BAD tippers

[UGetPaid]

My daughter works at an Applebee's restaurant in Florida.  She is a lower level manager and bartender, but also sometimes works as a server. Back in June she served a "gentleman" who was very friendly and talkative and he left her a $300 tip on a $25 bill.  It was all put on his credit card and on the sales slip which showed the $25 amount (not $25 exactly to the dollar, but you get the idea) he wrote for the tip $300 [I don't know if he wrote "$300" or "$300.00" to where it could be confused as $3 and he just forgot to add the decimal point].  But in adding up the total HE wrote it as $325.00 and not $28.00.


Needless to say, daughter was surprised and she asked several managers on duty if they thought he had made a mistake or if that was not his intention; but there was the amount clear as day: $325 with the guy's signature.  Just to be sure, they put $300 into the store safe in case the chap walked back in a week later and told them it was a mistake. After about a week or ten days, daughter got her $300 tip!


THREE weeks later this guy comes back in hot as hell demanding the return of his $300 saying they should have known better/known it was an error and threatened to sue the restaurant! He commented on how he couldn't believe how dishonest the server was after she seemed like such a nice girl. The man was irate and he got his money back (which my daughter had to make up, but which had already been spent on a visit back up to Ohio to see her mom and I and her little sister's dance recital).


So not only did she have to give the money back, but she ended up ultimately getting ZERO tip from the jerk!  They saved the receipt and showed the man his signature authorizing the payment of $325, but he only got more upset and said they should have known it was a mistake.  Daughter says that the man did have alcohol with his meal, but he certainly was not intoxicated to where he wouldn't realize the math error.


End result = she did everything right: she asked multiple managers to confirm the amount the night the guy was there and put the money into the safe for a week just in case it was a mistake and the guy came back in asking for the money. They had no way to contact the guy to ask him: "Uhh, gee sir. Did you intend to leave that large of a tip."  So how long should they hold the guy's money?


If it was me and I noticed my error, I would be back the next day! But three weeks later?!?!? (Okay, maybe it took that long for his credit card statement to reflect it).  In the end, even though he was clearly wrong, the adage that "the customer is always right" won out.  But at least all the managers had her back when the guy began threatening to sue.


Did she earn a $300 tip? probably not     but the way the guy handled it all was not right. And legally he had ZERO legs to stand on after he added it up and signed the receipt.

[michele2042]

Wow, what a terrible situation for your daughter.   It's just my opinion but it seems as though the restaurant should have helped your daughter out by paying half of the money, if not all.   I think they did the correct thing by holding it for a week but after that I would have believed it was legitimate.    The man saying "you should have known" in my opinion, isn't valid.  We're all read stories about customers leaving amazing tips in restaurants.   I feel bad for your daughter and hope she doesn't become suspicious of all customers.

[natashaspy]

I feel so bad for your daughter....can't help but wonder if the customer may have had a significant other that found out about the tip and made him go back?

[vickysue]

The first thing the manger or owner should have done was call the credit company, they in turn would have called the man.  Then he should have come down to the restaurant and had the cc voided and repaid the correct amount with a tip for the young lady for being honest plus the  work of serving him.  So he was at fault but  so was the restaurant for not following through with it and checking with the man.  Yep things happen.

[countrygirl12]

My daughter works at an Applebee's restaurant in Florida.  She is a lower level manager and bartender, but also sometimes works as a server. Back in June she served a "gentleman" who was very friendly and talkative and he left her a $300 tip on a $25 bill.  It was all put on his credit card and on the sales slip which showed the $25 amount (not $25 exactly to the dollar, but you get the idea) he wrote for the tip $300 [I don't know if he wrote "$300" or "$300.00" to where it could be confused as $3 and he just forgot to add the decimal point].  But in adding up the total HE wrote it as $325.00 and not $28.00.


Needless to say, daughter was surprised and she asked several managers on duty if they thought he had made a mistake or if that was not his intention; but there was the amount clear as day: $325 with the guy's signature.  Just to be sure, they put $300 into the store safe in case the chap walked back in a week later and told them it was a mistake. After about a week or ten days, daughter got her $300 tip!


THREE weeks later this guy comes back in hot as hell demanding the return of his $300 saying they should have known better/known it was an error and threatened to sue the restaurant! He commented on how he couldn't believe how dishonest the server was after she seemed like such a nice girl. The man was irate and he got his money back (which my daughter had to make up, but which had already been spent on a visit back up to Ohio to see her mom and I and her little sister's dance recital).


So not only did she have to give the money back, but she ended up ultimately getting ZERO tip from the jerk!  They saved the receipt and showed the man his signature authorizing the payment of $325, but he only got more upset and said they should have known it was a mistake.  Daughter says that the man did have alcohol with his meal, but he certainly was not intoxicated to where he wouldn't realize the math error.


End result = she did everything right: she asked multiple managers to confirm the amount the night the guy was there and put the money into the safe for a week just in case it was a mistake and the guy came back in asking for the money. They had no way to contact the guy to ask him: "Uhh, gee sir. Did you intend to leave that large of a tip."  So how long should they hold the guy's money?


