DeepseekerADS
Gold Member
- Mar 3, 2013
- 14,880
- 21,727
- Detector(s) used
- CTX, Excal II, EQ800, Fisher 1260X, Tesoro Royal Sabre, Tejon, Garrett ADSIII, Carrot, Stealth 920iX, Keene A52
- Primary Interest:
- Other
Ben Edelman, Harvard Business School Professor, Goes to War Over $4 Worth of Chinese Food
By Hilary Sargent
Boston.com Staff | 12.09.14 | 3:28 PM
Ben Edelman is an associate professor at Harvard Business School, where he teaches in the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets unit.
Ran Duan manages The Baldwin Bar, located inside the Woburn location of Sichuan Garden, a Chinese restaurant founded by his parents.
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Last week, Edelman ordered what he thought was $53.35 worth of Chinese food from Sichuan Gardenās Brookline Village location.
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Edelman soon came to the horrifying realization that he had been overcharged. By a total of $4.
If youāve ever wondered what happens when a Harvard Business School professor thinks a family-run Chinese restaurant screwed him out of $4, youāre about to find out.
(Hint: It involves invocation of the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Statute and multiple threats of legal action.)
Surprised yet? We were, too.
In addition to teaching at HBS, Edelman also operates a consulting practice where he advises clients like Microsoft, the NFL, the New York Times, and Universal Music on āpreventing and detecting online fraud (especially advertising fraud).ā (Thatās from Edelmanās own website, which it seems safe to presume is always kept up to date.)
He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College. He has a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University, and a law degree from Harvard Law School.
Ran Duan moved to the U.S. from China when he was 3-years-old. His father had hoped to support the family with a career as an opera singer, but when that didnāt pan out, Duan says ālike all Chinese families we decided to open up a restaurant.ā
Sichuan Garden opened its doors in Brookline in the early 1990s. A second location followed in Woburn.
Despite the restaurantās successful expansion, Duan admittted that Sichuan does not have the budget for teams devoted to public relations or a website that is updated as regularly as it should be.
Screenshot of Sichuan Gardenās website as of December 9.
āI personally respond to every complaint and try to handle every situation personally,ā said Duan, who was profiled by Boston Magazine in June and featured in GQ Magazine last month as āAmericaās Most Imaginative Bartender.ā
The exchange with Edelman stood out to Duan. āI have worked so hard to make my family proud and to elevate our business. It just broke my heart.ā
Edelman told Boston.com that investigating pricing discrepancies by neighborhood restaurants isnāt something he does every day.
āI mostly look for malfeasance by larger companies,ā he said. āIt certainly seems like a situation that could call for legal redress. But this is a small business in the town where I reside.ā
As for the troves of angry customers likely looking for recourse? Edelman pointed Boston.com to Massachusetts General Law, Section XV, Chapter 93A, Section 9. (Translation: If you didnāt pass the Massachusetts bar, but still feel as though you must do SOMETHING, then just gather all the receipts youāve saved, along with all screenshots you took and saved of the website menu in case that dinner order ever ended up in court, find a lawyer whose fees arenāt likely to exceed the few dollars youāre seeking, and ... voila?)
As for Edelman, he alerted town officials in Brookline about the matter, but told Boston.com he doesnāt expect them to take action. He plans to ātake a few daysā before deciding whether to pursue any further legal action against the restaurant.
Oh and the food? Edelman admitted: āIt was delicious.ā
By Hilary Sargent
Boston.com Staff | 12.09.14 | 3:28 PM
Ben Edelman is an associate professor at Harvard Business School, where he teaches in the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets unit.
Ran Duan manages The Baldwin Bar, located inside the Woburn location of Sichuan Garden, a Chinese restaurant founded by his parents.
Related Link
Last week, Edelman ordered what he thought was $53.35 worth of Chinese food from Sichuan Gardenās Brookline Village location.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Edelman soon came to the horrifying realization that he had been overcharged. By a total of $4.
If youāve ever wondered what happens when a Harvard Business School professor thinks a family-run Chinese restaurant screwed him out of $4, youāre about to find out.
(Hint: It involves invocation of the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Statute and multiple threats of legal action.)
Surprised yet? We were, too.
In addition to teaching at HBS, Edelman also operates a consulting practice where he advises clients like Microsoft, the NFL, the New York Times, and Universal Music on āpreventing and detecting online fraud (especially advertising fraud).ā (Thatās from Edelmanās own website, which it seems safe to presume is always kept up to date.)
He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College. He has a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University, and a law degree from Harvard Law School.
Ran Duan moved to the U.S. from China when he was 3-years-old. His father had hoped to support the family with a career as an opera singer, but when that didnāt pan out, Duan says ālike all Chinese families we decided to open up a restaurant.ā
Sichuan Garden opened its doors in Brookline in the early 1990s. A second location followed in Woburn.
Despite the restaurantās successful expansion, Duan admittted that Sichuan does not have the budget for teams devoted to public relations or a website that is updated as regularly as it should be.
Screenshot of Sichuan Gardenās website as of December 9.
āI personally respond to every complaint and try to handle every situation personally,ā said Duan, who was profiled by Boston Magazine in June and featured in GQ Magazine last month as āAmericaās Most Imaginative Bartender.ā
The exchange with Edelman stood out to Duan. āI have worked so hard to make my family proud and to elevate our business. It just broke my heart.ā
Edelman told Boston.com that investigating pricing discrepancies by neighborhood restaurants isnāt something he does every day.
āI mostly look for malfeasance by larger companies,ā he said. āIt certainly seems like a situation that could call for legal redress. But this is a small business in the town where I reside.ā
As for the troves of angry customers likely looking for recourse? Edelman pointed Boston.com to Massachusetts General Law, Section XV, Chapter 93A, Section 9. (Translation: If you didnāt pass the Massachusetts bar, but still feel as though you must do SOMETHING, then just gather all the receipts youāve saved, along with all screenshots you took and saved of the website menu in case that dinner order ever ended up in court, find a lawyer whose fees arenāt likely to exceed the few dollars youāre seeking, and ... voila?)
As for Edelman, he alerted town officials in Brookline about the matter, but told Boston.com he doesnāt expect them to take action. He plans to ātake a few daysā before deciding whether to pursue any further legal action against the restaurant.
Oh and the food? Edelman admitted: āIt was delicious.ā
time for franchises
