This is fscked up... restaurants adding added tip to your credit card billl

[The Stigenator]

So basically the last few times i have gone out to eat at a sit down restaurant.. i have noticed this trend. Not sure what to do. barring one time this happened every freaking time.

So basically i went to this place called Lyons for dinner with a friend. I paid the bill, it was $30. She put in 5 bucks (a 5 dollar note) on the table and we left. 15% of $30 is $4.5.. now i see i got a bill for 34.46 on my online statement.
grrrr... so basically they tipped themselves $9.46 holy sh*t!

what to do, how can you prevent it? how do you adjust the rate.. and i used my debit card on it. :|

 

[BoberFett]

Read the credit card slip before you sign it?

 

[Lyfer]

Only time I seen this is when you have 5 or more in a group.

 

[sixone]

That is illegal - contact the restaurant. Hopefully you have the receipt for proof?

They should be able to produce a copy to back up their charges. If not, you won't have much recourse for less than $5.

I wouldn't eat there again, and I'd spread the word to reduce the number of chances they have to do this to others. Maybe try to get a TV station involved - they might jump at the chance for an expose.

 

[necine]

usually it says it on the bill... if you go to cheap places or go past a certain time, they do this.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Read the credit card slip before you sign it?

that does not help.they do it AFTER you sign it. I had this happen twice so far.


I just call the resturant and complain.

 

[bamacre]

Call the restaurant, and bitch them out. Then call your bank (atm card #) and complain.

 

[sswingle]

They didn't tip themselves 9.46, just an extra 4.46
They are not allowed to do this obviously, and I would 1) call them to complain, and hope you have your receipt
If they dont do anything, I am unsure what you can do with a deibit card. Thats why I use credit, and can just call the CC bank and they'll take care of it.

 

[isasir]

I'd just show up there and say you misplaced $5 on the table and you want it back, since they decided to tip themselves for less.

 

[The Stigenator]

its tip of 9.46 because frankie put down $5 and tehy added 4.46 = 9.46 .. i only signed for 30.

Even if i have my copy, its not a carbon copy type, so what i write down on their copy is theirs, its hard to validate if you call them with your copy which only has your total and what you scribbled on it to say you paid.

im going to call that restaurant.. this is so illegal. I can understand adding a buck or so if i made a mistake on the tip, but putting down an added 5.. when i know she clearly put down a 5, we put the 5 on top of the signed thing that i left for them.. so its not like they didnt pick it up.

 

[Rubycon]

Sheesh you're fretting over five dollars. Get over it!

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Read the credit card slip before you sign it?

that does not help.they do it AFTER you sign it. I had this happen twice so far.

Um the thing you sign is the receipt of the visa charges... unless you mean they make two charges... one for the food, then when you leave, they charge again for the tip. If so, that's highly illegal.

 

[sixone]

Originally posted by: C6FT7
Sheesh you're fretting over five dollars. Get over it!

It may be only five dollars out of his pocket, but how many other customers are they ripping off? Someone's gotta step up before this will come to an end.

 

[FrequencyX]

Originally posted by: C6FT7
Sheesh you're fretting over five dollars. Get over it!

I don't think he's upset with the amount, its the action

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: C6FT7
Sheesh you're fretting over five dollars. Get over it!

I would fret over $5

 

[sixone]

Originally posted by: TheGoodGuy
its tip of 9.46 because frankie put down $5 and tehy added 4.46 = 9.46 .. i only signed for 30.

Even if i have my copy, its not a carbon copy type, so what i write down on their copy is theirs, its hard to validate if you call them with your copy which only has your total and what you scribbled on it to say you paid.

im going to call that restaurant.. this is so illegal. I can understand adding a buck or so if i made a mistake on the tip, but putting down an added 5.. when i know she clearly put down a 5, we put the 5 on top of the signed thing that i left for them.. so its not like they didnt pick it up.

Make them show you a copy of the signed receipt. Regardless of the response you get from the restaurant, contact your bank, as well. The restaurant is almost certainly not complying with the agreement they have with the debit card company, and the debit card company needs to know.

 

[George P Burdell]

whenever i tip in cash, i make sure i fill in 0.00 as the tip, and fill in the total as well. that way, they can't screw with you

 

[ThisIsMatt]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: C6FT7
Sheesh you're fretting over five dollars. Get over it!

I would fret over $5

 

[sswingle]

Originally posted by: Looney

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Read the credit card slip before you sign it?

that does not help.they do it AFTER you sign it. I had this happen twice so far.

Um the thing you sign is the receipt of the visa charges... unless you mean they make two charges... one for the food, then when you leave, they charge again for the tip. If so, that's highly illegal.

Have you ever left a tip with your CC? They bring back two copies of the receipt, one for you, one for them.. There is a line to add a tip and make a new total, and a line to sign. After signing that copy, you dont get a new copy confirming the amount the tip addedd, but they are allowed to go back and update the charge with the CC to add the tip. So what happened here, is he didn't mark to leave any tip, but they went back in and added one.

So yes, the make two charges (they show up on your statement as one charge) but they do it all the time and its completely legal. What is not legal is that they added a tip without him asking them to.

 

[TallBill]

Your receipt shouldn't really help in a situation like this. They bring 2 reciepts to the table, and you handwrite the tip on both, and sign the restaurant copy.

Who's to say that you didn't write $10 on the restaurant copy and $5 on your own copy. Its not a carbon copy reciept.

Besides, 90% of the time both parties throw out the reciept within a day.

Hopefully they'll just settle it.

 

[BigToque]

If I ever see a place add an "automatic tip" to the bill, I complain and then tell them that even though I probably would have given a tip, I won't be leaving anything anymore.

I'm gonna throw a fit if I ever have someone say "You have to leave a tip, it says so on the back of the menu in fine print."

 

[The Stigenator]

well on the tip line was a 0.00. so technically they couldnt add it without my permission.

I am goign to stop by the bank so i will make a note there at my cutesy teller.

 

[eelw]

If you paid with plastic, why leave a cash tip???? Most likely, the waiter pocketed the cash, and when the manager looked at the receipt, added a 15% tip (which is illegal to do though) to your bill since he doesn't know you left a cash tip.

 

[Whisper]

Originally posted by: eelw
If you paid with plastic, why leave a cash tip???? Most likely, the waiter pocketed the cash, and when the manager looked at the receipt, added a 15% tip (which is illegal to do though) to your bill since he doesn't know you left a cash tip.

I'll do this sometimes if I have a few small bills on me. I've never actually had the restaraunt add a tip on top of that, though.

What does happen to me is the temporary charge will be for the bill and then some. But when the charge finally makes its way onto my actual statement, it's for exactly what I signed off on with the receipt.

Are you positive that this is an actual charge, and not just a temporary hold?

 

[birdpup]

This situation happened to me once at Outback Steakhouse in Rockford, Illinois for an improper $10 tip with $10 cash left on the table on a corporate card for a two person group this past summer.