At a recent forum organised by the Institute of Service Excellence at SMU, industry leaders said that customers have more control than they think over how their dining and travelling experiences turn out. But that power is not best wielded by showing displeasure to service staff in order to wrangle discounts and this may in fact prove counter-productive to building a stronger service culture in Singapore. After all, most potential patrons are savvier and more discerning than to believe entirely every unverified negative comment or story they hear online.