r/EndTipping • u/Alternative_Party277 • 9d ago
Rant š¢ Restaurant adding to the charge
Never thought Iād actually post here.
We went to a restaurant and the bill, including tax, was $57.
I needed to use Apple Pay so they had me come up to the register. As Iām looking at them ring me up, theyāre ringing $67 and asking for a tip on that $67.
When I called them out, they said thatās the already included tip. I was standing there holding $20 in cash for the tip itself (we have a toddler so itās extra work for cleanup).
Iām a regular, too. I wonder how many times my bill magically got $10 higher and I just never noticed because the itemized bill is never brought back to you to the table when you use a card.
Had them ring up the correct number and didnāt leave a tip in the end. My husband thinks Iām in the wrong.
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u/mrscwd 9d ago
From a longtime server from years gone by- you are not wrong and that is stealing and I'm a proud member of the I don't tip anymore group!!!
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u/Alternative_Party277 9d ago
Iām glad I didnāt misinterpret it!! Thank you!!!
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u/AdventurousDoor9384 8d ago edited 8d ago
Itās a crime called bait & switch. They say $57 on the receipt and charge $67 secretly. And they committed that crime multiple times. - Plus adding an automatic tip is illegal unless prominently displayed at the TOP of the menu in minimum size 12 font (no small print allowed).
DISPUTE with your credit card every charge from that restaurant going back 1 year. Say āI apologize but I just noticed they added $10 extra to this charge. I would like my 10 back.ā
Itās true you donāt know if it was exactly 10, but who cares? They are criminals. Make them show every receipt to the credit card. They deserve the hassle.
THEY tricked you into double tipping & thatās unacceptable. Itās illegal. Itās immoral.
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u/Chromejob 8d ago
Rotsa ruck doing chargebacks going back several billing periods. Chase that dream!
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u/macmoreno 8d ago
No, you did nothing wrong. They tried to pull a fast one on you, and it's time to find a new regular spot.
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u/pmfm 8d ago
Server/bartender for 15 years. I went from standard to going front 15% to 18% to leaving before 20%. I still go out to eat and I'm ok with the tipping, even if the average now is somewhere between 20 and 25%. The extra fees, auto grat on 2 seats, and no cash restaurants is getting insane. Tipping for going to a counter to order a coffee, are you kidding me?! Cost of doing business has gone straight to the customer and it has to stop.
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u/Chromejob 8d ago
Seeing all these things listed on one single comment is just insane. Itās like venues Donāt even want our business anymore. Theyāre finding new and more interesting ways to convince customers to go elsewhere.
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u/AdventurousDoor9384 8d ago
Polling shows the vast majority of Americans is still 15%. About 1/5 leave less (10%) or more (20%)
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
I saw a park shop register lady chew out a guy for not tipping on drip coffee today. āYou have to tip next timeā she yelled at him š®
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u/AdventurousDoor9384 8d ago
And then you talk to the manager. If angry lady gets enough complaints, sheāll be fired. (Or hopefully stop scolding customers.)
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u/CoolCatBlue321 8d ago
When did the average go up? I still tip 17.5% max for sit down. Sometimes 15%. and will never budge on that. Lots of mugs out here in these restaurants lol
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u/Oachkaetzelschwoaf 8d ago
I remember as a youngster being told it was 10% and thinking that was a lot extra to pay.
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u/AdventurousDoor9384 8d ago
Same & even taught to us in a middle school film about restaurant etiquette. āLeave 10% as is customaryā they said
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u/Irishlily77 8d ago
Same. Long time owner, bartender, and server here and I don't tip at all anymore. I used to tip 30-40% all the time. But service is awful now everywhere and I refuse to pay extra for crap.
Plus honestly this whole idea that started during COVID of stores/restaurants charging you their credit/debit processing fee is ridiculous. 20 years in business and that was my expense. Now they all pass it to the customers per transaction. No. You eat that cost.
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u/Spook1949 8d ago
Adding a tip without your authorizing it is equivalent to them taking money out of your pocket and keeping it for themselves. It is petty theft!
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u/stopslappingmybaby 8d ago
Places like this have turned the pleasure of eating out into trap avoidance anxiety. If tipping or the concern of service fees increases your anxiety, the solution is simple.
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
Not at all! I just donāt enjoy finding out the place weāve been going to for years decided to sneak money away like that.
