Harvard Professor Apologizes For Threatening Legal Action Over Chinese Food Price

BOSTON (CBS) – A Harvard Business School professor has apologized after he threatened legal action against a Brookline restaurant over a price dispute.

Ben Edelman complained that he'd been charged four dollars over the menu price for his takeout order from Sichuan Garden. He was told the website prices had been out of date "for some time."

"I want to be treated fairly and honestly whether I'm at a big business or a small one," Ben Edelman told WBZ. "Every consumer who flags deceptive or unlawful practices is doing a favor to every other consumer who doesn't bother."

He demanded triple damages, a $12 refund. Restaurant spokesman Ran Duan offered three dollars instead, and that's when the going got rough.

"You don't seem to recognize, this is a legal matter," the professor wrote in an email exchange that was published on Boston.com.

Duan claimed a "prices may vary" disclaimer left him "covered and protected" from Edelman's claim. Edelman responded, "The more you try to claim your restaurant was not at fault, the more determined I am to seek a greater sanction against you."

Outside the Sichuan Garden, sympathetic customers were loading up on solidarity takeout.

"I don't think he was doing anything deceptively," one customer said. "Usually local business owners are super time-strapped"

But others sided with Edelman.

"It's definitely a consumer principle," another customer said. "Why should you pay more just because you're ordering online?"

And state consumer fraud guru Barbara Anthony says Edelman makes a valid point.

"Consumers have the right to know what the price is of an item they're buying," Anthony says.

But Edelman has been getting hammered in the court of public opinion, and Wednesday afternoon, he apologized to Duan and released a statement:

"Having reflected on my interaction with Ran, including what I said and how I said it, it's clear that I was very much out of line. 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."

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