Man orders a latte in Spain and 'unfair' bill leaves him floored

A latte ordered at a Spanish restaurant has left a man floored by an "unfair" bill which has split opinion online. Members of the public were stunned to see the price of the drink, particularly the charge added to the receipt after the man requested a different type of milk.

A screenshot of a message sent to a bar in Oviedo, northwest Spain, has been shared online and has since gone viral. The customer sent the well-known content creator a message, and moaned that it was "unfair" not to warn people of charges for substituting ingredients to the coffee.

The man, who is lactose intolerant, had asked for lactose-free milk, and the charge has left him feeling ripped off.

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The customer wrote: "Hello, I’m writing to you from Oviedo (Asturias), specifically from the Fontán neighbourhood, an old and popular area of the city.

"I’m sending you this complaint about being charged a supplement for lactose-free milk; if they’re going to charge extra, they should warn you."

Attached to the message was a photo of the receipt showing that they were charged an extra 30 cents for having lactose-free milk.

The furious customer continued: "I think it’s unfair; it’s an intolerance, not a whim, and lactose-free milk costs the same as any other milk."

@soycamarero posted this to his social media, and asked: "Are you for or against this extra charge on the bill?" Members of the public were split on how to feel about the excess charge.

One user wrote: "Then they wonder why people don’t go to bars/cafés and instead grab a sandwich and sit in a park."

Another shared: "I’m vegan. I know that having soya or oat milk is an additional expense for the business. Opening a bottle just for one coffee isn’t worth it or you risk it going off. My alternative? Talk to the waiter to see if they mind you bringing your own oat milk."

A third wrote: “Against it; the price difference between a litre of regular milk and lactose-free doesn’t reach that amount; besides, the profit made from coffee is significant."

But some found themselves wondering whether the cost of lactose-free milk was the reason behind charging more. One person considered the overheads and found themselves in favour of the extra charge.

They explained: "Lactose-free milk is quite a bit more expensive than normal depending on brands; if it’s own-brand there might be a difference of 12-15 cents; if we’re talking about branded ones, regular milk can cost nearly one euro per litre while lactose-free ranges between €1.20 and €1.80 depending on brand."

Another added: "If I open a litre of lactose-free milk for someone and at the end of the day I have to throw it away that would be a loss."

A third suggested: "If the establishment complies with regulations, this shouldn’t surprise the customer. It must be listed, fixed and visible to customers before ordering. On the other hand, people aren’t used to checking prices but do complain afterwards."