Cais Ribeira 1 - Funchal

For health reasons my wife wanted a Rooibos tea (no caffeine and not acidic) but not stocked at this cafe. Asked if my wife could have a mug of hot water for a Rooibos tea bag she had with her. The waiter checked with the manageress and came back with my fresh real fruit juice and for my wife a teapot of hot water and a nice cup on a tray, which we thought was very kind, considerate and from previous visits to Funchal typical of Madeiran hospitality. We sat back and admired the view of the harbour and lovely cruise ship. However our pleasant experience was ruined when we came to pay the bill. My fruit juice was 3.euros 20 cents which is what I expected but the bill had an Expresso on it for 1 euro 20 cents which naturally I queried. The manageress said this was for the hot water! I protested saying this was an exorbitant price for a cup of hot water. The manageress became rather hostile and said the cost was for the teapot cup and service. I pointed out that we only asked for a simple mug and that in any case even taking that into consideration the cost was exorbitant. She became more hostile and insisted it was company policy and she had to charge it. I asked how she and the company could get away with registering this on her accounts as an Expresso which seemed fraudulent? The manageress did not answer this question and became even more hostile. As there was a growing queue behind me I paid under sufferance telling her that I would report the matter and go somewhere else that provided pleasant customer service and did not render the accounts untrue. Had the manageress been more convivial, understanding and registered the service correctly as hot water I would have been surprised at the price but paid without too much fuss. Not being able to converse or understand Portuguese I was unable to further the legality of the erroneous registering of the hot water but I would like to know the legal position and the come-back on the company, does anyone know? Happily if you want a really nice cup of tea or coffee, served very considerately and in a charming kind manner go to the Loja Do Cha PNJA LDA Rua do Sabao numbers 33-35 (known locally as the yellow square). If you like rooibos here you will find an incredible number of rooibos real tea leaf blends (about 20) plus many other tea types from around the world all served with real Madeiran hospitality.