Ben Edelman, a lawyer and Harvard professor, apologized for his reaction on the $4 overcharge from a Sichuan restaurant last week.
"Having reflected on my interaction with Ran [Duan], including what I said and how I said it, it's clear that I was very much out of line," Edelman explains himself on Twitter.
"I aspire to act with great respect and humility in dealing with others, no matter what the situation. Clearly I failed to do so. I am sorry, and I intend to do better in the future. I have reached out to Ran and will apologize to him personally as well," he adds.
Edelman is probably the Internet's most popular guy right now. After the University professor's rant over a $4 overcharge at a Chinese restaurant last week went viral, netizens made sure every one who is online is aware of the event.
Last Friday, Edelman ordered food from the Sichuan Garden at Brookline Village. Upon receiving his order, he noticed that the charged price was not the same as the prices posted on the restaurant's website, overcharging him $4.
Edelman sent an email to the restaurant management, asking for a $12 refund, three times the price of the amount as he claims this is what is under MGL 93a of the Massachussets consumer protection act.
Restaurant manager, Ran Duan, apologized repeatedly and explained to Edelman that their website was outdated. He promised the Harvard professor that he will also update the prices on the website.
Duan, however, declined to make a refund of $12, and instead offered to refund Edelman $3. He also told the professor that they are a "mom and pop restaurant," who works very hard to earn their keep. The exchange of emails went on and Ben Edelman wanted Duan to provide all customers who were affected a refund.
When the restaurant manager did not agree to the Harvard associate professor's demand, the former was threatened that legal action will be taken. Duan then told Edelman that he would be glad for him to tell authorities about the issue, and he then asked the professor if everything he has done was worth his time, to which Edelman responded, "yes."
The exchange of emails went viral on social media and received criticisms from all over the world. Edelman says he also plans to apologize to Duan in person.
