Apology over $4 overcharge rant

A Harvard Business School instructor who blasted a Boston-area Chinese restaurant for overcharging him by $4 (€3.20) on a takeaway order has apologised for an email exchange with restaurant management.

Associate professor Benjamin Edelman had threatened legal action and demanded the Sichuan Garden in Brookline compensate all other customers who might have been similarly overcharged after he said it charged him $1 more on each of the four items he ordered for takeaway last week.

But after facing wide criticism, Edelman posted a brief message on his personal website saying he has reached out to apologise to Ran Duan, who helps manage his parent’s restaurant business: “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.”