If it was me and I noticed my error, I would be back the next day! But three weeks later?!?!? (Okay, maybe it took that long for his credit card statement to reflect it).  In the end, even though he was clearly wrong, the adage that "the customer is always right" won out.  But at least all the managers had her back when the guy began threatening to sue.


Did she earn a $300 tip? probably not     but the way the guy handled it all was not right. And legally he had ZERO legs to stand on after he added it up and signed the receipt.

Did she ask HIM?  If HE added the total then he can't say it was a mistake.  Asking other managers is not really handling it right.  If she really thought it might be a mistake then she should have asked him hey is this correct.  You know you left me a $300 tip here.  I don't think it is fair that she had to give him the $300 back.  Instead of waiting a week and saying oh we cannot contact him and say "gee sir is this a mistake" they should have ask to confirm that night.  Any time any person leaves an outrageous tip they should confirm to make sure it is right.

[countrygirl12]

Wow, what a terrible situation for your daughter.   It's just my opinion but it seems as though the restaurant should have helped your daughter out by paying half of the money, if not all.   I think they did the correct thing by holding it for a week but after that I would have believed it was legitimate.    The man saying "you should have known" in my opinion, isn't valid.  We're all read stories about customers leaving amazing tips in restaurants.   I feel bad for your daughter and hope she doesn't become suspicious of all customers.

No they done the wrong thing by holding it.  It was not their to hold.  If they were that sure it was a mistake they should have ask him to confirm he wanted to leave a $300 tip.  You are right though in him saying oh you should have know is not right.  You do hear all the time about people leaving huge tips.

[countrygirl12]

I feel so bad for your daughter....can't help but wonder if the customer may have had a significant other that found out about the tip and made him go back?

lol.  I meant to put that at the end of my last reply.  I am betting his wife saw it and got mad.  Once the transaction went thru and he signed it he didn't have a leg to stand on.  And he wasn't going to sue anyone.  If I were a manager I would have said well go ahead.  We have the receipt where YOU wrong the tip amount in and YOU added the total and it came up to $3--.-- so clearly you knew what you were doing.  Three hundred and something is way different than $28.

[countrygirl12]

The first thing the manger or owner should have done was call the credit company, they in turn would have called the man.  Then he should have come down to the restaurant and had the cc voided and repaid the correct amount with a tip for the young lady for being honest plus the  work of serving him.  So he was at fault but  so was the restaurant for not following through with it and checking with the man.  Yep things happen.

Why would they call the credit card company.  It is none of their business to call the credit card company.  And they knew it was over $300.  They all discussed it.  Well with every one but the customer.  The owner of the card.

All restaurants should have a policy where if the tip is over a certain amount they have to verbally confirm with the customer.  If the tip is several hundred or several thousand ask the customer "is this correct"?  The average joe is not going to leave a huge tip like that.

And IF this was all a mistake and he wrote 3 with two zeros and the dot was missed and he is not the one who added the total which normally the customer does not add the total the cashier does - then he has a right to be upset.  I would be too.  I would be beyond irate.

This could have all been avoided if they had just asked the customer instead of discussing it among themselves and leaving the one person it truly involved out of it all.

[cathy37]

When I leave a tip at a restaurant, I put in the amount of the tip and add the amount up and then sign it.  If I don't leave a tip, I put a line through the part that asks for a tip.

[UGetPaid]

This could have all been avoided if they had just asked the customer instead of discussing it among themselves and leaving the one person it truly involved out of it all.

Except that in MOST cases (this is consistently true with my wife and I anyway) you leave your tip and then you depart the restaurant.  The customer is more often than not not around to ask, which is why my daughter instead asked the managers for their input/advice.


So here, the customer voluntarily took himself out of the discussion; he was not intentionally left out.

[thoughtparticles]

This could have all been avoided if they had just asked the customer instead of discussing it among themselves and leaving the one person it truly involved out of it all.

Except that in MOST cases (this is consistently true with my wife and I anyway) you leave your tip and then you depart the restaurant.  The customer is more often than not not around to ask, which is why my daughter instead asked the managers for their input/advice.


So here, the customer voluntarily took himself out of the discussion; he was not intentionally left out.

I was going to make this point. I see it all the time, people fill in their receipts and walk away, a lot of times they never even see the server again.

[southernhorizons]

The first thing the manger or owner should have done was call the credit company, they in turn would have called the man.  Then he should have come down to the restaurant and had the cc voided and repaid the correct amount with a tip for the young lady for being honest plus the  work of serving him.  So he was at fault but  so was the restaurant for not following through with it and checking with the man.  Yep things happen.

I agree. With so much fraud nowadays, companies, even restaurants, should be more aware, and call the credit card company with any suspicious or questionable transactions. They actually took a big chance, because what if it had been a stolen credit card, and the man purposely gave that large tip because he knew he was spending it fraudulently? not to mention, when he does a charge-back, the restaurant has to pay the $20 or whatever it is charge.

[ccandpam]

Waiters pay depends more on their tips than the pay from employer.

[snuggleycutejc]

I do tip only if I have too.

[michele2042]

I do tip only if I have too.

I'm not sure I understand "I do tip only if I have too".  Are you saying you don't routinely tip your servers?