CHANDIGARH, INDIA — A famous Bollywood actor is going bananas over his hotel bill following a recent stay at a hotel in Chandigarh, India.
Rahul Bose, an Indian actor, director and screenwriter, took to Twitter last month to vent about being charged 442.50 rupees (about Can$8.50) for two bananas while staying at the JW Marriott, Chandigarh.
In a video that he hashtagged with #howtogetfitandgobroke”, Bose provided a brief tour of his suite, noting the many “elegant freebies” that have been provided chocolate cookies, and the beautiful fresh flowers on the coffee table.
You have to see this to believe it. Who said fruit wasn’t harmful to your existence? Ask the wonderful folks at @JWMarriottChd #goingbananas #howtogetfitandgobroke #potassiumforkings pic.twitter.com/SNJvecHvZB
— Rahul Bose (@RahulBose1) July 22, 2019
He then explains that while working out in the hotel gym he requested two bananas, which were delivered to his suite. He then pans to the bananas and the bill placed next to them.
“Check the bill out,” he says while zooming in on the price. “They’re just too good for me. Well done, JW Marriott, Chandigarh!”
This prompted thousands of users to comment on their own horror stories of being overcharged for everyday items. @mrunal0801 wrote: “I encountered similar thing a black coffee no sugar no milk for Ts 200 plus taxes at Mumbai Airport…like seriously 200rs for half a spoon of coffee and hot water?”
@v3nky compared Bose’s bananas to the price of movie popcorn: “Sir, the feeling for us is the same when we buy popcorn in theatres!!”
And @kl_nath also kindly pointed out to Bose that he “could have walked down to the street and just at 50 meters you would have found a bag of 100 bananas for same price.”
Bose’s video has since garnered over 20,000 likes, and been retweeted close to 6,000 times.
The video, which started off as a tongue-in-cheek complaint, may have landed the hotel company is a bit of hot water. According to The Times of India, JW Marriott was fined 25,000 rupees (approximately $478) by Chandigarh’s union territory excise and taxation department for including GST on the price of fruit and vegetables, which should not be applicable for the tax.
This prompted a slew of competing hotels and other companies to poke fun at the situation at JW Marriott’s expense.
The Park Hotels, for example, posted on Facebook that its serves complimentary bananas at its spa, while Taj Hotels went out of its way to remind guests that they “would be delighted to serve seasonal fresh whole fruits with our compliments”.
Meanwhile, in the land of trolling JW Marriott…. pic.twitter.com/ipGEZILQ4s
— Deepak Shenoy (@deepakshenoy) July 25, 2019
prime subscription is just Rs. 129 per month btw ???? pic.twitter.com/oqzA81ssan
— amazon prime video IN (@PrimeVideoIN) July 25, 2019
Even Amazon also joined in on the troll-fest, sharing that for the same price as Bose’s bananas, he could’ve ordered multiple services including Amazon Prime video, free-delivery and same-day shipping.
Well, when you put it that way, 442.50 rupees is quite a bargain. It’s all about perspective!
