RHUer Has A Question About A Waitress' Claim

Howdy RHU,

While I've worked almost a decade slinging le popcorn and ringing up tickets, I've never worked in a restaurant so I didn't know if this was a case of a crappy POS register, or a scam, but I wanted to check.

Me and the sis were eating late at a place known for their late night half-off apps. As we were ordering, I made sure to say it would be separate checks. Several nom noms later, the bill arrives, and alas, it is just one check. But my sister has cash, and I have a card, so she pays cash and I ask to put the rest on my card.

Bill: $32

Sis's Cash: $18

My portion of the bill:$14

The charge on my card: $20

Confused, I asked what happened. So she pointed out that while everything was on a single check, the items were loosely arranged by who ordered them. Except I had been charged for Sis's potent potable, instead of my soda.

The waitress is all, "Oh, you can ask her to pay you back for her drink, right?"

Except I ask her to void out the charge and then charge me for what wasn't paid for. A while later, she comes back, saying the computer won't let her do it. It's late and I'm tired, so I just pay the charge just so I can get home. And while I've been over-charged roughly 40% of my bill, I still left a couple bucks because if it was really a computer issue, the waitress shouldn't get stiffed.

The service was Ehh, not particularly bad or good, and as noted, it was late in the night. Overall, $40 paid on a $32 check. So I have mixed feelings on having left such a small tip as well.

Our registers at Popcorn Palace have never made it an issue to do refunds, voids, whatever, but we also use a company POS program. So I'm wondering if it really was a computer error snafu. I've still got my receipt and will be checking my statement to see if, when tangling with allegedly-crappy-POS, I may have also gotten double charged. (That actually has happened with us at work through no fault of our programs but rather the bank).

So anyone have an inkling based on experience if the computer was at fault, the waitress was scamming, or maybe the waitress simply couldn't run the computer correctly?

Comments

[LaserSpawn]

im going to go with either of the last two. computers usually don't have problems THAT bad. also, i would have asked to speak with a manager on that. the only way it could have rang you for 20 is if the waitress entered to charge it 20.

[Veteran Bartender]

I work at a bar so our system might be different, but for us we can put in a total paid in cash, then the rest will be on the card - no matter what it is (say 4 drinks are $5 each, one person wants to give me $12, I can easily put the other $8 on a card). Like I said, the system is different but I'd think it would have been easy to straighten out. Did she try to give your sister any cash change from the $18 she gave?

[mrs.sheep]

I say you were scammed. I'd talk to a manager.

[Jay]

Congrats. Your cash now lines that waitress' pocket.

[Shevrolet]

I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt, but there's no good reason that I can see that this situation should've gone this way. If there's a problem with the computer, your waitress should reimburse you immediately in cash if that's the only way; and then the restaurant can reimburse her if necessary. worst case, the restaurant should eat any loss, not the customer.

[Random]

I would have asked to talk to a manager. She should have brought change back for your sister if she over charged the bill by $8.

[Fingers]

Exactly what Random said. It doesn't matter if 'the computer messed up'. You don't charge the customer MORE (even by a penny) than the receipt you dropped off states (sans tip, of course). If nothing can be done, you comp the entire meal and eat it yourself. You don't charge 'em for 'the computer's' mistake.

[Boho]

.......why didn't you just pay the bill in full with your card and had your sister give you her cash? You would've avoided all of this.

[lamer]

Yeah, you were scammed...

[Sales Agent Guy]

Definitely sounds like a scam.

[Adam]

@ BOHO- It's something I had suggested to my sister, that one of us pay the bill, the other gets paid back, but sis was like "Nah, I've got cash".

At this point, it was 2AM, and with a minor car repair issue to take care of afterwards, I just wanted to get home.

[ScanGunMonkey]

Even if the charge couldn't be edited from the computer, the waitress should have cashed out the excess and returned it. You got scammed.

[maskedmustelid]

What sounds odd to me is that you didn't get a receipt to sign before the charge actually went through, given you weren't at the register to see the total in person first.

Perhaps it was the waitress making a mistake and being lazy, or trying to avoid getting in trouble for having to get a manager involved, who knows? If it was a scam, if she keeps it up, she's only going to get caught out eventually.

You mightn't have lost out on much in the end between what you paid and what you might have tipped had there been no problems, but that doesn't make it any more right to have happened.

[Lexy]

Sounds like a scam to me.