Outrage in Spain after restaurant adds shocking charge to bill

The diner had been eating at a well known Japanese restaurant in Ibiza (Image: Getty)

An Ibiza restaurant has caused outrage after it placed a surprise charge on an unsuspecting customer's receipt. A consumer rights organisation has filed a formal complaint after diners were charged €12 (£10.33) for using a bag hook.

After her visit to the well known Japanese restaurant Wakame, Laura Cunei asked her followers on X if the experience was normal or legal, alongside a photo of the receipt. The post, which has since been reposted 1,000 times, read: "The waitress kindly offers to hang our bags on a little hook at the table. We decline her offer, but due to her insistence, we accept. Our surprise upon seeing the bill... Is this normal? Is it legal?"

She added: "When we saw the receipt, we told them it didn’t seem right to pay for that because we hadn’t ordered it."

She added that the restaurant offered to let her keep the hook, but after she refused, they removed it from the bill. 

The restaurant has since defended its practices on social media, stating: "We want to clarify that the famous "hook" is not, nor has it ever been, a business strategy. It's an optional service, and the amount is always discounted when paying, unless the person wants to take it as a memento.

"If in any case we have forgotten to remove it, we have corrected it for now. No one has EVER paid for this service without wanting to."

However, the consumer rights organisation, FACUA, said the practice was problematic because the consumers were not informed about it beforehand.

The organisation reported Wakame to the Balearic Islands General Directorate of Benefits, Pharmacy and Consumption, citing violations of consumer protection laws.

It referenced parts of the Consumer Protection decree, which referenced undisclosed charges for accessory services.