Man Unable to Pay for Coffee with 5 Cent Coins Due to Currency Act Restrictions; Sparks Debate

A man just trying to pay for his coffee at a coffee shop was told that the establishment did not accept 5 cent coins anymore. In a post to public Facebook Group Voice Your Grievances, the man, a netizen by the name of Martin Gabriel, wrote: "I heard about this practice, but this is my first time encountering it. Told the seller that some other retailer gave me the coins". Seemingly frustrated, he asked if this practice was allowed, and why then did the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) allow the circulation of 5-cent coins. He also asked if we could exchange all our 5-cent coins a bank to be exchanged for coins of other denominations or notes. "In addition, have they stopped producing 5 cents? Seems odd that the practice of accepting 5 cent is inconsistent among retailers. Just added a pic of their ref to the Act (statute)", Mr Gabriel wrote. Along with his post, he shared a notice put up by the coffee shop that read: "In accordance with Section 13(4) of the Currency Act, I/we hereby give notice that I/we do not accept [5-cent coins] as payment". According to MAS, "Customers may use all note or coin denominations to make payment for goods and services, up to a limit of 20 coins per denomination for each transaction (see Section 13(3) of the Currency Act 1967). A vendor is only obliged to accept payments up to this legal tender limit and can reject any payment exceeding the limit. This is to reduce inconvenience to vendors and their waiting customers should a customer wish to offer a large quantity of coins for payment". The MAS also added that vendors have the discretion to decide how they wish to receive payments, as the payment of goods and services is an agreement between a willing buyer and a willing seller. "Pursuant to section 13(4) of the Currency Act 1967, vendors may provide a written notice to customers stating either or both of the following:

• If they do not wish to accept as payment for their goods or services, any or all of the denominations of currency notes or coins, the denominations of notes or coins that they will not accept as payment.
• If they wish to limit the quantity of any denomination of notes or coins that they will accept in a transaction, such limit on the quantity.

The written notice serves to allow vendors to highlight the proposed terms of payment to the customer and help inform the customer’s decision on whether to go ahead with a transaction. This aims to strike a balance between providing flexibility to vendors to set the terms of transactions, including the terms of payment, while ensuring that customers are aware of these terms and can decide if they are agreeable before proceeding with the transaction", the MAS stated. https://theindependent.sg/5-cents-not-money-hawker-stall-yishun-street-refuses-coin-as-payment-throws-kopi-o-in-sink/ Earlier this year, a member of the public who wished to buy a cup of Kopi O took to social media to complain after being denied payment using two five-cent coins. She posted her complaint on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group about how she experienced a “rude and loud” hawker who refused to accept her payment for a cup of Kopi O at Blk 291 Yishun Street 22. The item was priced at S$1.20, and the customer wanted to pay using one S$1 coin, two five-cent coins and one ten-cent coin. “This rude and loud Vietnamese lady immediately shouted, ‘I do not accept 5cents, go away. I am not selling to you,’” said the Facebook user, adding that the hawker proceeded to pour the Kopi into the sink. “5cents not money? That’s the problem with hawkers nowadays,” said the disgruntled customer. /TISG Read also: More expensive than Kopi O? 80-cent for Ice Kosong water stuns customers | The Independent Singapore News  ‘Ridiculous daylight robbery’ — Customer shocked at $2 for Neskopi, which had been $1.50 week before | The Independent Singapore News  Viral video of robot making coffee at kopitiam stuns netizens | The Independent Singapore News