Tip

[captpackrat]

Last month I had lunch at Sizzler (the one near Oak View Mall in Omaha).  The total bill came to $15.89, which I put on my credit card.  I never, ever add a tip to the bill at Sizzler, since you have to pay before you get your food.  I always leave a cash tip on the table after the meal, that way I can give the wait staff an appropriate tip based on their level of service.

On this particular day, service was terrible.  We were pretty much ignored the whole time.  It took forever to get our food, my SO spent most of the meal with an empty glass, and my all-you-could-eat shrimp wasn't remotely all-I-could-eat, it was sit-around-wait-for-until-we-had-to-leave-to-catch-our-movie-before-I-could-get-another-helping shrimp.  I was so annoyed by the waiter, I left no tip whatsoever.

So today, I'm going through my credit card statement, reconciling it with Microsoft Money.  And the charge for Sizzler doesn't match what's in Money.  Money says I paid $15.89, while American Express says I paid $18.37, $15.89 plus a $2.48 tip.

The bastards added a tip to my bill!


I called American Express to contest the charges, and they were really great about it.  They credited my account with the $2.48 right away.  At ONE FREAKING AM, I was on the phone for under five minutes!  And I talked to someone who spoke clear and understandable English, not Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.  I really love this card.

Comments

[mortonfox.livejournal.com]

Did you write "CASH" on the tip line of the bill? That'll tell them that you'll be leaving the tip as cash on the table. But yeah, it's unscrupulous of them to alter the bill after the fact. I always pay it all in cash so that I won't have to worry about such manipulation later.

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

That's a good idea. If I'm not including the tip with the credit card payment, I usually write a zero in the tip line and fill in the total line below. I must have forgotten this time.

I always try to pay with a credit card, since I get 3% cash back for food purchases.

[mortonfox.livejournal.com]

Also, I would definitely let the manager know that service was substandard. In my experience, leaving a low tip or no tip doesn't always send the correct message. They might just chalk it up to a bad tipper.

[deffox]

Definately let the location and/or corporate know. Might want to remember the penny tip to let them know you didn't forget.

I'll have to remember to pay in cash if I go there.