Heated Exchange Over a $250 Restaurant Cancellation Fee (Boston: salons, costs)

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

You're implying it's just a story. Any proof of that?

It wouldn't surprise me if the dude made up the story to try and get his money back via standard charge dispute mechanisms. It would surprise me if the credit card company didn't ask for anything more than his story to approve the dispute.

But if he lied in order to get a chargeback issued, then that's potentially fraud. It would be really stupid (though not unheard of) to potentially commit fraud and then publicly blast the restaurant by sharing the owner's direct messages on social media.

Originally Posted by msRB311

It also isn't clear to me in the ridiculous policy that you'll be out $250 if you can't keep your reservation. Again, I don't blame the customer for disputing the disgraceful 'punishment' fee.

I didn't think it was that unclear. It says you'll be charged "full price" for cancelling within 48 hours. Seeing as there's only one price every night, I thought it was pretty clear the "cancellation fee" is the price of the tasting multiplied by the number of guests on the reservation.

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by msRB311

It also isn't clear to me in the ridiculous policy that you'll be out $250 if you can't keep your reservation. Again, I don't blame the customer for disputing the disgraceful 'punishment' fee.

What's not clear?

When making a reservation, you're purchasing (or agreeing to purchase) seats at $125 each. It is very much like purchasing tickets to an event.

If the reservation was for 3 people, they'd be charged $375 if they didn't show up. $500 for 4 people.

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by msRB311

Honestly not everyone reads the fine print policy...not everyone cares about the fine print policy.

I'd argue it's not fine print.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by msRB311

Honestly not everyone reads the fine print policy...not everyone cares about the fine print policy. I hope her restaurant suffers because of her crappy policy.

Click through the reservation process and see if you think it's easy to miss the policy. I don't know how anyone booking a reservation online could try to claim that it's "fine print" and that they somehow missed it.

[mike1003]

Originally Posted by msRB311

and that is what seems crazy to me - this is all over a diner reservation. It wasn't a wedding or some huge event. What kind of world are we living when a restaurant that brings in over a 1M a year needs to go after a customer for $250 and sends the personal hateful messages. Crazy. Deal with it...someone made a reservation with you and didn't show up.

Absolutely true!


Person got sick and credit card company enforced their policy.


Owner made a terrible mistake that could, very likely, cost her her the restaurant. This is not good publicity, or good policy, or good customer service. (I've cancelled pre-paid non-refundable hotel reservations because of illness and got money back when I spoke to General Manager)


The Table is in deep dodo

[mike1003]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Yeah restaurant prices in the U.S. are out of control. It's amazing how much better you can dine for less money, even in "expensive" cities like London, Paris, Tokyo, etc. This is as true for quick serve/cheap eats as it is for a meal at a restaurant with 3 Michelin stars.



I mean, this is exactly why a restaurant would enact this type of policy. They want the people who take reservation slots to be serious about showing up for those reservations.

$250 is the cost of the tasting menu for 2 people at Table. They only have 32 seats and only have 2 seating sessions per day. It's not the type of place walk ins are hanging out waiting for a table. So if you don't show, they're automatically out the $250+ drinks and tip. And with just 64 customers per day, that's a significant chunk of their revenue. Considering that it's a tasting menu with a set number of people each night, ingredients are sourced specifically for the number of guests. So in this particular situation, I can absolutely why they have such a strict cancellation policy and steep cancellation fee.

If this restaraunt is this good, there would be a wait list in case of cancellations

Originally Posted by lrfox

If it was a larger restaurant with a typical menu that seats guests as they come, typically goes on a wait, etc. Then yeah, $250 is nuts. But I totally understand it for a tiny tasting menu spot and I understand the owner's frustration with losing out on that deposit. But she was entirely out of line in how she handled it and the ire should have been directed toward the credit card company for (presumably, based on how she responded) issuing a chargeback. The customer presumably pays an annual fee for a card that offers travel insurance. Like any insurance policy, part of that annual fee acts like an insurance premium to help offset costs incurred by the insurance company (i.e. paying you out retail value for a totaled car that's only worth scrap). So there's really no reason they should be issuing a chargeback to the restaurant if this truly was part of a travel insurance claim.

Size of restaurant doesn't excuse the poor way that that the owner handled this situation. It will come back to bite her in the a$$

[bostongymjunkie]

Originally Posted by lrfox

It wouldn't surprise me if the dude made up the story to try and get his money back via standard charge dispute mechanisms. It would surprise me if the credit card company didn't ask for anything more than his story to approve the dispute.

But if he lied in order to get a chargeback issued, then that's potentially fraud. It would be really stupid (though not unheard of) to potentially commit fraud and then publicly blast the restaurant by sharing the owner's direct messages on social media.



I didn't think it was that unclear. It says you'll be charged "full price" for cancelling within 48 hours. Seeing as there's only one price every night, I thought it was pretty clear the "cancellation fee" is the price of the tasting multiplied by the number of guests on the reservation.

Oh, that wouldn't surprise me at all. But knowing how banks adjudicate these claims--and I've made them myself--I'm going to presume they used the standards and policies implemented, which generally require some documentation and testimony from the customer. Even if he lied, I'm going to say the bank would contact the business for the other half of the story. They might issue a temporary credit until that inquiry is complete, but they would generally follow up. But just because the business has a cancellation policy doesn't necessarily mean the bank is obliged to honor it under all conditions.

[bostongymjunkie]

Originally Posted by mike1003

If this restaraunt is this good, there would be a wait list in case of cancellationsSize of restaurant doesn't excuse the poor way that that the owner handled this situation. It will come back to bite her in the a$$

Seems like a control freak who spazzes when they don't get their way.

[Oklazona Bound]

Originally Posted by mike1003

Absolutely true!

Person got sick and credit card company enforced their policy.

Owner made a terrible mistake that could, very likely, cost her her the restaurant. This is not good publicity, or good policy, or good customer service. (I've cancelled pre-paid non-refundable hotel reservations because of illness and got money back when I spoke to General Manager)

The Table is in deep dodo

If all of the above is true then yes. She is going to lose a lot more than the $250 she is griping about. Someone on X posted customer reviews and apparently the restaurant owner gets into arguments with everyone who does not give her a good review. And is quite condescending about it. I often look at reviews before hotel or dining choices and when business owners do respond to comments its usually more of an apology and quite friendly. This woman seems to think she runs a perfect restaurant and anyone who does not agree must be verbally attacked. That should be a red flag for anyone wanting to eat there.

Its always best to take the high road in these situations. If she is charging $125 a meal she should be able to reimburse whatever lost tips or wages her staff lost due to that one cancellation. They should not be out one penny. If she is really making them take the loss that is quite sad. I bet she is really a hot mess to work for. If she is this tough on her customers imagine how she treats her staff.

As a side note I have sold online for years. People do charge backs and lie about it. They return items on the last day they can do a return. They lie and say the item never showed up. That is part of doing business. In what I do that is about 5% of my sales. You assume that will happen and sometimes its only 2%. Even when I knew it was baloney I never retaliated verbally. Its pointless and does not change anything. One company I sell though now just accepts any return for any reason. So even if she is correct and the couple did not contact the restaurant and simply did a charge-back on the $250. Let it go.

[GrampaNurgle]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

I have no desire to spend $100 plus per meal and sit in what amounts to a trough, elbow to elbow with a bunch of potential savages chowing down next to me. Not my cuppa tea. I'll give it a hard pass!

https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/lis...staurant/amago - if you ever find yourself in Lisbon this place might change your mind about small restaurants with communal seating, though unlike the restaurant being discussed the food is legit amazing and the owners are not narcissistic