaporespeaks forum that his first date with a woman he met on a dating app ended with him footing a S$741 food bill.

Many questioned why he agreed to pay the full tab, with several joking that he had been “scammed.”

On Monday (Oct 12), he wrote in his post that the woman had chosen the restaurant—Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine at Ion Orchard—and asked him to pick her up from work, which ended with him booking a Grab for her, handing him her bags to carry upon meeting, and telling him upon arrival that “she will order for the both of them.”

According to him, she went on to order only the premium items, namely: “Poached Live Prawn, Australian Lobster, Braised Sea Cucumber in Oyster Sauce, Double-boiled Fish Maw Soup with Shark Cartilage, Sautéed Seasonal Vegetables with Crab Meat, Steamed Rice, Orange Juice, Pickles, Paper Towel, Pu Er.”

When the bill arrived, he said he paid it and “didn’t ask her anything.” After chatting for a while, they called it a night and headed home. She then asked him to book her a Grab, which cost S$42 as she “stays so very far.”

At the time, he said he did not think much of it and assumed the woman simply enjoys “expensive stuff.”

What happened next, however, left him baffled. Later in the week, he invited her to watch a movie, and she once again picked the “most expensive cinema hall ticket,” insisting she would only watch it there.

“I accept, and then she says I need to book a Grab for her from her home. I was sceptical, but I said okay and I’ll let her know which date works for me. She suggested a date, and I said okay, but I didn’t book it yet. Just got busy with work.”

Unfortunately, two days before the planned date, he fell seriously ill and was still unwell the following day, so he told her they would need to reschedule. She did not take it well.

“She got really angry and stopped replying after that and ghosted me,” he said.

“At what point in this story did I become a simp who just listens to everything she says? This was the most expensive first date ever for me.”

‘Do you not have boundaries?’

The post drew plenty of comments, with many users poking fun at the man's predicament and advising him to set firmer boundaries on future dates.

The top comment read, “I am going to hyperventilate reading this. This is the type of treatment for your girlfriend after you date for one year, not a first date. You are going to think all women are like that from one bad experience.”

The commenter also advised him to excuse himself to the toilet and leave if he ever found himself in a similar situation again.

Another user said, “Bro, do you not have boundaries? If a woman orders that, I’m telling the waiter to ‘stop.’ I ain’t paying S$740 bucks on the first date… I’m telling the waiter to cancel that, and I’m having a word with her on the spot. With a straight look, I’m asking her, ‘What are you doing?’”

A third wrote, “It's quite obvious that she might be a scammer because I don't think anyone ordering the most expensive food is the norm..."

A fourth added, “Congrats on being scammed. Only an out-of-touch person would consider live prawns, lobster, sea cucumber, and crab meat ordinary fare. Even though you are not sure of the price, you should have known that those foods (and even the restaurant name) won't be a normal dinner…”/TISG

Read also: ‘Europe photos and fancy job title’: Singapore man says they helped him get more dating attention