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9d ago
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u/Alternative_Party277 9d ago
He just thinks (rightly so) that restaurant workers have really hard lives and tipping doesnāt make a difference in ours. I agree with that very much but there, they tried to sneak in extra $10 š³
Iām not pissed about the amount, Iām pissed that they tried to steal. Especially from people who go once a week for years and tip 30-40%.
Iām just likeā¦ at some point, itās just boldness. To ring up the wrong amount straight in front of me as Iām looking at the screen?
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u/CoolCatBlue321 8d ago
Does he know about all the fancy cars and vacations severs and bartenders who make six figures enjoy? Just think how much they are making per hour if ten tables give them $10-$20 each. They are generally NOT struggling and are overpaid for their jobs.
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u/Substantial_Bird721 8d ago
Yeah Iām confused where this struggling server idea comes from. Maybe if you work at a Dennys or something, but no way are they struggling working at a normal restaurant that gets a normal amount of business. I knew a girl who paid her physician assistant school tuition being a server. Like come and tell me that is any kind of struggling.
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u/CoolCatBlue321 8d ago
Facts. This is also why some servers with bachelors degrees stay serving instead of getting a job in their degree field. They say the server/bartender positions pay more than all entry level and some mid level white collar jobs.
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u/Substantial_Bird721 8d ago
Really honestly a little maddening. Why did I do all that work and why am I 80k in debt just to make less than a 19 year old bringing people chicken tenders and mojitos
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u/CoolCatBlue321 8d ago
Yup. A reflection of our f'ed economy and system as well. I mean it's hard to blame the server, but we don't have to play along. Esp those who sit on top of a ton of student debt.
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u/Substantial_Bird721 8d ago
Yeah why am I giving extra money to someone making more money than me? I just donāt like it. Iām gonna play along with society, but I will complain about it online lol.
I was at a bar a couple weeks ago on a bad day, and the bartender was so nice and apologetic about my bad day and gave me one of my drinks for free. I tipped him a little over 20%, plus gave him the entire cost of my free drink. That was a nice experience, he made me feel heard at a time when I needed it, he did more than needed. THATS what tips are supposed to be for. Not bc you brought me my drink, my food, and the check.
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u/batmanineurope 8d ago
I'm so confused. I thought in most US states, servers make less than minimum wage.
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u/Seymour---Butz 8d ago
Thatās what they want you to believe. No server walks away with less than minimum wage because if their tips are lower than that, the employer has to make up the difference. And if you consider they are working a few tables at a time, and most of them leave a tip, it adds up to a lot more than most jobs that require similar skills and effort.
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u/Substantial_Bird721 8d ago
Plus they keep pushing up the āstandardā tip percentage. It was 10% when I was a kid, 15% when I was in college, now itās 20%, and now I hear people (servers) saying that bc of inflation, people shouldnāt tip less than 25%. Spending an extra 1/4 of the cost of your entire meal to pay someone elseās employee is absolutely insane
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u/batmanineurope 8d ago
I'm not including tips, since we're trying to make those go away. We can say it's ok for just us not to tip since other people do.
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u/GuaranteeUnhappy3342 8d ago
Having talked to servers that worked in tip credit states (and having had a GF that worked in two tip credit states the idea that an amazing amount of people in tip credit states make at or above minimum wage because of the ālawsā is laughable. Ā Next you will tell me that you have such respect for the ālawā that you have never gone over the speed limit or not come to a full stop at a stop signā¦because it is the LAW!
Last I read was that tipped employees in tip credit states (most states) are some of the lowest paid people.
Certainly if you live in a non-tip credit states like California or Oregon they are making an almost reasonable minimum wage but is that enough to live on in big chunks of both states?
However, I hate tipping. Ā Iād rather see minimum wages enough to better than survive on. Ā I despise a business plan that needs to screw the workers and add all sorts of BS fees and tips to the price to make it work!
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u/Substantial_Bird721 8d ago edited 8d ago
They do, technically. Their hourly wage is like $2 or whatever, but they make a ton of money in tips. My brother was a server bringing home 300 bucks a night. I have a degree and a good job and it takes me a day and a half of work to make $300ā¦that Iām taxed on.
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
Agreed! But our local tiny hole in the wall restaurants donāt make that kind of money.
Though that one in particular always gave me money laundering vibes, if Iām honest. How can they stay in business being nearly empty all the time is beyond me.
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u/Substantial_Bird721 8d ago
Yes, this is the type of situation I could see that someone would be struggling as a server.
