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Join Yelp! and post a negative review about what happened. A bad review will prompt others to look elsewhere as well. If they (and others) are being dishonest, you need to let people know. Hit 'em in the pocketbook!
I've heard that the acronym "tips" stands for "to insure prompt service". (Actually, the correct word would be "ensure", so the acronym should be "teps"...)
However, in any case it appears that the service the server provided was to promptly add a "1"...
While changing a ticket is ALWAYS unacceptable, I'm wondering if some of these situations occurred because of a minimum tip amount based on group size. I've seen that with groups as small as 8 people.
Update:
So the restaurant just sent me a copy of the receipt, and the deceit from the server was even worse than I imagined.
The server has physically written in a 1 ahead of the 8.24 (making 18.24), not touching the 100.00 on the bottom line. So when I spoke to the General manager on the phone, he said the server brought the receipt to him claiming the maths does not add up and that in those cases AMEX tell them to charge the gratuity line, hence why they charged $110. Totally unethical and fraudulent behavior by this server.
I will be contacting AMEX as well as the corporate leadership of the parent company of this restaurant. Is there anyone else I should be contacting?
No problem with AMEX. That's what's great about them - customer support. One quick phone call will do it, no worrying about providing documentation. They will charge back the resteraunt so fast their head will spin.
Join Yelp! and post a negative review about what happened. A bad review will prompt others to look elsewhere as well. If they (and others) are being dishonest, you need to let people know. Hit 'em in the pocketbook!
Yes, you should post a review on Yelp and you should also send a formal letter to their corporate office. Go to their company website and fill out their customer feedback form. Let them know what happened and what restaurant it occurred at. You want to call out the manager of that restaurant to corporate eyes. If you contact the restaurant directly, the managers tend to cover up the mistake because they don't want to get into trouble or bring attention to it. However, if you bring it to the manager's boss, it gets taken care of. I've always had great success doing this and will often get comped free meals. If you complain to the manager directly, you will often get some half a$$ lukewarm apology with no contrition or any real discipline of the employee. It's a different generation. Todays managers want to be buddies with their employees and don't want to hold them accountable when they screw up. In fact, they will probably join in and criticize you. Thus, only corporate will do their job.
Trust me, if this gets to corporate, it will get taken care of. Both the employee and manager will be called out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dd714
No problem with AMEX. That's what's great about them - customer support. One quick phone call will do it, no worrying about providing documentation. They will charge back the resteraunt so fast their head will spin.
I love AMEX for this reason. I'm also dubious about doing business with any company that doesn't take AMEX. If possible, I will use a company that takes AMEX as a form of protection in case they fail to deliver upon their agreement.
When I first read this I was empathetic with the OP for being cheated.
Now that the truth is revealed on how much of a tip was left I'm thinking it was the OP who was doing the cheating.
Most servers are paid less than minimum wage and the brunt of their income is from gratuities. If the service was satisfactory I don't see how anyone could leave less than ten percent.
I don't agree with the restaurant fixing the bill but I have no empathy for cheapskates either.
If customers demonstrated some manners and appreciation to the restaurant and their servers then maybe the bill fixing wouldn't be happening.
When I first read this I was empathetic with the OP for being cheated.
Now that the truth is revealed on how much of a tip was left I'm thinking it was the OP who was doing the cheating.
Most servers are paid less than minimum wage and the brunt of their income is from gratuities. If the service was satisfactory I don't see how anyone could leave less than ten percent.
I don't agree with the restaurant fixing the bill but I have no empathy for cheapskates either.
If customers demonstrated some manners and appreciation to the restaurant and their servers then maybe the bill fixing wouldn't be happening.
