An Australian great-grandmother was reportedly forced to beg for a refund for a faulty plug adapter purchased at a Bali market, an incident captured on video. Lorraine, 66, was allegedly compelled to drop to her knees and plead for 250,000 Indonesian Rupiah ($25 AUD) from two female stall operators in Legian.
Her son, Emjay James, 47, who has lived in Bali for nine years, stated that his mother bought the adapter to charge her phone for photos at his upcoming wedding. After discovering the adapter did not work in multiple locations at her hotel and a local coffee shop, they returned to the stall, located across the street from the Jayakarta Hotel, to request a refund.
According to Mr. James, the situation escalated when he informed the stallholders that the product was faulty. He claims the vendors became angry and began speaking in Bahasa Indonesia. Mr. James alleges he was called a "bule bangsat," an offensive Indonesian term for foreigners. He responded by calling the women "anjing," which translates to "dog."
Mr. James then stated he would get hotel security, leaving his mother at the stall. Upon his return, he began filming the confrontation. The video shows Lorraine, accompanied by a hotel security guard, appearing to beg for her money back. Mr. James can be heard telling the stallholders, "You're making my mum, who is an old lady who's just had a stroke, beg for her money back, mate."
Despite the tense exchange, Lorraine eventually accepted a wad of cash from the stallholders, and the couple left with the refund. Mr. James explained that his mother was told to "beg" for the money because the stallholders disliked him. He described his mother as "very distressed" by the incident. The dispute occurred just hours before his wedding ceremony to his Indonesian partner, Aysha. He noted that the confrontation cast a shadow over the celebration, with his mother remaining subdued throughout.
Mr. James initially posted the video on a Facebook page for Australians in Bali but later deleted it due to negative comments directed at his mother. He stated he posted the video simply to share their experience and not to incite conflict. He expressed surprise at the incident, noting that in his nine years living in Bali, he had not encountered such behavior from local vendors, who he generally found to be kind and courteous.
The incident has been reported to the local Banjar, a community council responsible for dispute resolution, and to Niluh Djelantik, an independent Indonesian senator in Bali known for assisting tourists facing issues.