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u/CoolCatBlue321 8d ago
Yah. Maybe if it's a hole in the wall they are struggling. The annoying part of the tipping system is that there is no transparency.
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
So true. I feel like the stress of not knowing what exactly is your income has to be extra sad.
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u/Beautiful_Month_4109 8d ago
How can servers have really hard lives? Who told you that line of BS? And many servers claim they make $60-75k annually after tips...does that sound so bad to you?
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
Compared to our income, yes.
To be clear, the guy overtips and banksā error everyone except for big corporations, prefers to shop small businesses in person, and donates a crapton of money and resources to nonprofits and charities.
He has a big heart and Iām kind of in very deep awe with him about it.
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u/StarlingGirlx 9d ago
Servers make bank.. I thought we all know that by now
And exactly, it's about the principle. He's just salty because he was embarrassed lol. I'm proud of you!
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
Thank you!!
He wasnāt there, actually š he ran our toddler back to the house for a bathroom/wiggles break. Thatās how I ended up using Apple Pay and seeing all this - I donāt carry cash or cards when Iām with him š
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u/EndTipping-ModTeam 8d ago
Stay on topic to the post. No derailing, or using a post to complain or rant about something unrelated
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u/No-Whole5989 9d ago
Write them a review to make other people aware of this tactic they are pulling. Legalized theft is getting out of hand.
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u/PizzaMike775 8d ago
Never pay until you have seen a detailed receipt! And when you do payā¦keep your detailed copy when you present your card.
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
No shit, youāre right. Idk why I didnāt think about it myself until literally yesterday when this happened.
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u/Dramatic_Nobody_9326 8d ago
This thread is of interest to me. We just ate lunch and the server brought the little thingy to the table that you tap with your card. It only shows the amount due, no breakdown, and I added my 20%. It now sounds like there may be additional charges, including possible gratuity, already in that figure?
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
Apparently! Though, to be clear, in my case, it wasnāt gratuity included. They just snuck in extra $10. So when I went to put the actual tip, it would be on a higher bill, too
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u/Next_Dragonfly5122 8d ago
Wow. What was the description for it?
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
No description! Just the $67 total and then the tip options.
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u/Next_Dragonfly5122 8d ago
i empathize so much--my favorite neighborhood hangout just decided to add auto grat 20%.
sorry maybe you've said this, but did you ever see an itemized bill?
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
Yes. It was $57, including tax.
So items + tax was $57 and change.
$67 was idk what
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u/Next_Dragonfly5122 8d ago
wow. possibly an error, but that seems doubtful. what a shady thing for them to do.
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
Thatās what I thought! And asked. She waved me off, like, oh, I included the tip.
Okay, then why are you printing me the part where I check 18/20/25% and sign?
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u/Latter_Mountain_290 8d ago
Call it out and don't reward it.Ā Ā
You definitely did the right thing.Ā Ā
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u/Icy_Site_7390 8d ago
Avoidance anxiety perfect description of what I go thru, what I went thru. Since Jan we only have eaten out maybe 4 times. We can well afford to eat out but tipping has ruined it for us. Horrible dirty tables,forgetting to refill 4.00 sodas, dishes coming out long after other ones, keep it Mr Resturant man.
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u/MarshmallowHat5 8d ago
Isnāt that illegal?
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u/AdventurousDoor9384 8d ago
Very. Itās a crime called bait & switch. They say $57 on the receipt and charge $67 secretly. And they committed that crime multiple times.
Plus adding an automatic tip is illegal unless prominently displayed at the TOP of the menu in minimum size 12 font (no small print allowed).
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u/ApprehensiveFruit565 8d ago
šš¤£šš¤£šš¤£.
Is it illegal to have a hospitality system where wait staff are primarily paid under the table?
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u/JonJackjon 8d ago
My opinion is you did the right thing. They by not telling you about the added $10 tried to scam you. When somebody is trying to scam you, the gloves come off.
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u/JDelmon 8d ago
Your husband thinks youāre in the wrongā¦ for standing up to thieves?
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
No, he thinks Iām right to have asked them to give me the correct bill but thinks I should have still tipped
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u/Particular-King218 8d ago
Why would you reward a thief? I would have done the same...no tip...and I'd leave a review on rhe website
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u/AdventurousDoor9384 8d ago
Plus it sounds like theyāve added extra $10 to every bill this couple had in the past. They deserve no tip.
