Advertisement Professor gets into email fight with restaurant over $4 Professor Benjamin Edelman threatens legal action Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A professor at Harvard Business School got into an email fight with a Brookline restaurant after realizing he had been overcharged $4 on a $53.35 order, The Boston Globe reported.According to the Globe, Benjamin Edelman emailed Sichuan Garden in Brookline to ask for clarifications on why prices on a menu online were different than ones printed onto his receipt. He said there was a difference of $1 on everything he ordered, which amounted to $4.Edelman is an associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School in the Negotiation, Organizations and Markets unit, according to the Harvard Business School website.Ran Duan's parents own the restaurant and responded to the email and apologized for the out-of-date menu on the website.Edelman responded to the email with clarification of Massachusetts law that states it's a violation to advertise one price and charge a different one, and then demanded the restaurant refund three times the amount he was overcharged because consumers are entitled to triple damages for some violations.Duan responded saying they were a mom and pop restaurant who prides themselves on working hard, and would honor the prices on the website.Edelman responded, "It strikes me that merely providing a refund to a single customer would be an exceptionally light sanction for the violation that occurred."Six more emails were exchanged between Edelman and Duan, ultimately getting into discussions with lawyers.The heated exchange is now sparking a lot of reaction on social media, with most people saying they couldn't believe how far Edelman was taking the situation.Edelman told the website Business Insider, "The restaurant at issue knew the prices had been out of date for some time. At what point should they do something it? I'm pleased to have at least gotten the problem fixed for the benefit of others."To read the entire exchange, click here.