Thailand cake shop sues customer for 1-star review, loses case & shuts down

When a customer gave a well-known cake shop in Phuket, Thailand, a one-star review, the business decided to sue her for defamation, seeking 5 million baht (S$191,544) in damages.

On Jul. 23, a court in Phuket dismissed the case, the lawyer who represented the customer said in a Facebook post.

"The consumer wins," he wrote in the caption along with a photo of him and his client.

The cake shop, believed to be called Sharky Eye, has reportedly since closed down.

The 1-star review

In 2025, the customer visited the shop, then wrote online that the cake was not tasty and cost too much, according to The Thaiger.

The review apparently went viral at the time.

In his Facebook post, the lawyer Arm Suwannaraksa said that the cake shop chose to sue the customer rather than listen to the feedback and reach out for clarification.

Following the verdict, the customer, Bootsakorn Plesamoot, shared screenshots of the conversation she had with the cake shop regarding her review.

In one message, the shop allegedly threatened to cause her trouble if she did not delete the review.

"I don't know how you've reviewed other shops, but if you don't want any trouble and want to get out of this uncomfortable situation, I suggest you delete that review, and everything will be over," they wrote.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1125"] Image from Bootsakorn Plesamoot's Facebook[/caption]

Sharky Eye has also posted about the verdict on its Facebook page, stating simply that the case was dismissed.

A lesson for businesses

Suwannaraksa believes this case should serve as a lesson for businesses in Thailand.

"Suing consumers should never be the first option. It should be the last," he wrote in his post.

He said that honest criticism from customers deserves a fair hearing, and businesses should use it to improve or respond with reasons, not with court papers.

"As a lawyer, if I were advising a business owner, I would always say that good communication and proper problem-solving usually deliver better results than taking the matter to court."

According to The Thaiger, such a case is not uncommon in the country — businesses have repeatedly used Thailand's  defamation laws against customers who give criticism.

Legal experts have termed suits like this "strategic lawsuits against public participation", said to be aimed at silencing critics by draining them financially and emotionally.