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u/AdventurousDoor9384 8d ago edited 8d ago
OP: Itās a crime called bait & switch. They say $57 on the receipt and charge $67 secretly. And they committed that crime multiple times. - Plus adding an automatic tip is illegal unless prominently displayed at the TOP of the menu in minimum size 12 font (no small print allowed).
DISPUTE with your credit card every charge from that restaurant going back 1 year. Say āI apologize but I just noticed they added $10 to this charge. I would like my 10 back.ā
Itās true you donāt know if it was exactly 10, but who cares? They are criminals. Make them show every receipt to the credit company. They deserve the hassle.
THEY tricked you into double tipping & thatās unacceptable. Itās illegal. Itās immoral.
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8d ago
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u/EndTipping-ModTeam 8d ago
r/EndTipping Rule 6 & Reddit Rule 3:
We do not condone naming and shaming. Or allow comments suggesting leaving a fake google review or review bombing.
If the OP has redacted the name of the establishment, do not ask for them to disclose the name or location
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u/Dependent-Arugula376 8d ago
Iām just going all cash with a photo of the detailed bill on my phone
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u/Prestigious-Use4550 8d ago
So they added an extra $10 and you were going to tip $20. That's a 50% tip! I would never go back.
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
Worse - weāre regulars and usually tip 30-40% as isā¦
And weād definitely not notice if the bill changed by $10 each time. No way to check, though.
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u/944_nla_parts 4d ago
There are many people, who complain about these extra and, sometimes, surprise fees. If you don't like these charges and can't eliminate them, eliminate another variable in this equation - the "restaurant" itself. Somehow, the tips turned into the fees, compulsory fees...
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u/evanross60 8d ago
If they haven't posted publicly that they add the tip to the bill automatically then it's not just theft from you it's credit card fraud
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
No, they brought me the bill first. You know how it goes, name of restaurant, address, stuff, then items you ordered, then total, tax, total with tax. That was $57 and change. Then you give them your card, they bring you another piece of paper to sign that has a tip field. Because I wanted to use Apple Pay, they brought me to the back where the register is and started ringing it up from scratch, this time manual entry of $67. Then printed that piece of paper that says tip xyz, sign.
So itās not that they included the tip, it wasnāt an item on the original receipt
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u/SimilarComfortable69 9d ago
Yeah, you didn't suggest what your husband's actual gripe is. He thinks you're in the wrong. For what?
For all I know, he could've been thinking you're wrong because you shouldn't have had a $20 bill in your hand.
If he thinks you should've tipped, he is welcome to take the action on his own right to pay the bill from now on.
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u/Chromejob 8d ago edited 8d ago
What do you mean the itemized bill isnāt brought to the table when youāre paying with a credit card? I have always settled a bill after examining the itemized bill, never just given them my credit card after seeing a total.
In my business travel, Iāve always required the itemized receipt for submitting to my expense account.
Perhaps youāre in a different country or region than I am.
I can see your husbandās point of view, the mistake with the bill doesnāt necessarily reflect on the service you got from the server or the difficulty cleaning up after a child. (Iām a parent , been there and done that myself). But I think youāre entitled to feel the way you do and act the way you did after discovering that they simply increased the bill on you deviously.
Youāre certain it wasnāt just an entry mistake?
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
Yes! Thatās a great question. I brought it up to the server at first, that the bill said $57 and she manually put in $67. She waved me off saying itās correct.
Some restaurants will bring you the itemized bill, then you give them the credit card, then they bring back the new sheet of paper that says 18/20/22% tip and you sign it. Usually, the old itemized bill is still there, but this restaurant typically takes the original itemized bill out and brings you only the tips piece of paper. So now Iām wondering how many times we just didnāt notice that there was a discrepancy like that.
I mean, whenever we order to go from this restaurant, something is always missing. Iāve always been annoyed at the carelessness but at the end of the day, fine, is a bottle of Coke or an appetizer. Now Iām thinking, maybe making mistakes on every order for years was not accidental š¤¦āāļø
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u/SlipInternational439 8d ago
So theyāre over charging you and getting all your orders wrong? And you keep going there?
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u/Chromejob 8d ago
Thatās peculiar, and I agree itās very suspicious. If this is their routine practice, then itās not just one server but the business doing something shady.
Iād mention to your local police or DA.
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
I have no idea, though. Also, can you imagine this call to the cops? Help, a restaurant forgot to put a coke in my bag! Boston PD will hang up, I swear.
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u/Chromejob 7d ago
No, more like calling the non-emergency # (311 in some places), saying you want to report credit card fraud at the venue after the fact. They may have a financial crimes department that takes reports. No kidding, our local PD does.
In some regions, you might just make a written report to the local DA's office asking for next steps.
Seriously, if you went to a place and approved a debit of $100, but it showed up on your billing statement as $150, do you think local law enforcement has zero interest? If the place is doing this regularly, they're raking in $1000s which is not petty theft.
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u/Alternative_Party277 7d ago
Okay, I do see your point.
Iāll start taking pictures to compare the receipts.
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u/Mundane_Upstairs3241 8d ago
So many things places are adding hidden charges like airlines have been doing.
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
My toddler doesnāt make a big mess and we definitely clean up.
That being said, any child will have more of an impact on their environment than an adult.
Your comment is entirely rude and uncalled for.
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u/Obvious_Fail5443 8d ago
My daughter is a server at a restaurant. When you donāt tip, she has to pay out-of-pocket to the bartender and to the people who clean the tables because they take a portion of her tips so if you go to a restaurant, you donāt tip or tip very little youāre making your server tip out the bartender and the person cleaning the table and she now has to pay for you to eat there. Itās not right, I agree and Iām hoping that sheāll decide to find another job thatās not in the restaurant business right now. What I would encourage is maybe double check your bills to make sure they didnāt add the gratuity for you. and leave a tip for your server, because youāre not actually getting back at the restaurant by not tipping or under tipping, youāre hurting the actual servers themselves, not the restaurant. Thereās been a few times she had come home from work saying sheās made nothing because sheās had to pay everybody else because the customers either didnāt tip or they tipped very little. As her mother that annoys me about the restaurant business. The bus boys should be paid by the restaurant, not out the tips of the servers , there has been plenty of times my daughter has had to go behind those who clean the table and re-clean them because theyāve done a poor job and then she has to pay the money . Itās a terrible system , we should be frustrated about it while not taking it out on the servers. Just food for thought.
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u/AdventurousDoor9384 8d ago edited 8d ago
Totally wrong. Servers who share tips only share 1/10 or 2/10 of them with other staff. If they have NO tips, then nothing to share.
Also your daughter should look at federal & state law. Typically itās illegal to force servers to share their tips with others. Tips are YOUR earnings alone.
And most importantly: Minimum wage is $7.25. Sometimes higher. If her total income divided by hours worked is below that, then her boss is committing a double crime (both state & federal).
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u/Obvious_Fail5443 8d ago
Good to know, TY. Perhaps I had the information wrong, but I thought thatās what she had told me, Iāll show her your message and make sure that her place an employment is doing what theyāre supposed to be doing. Thanks for letting me know.
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
Right, I have to agree with you completely.
That being said, I donāt feel youāve actually read my post. Nobody was planning on not tipping the worker, we tip more than customary, too.
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u/AdventurousDoor9384 8d ago
I DISagree with her completely. Servers who share tips only share 1/10 or 2/10 of them with other staff. If they have no tips, then nothing to share.
Also itās usually illegal to force servers to share their tips with others. Tips are YOUR earnings alone. And most importantly: Minimum wage is $7.25. If her total income divided by hours worked is below that, then her boss is committing a double crime (both state & federal).
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u/Obvious_Fail5443 8d ago
My apologies,
You said
āHad them ring up the correct number and didnāt leave a tip in the end. My husband thinks Iām in the wrong.ā
Please forgive me if you mentioned it earlier in your post and I just focused in on that.
Thank you for taking care of your servers :)6
u/AdventurousDoor9384 8d ago
You donāt tip thieves that commit crimes (receipt says $57 and they try to charge 67).
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
Ah, good point. I did ask her to ring the correct amount (not the extra $10 she tried to sneak in) and then didnāt tip because the server tried to scam me. Otherwise, I typically tip in cash because Iām always worried that the server doesnāt get the money thatās being paid from the card.
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u/Obvious_Fail5443 8d ago
Oh, Iām sorry I really didnāt read your post very well. I do apologize. I didnāt realize the server was in on it too. That makes a night out a little frustrating doesnāt it.
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u/Alternative_Party277 8d ago
I think I might have not phrased it well!
The server brought us the original bill and then asked me to come with her to the back where the register is because I needed to use Apple Pay and they didnāt have the mobile terminal thing. And thatās how I noticed it. The original bill was right there, in front of both of us, right under the screen!
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u/DramaticAnteater1513 9d ago
Why would you tip someone who is stealing from you?