While I'll agree with the fact that most servers make little money and therefore are reliant on tips, doesn't mean that every server, by default, gets a proper tip. Here's an example; a few years ago I took my wife out to Macayos near Desert Sky mall. It was Wednesday night and our anniversary. The place wasn't too busy. After we were seated, the waitress took our drink orders. She came back about 10/15 minutes later to take our food orders and forgot the drinks. No big deal. Another 20 minutes pass and several attempts to flag down our waitress failed. We eventually got the attention of another waiter that "found" our drinks and finally brought them to us. Shortly after, our waitress brought our food, never offered an explanation as to why she forgot our drinks, and thusly disappeared for the remainder of our dinner. We had to flag down the same waiter again for refills and our check. We ended up giving the waiter that waited on us despite us not being his table, a $10 tip for going out of his way. We then paid our bill and left without giving a cent to our waitress. As we were walking through the parking lot, our waitress comes running out at us saying we didn't tip her. I told her she provided terrible service and another waiter had to bring us our drinks, refills and the check, and meanwhile, she disappeared.
My mother was a waitress about 15 years ago and I remember her having to live off of tips. She treated all her customers well and got tipped well in return. I refuse to leave a tip for poor service. If the waiter/waitress is trying thier hardest to provide service, that's a different story. I'll tip for that. But I refuse to tip on bad bad service just because I'm supposed to. What happened at Macayos has never happened to me again after that.
While I'll agree with the fact that most servers make little money and therefore are reliant on tips, doesn't mean that every server, by default, gets a proper tip. Here's an example; a few years ago I took my wife out to Macayos near Desert Sky mall. It was Wednesday night and our anniversary. The place wasn't too busy. After we were seated, the waitress took our drink orders. She came back about 10/15 minutes later to take our food orders and forgot the drinks. No big deal. Another 20 minutes pass and several attempts to flag down our waitress failed. We eventually got the attention of another waiter that "found" our drinks and finally brought them to us. Shortly after, our waitress brought our food, never offered an explanation as to why she forgot our drinks, and thusly disappeared for the remainder of our dinner. We had to flag down the same waiter again for refills and our check. We ended up giving the waiter that waited on us despite us not being his table, a $10 tip for going out of his way. We then paid our bill and left without giving a cent to our waitress. As we were walking through the parking lot, our waitress comes running out at us saying we didn't tip her. I told her she provided terrible service and another waiter had to bring us our drinks, refills and the check, and meanwhile, she disappeared.
My mother was a waitress about 15 years ago and I remember her having to live off of tips. She treated all her customers well and got tipped well in return. I refuse to leave a tip for poor service. If the waiter/waitress is trying thier hardest to provide service, that's a different story. I'll tip for that. But I refuse to tip on bad bad service just because I'm supposed to. What happened at Macayos has never happened to me again after that.
I agree, you shouldn't be expected to tip anyone for bad service.
In cases when the service is satisfactory or above expectations I think it shows a lack of manners and class to tip a server less than ten percent.
Some restaurants have a policy to automatically charge a certain percentage of a gratuity to the bill, and if the OP went to one of those restaurants then they had every right to adjust the bill accordingly.
I love AMEX for this reason. I'm also dubious about doing business with any company that doesn't take AMEX. If possible, I will use a company that takes AMEX as a form of protection in case they fail to deliver upon their agreement.
As a merchant, I do take AMEX. If margins are skinny after they negotiate, I will explain AMEX is a bigger pig that Visa/MC/ and Discover. Hence, they need to add almost 2% to the total. 1.7% more matters on the bottom line for $3K-$20K transactions. I also give 2% check discounts. If I am making 50 points on a $20K transaction, by all means use your AMEX. BUt for skinny deals, I'm not absorbing them. Hence, you will see companies who refuse to take AMEX. Let's say their margin is 10%. 3.7% percent for an un-swiped transaction is 37% of the gross profit! It's not because they are worried how much "teeth" AMEX has.
That all said, the chargeback laws are the laws. AMEX's advantage to the consumer is that both the card network itself and the issuing bank are the same company. In other words, the network has their own financial institutions that issue the credit cards to consumers. But with Visa and MC, they are part of an "association" web. What does that mean to you as an AMEX holder? It's a streamlined process that takes care of all of this quicker and often easier. With Visa and MC, you may be required to fill out paperwork. In all four CC platforms, the chargeback happens immediately to the merchant. Then the merchant pleads their case. In all the CC platforms, the outcome will be identical. Meaning the law is the law. I've had 3 total chargebacks in 19 years of business and millions of dollars in transactions. One stuck (all others were reversed). It stuck because I took an international Visa (later confirmed as fraud/stolen account). But international credit cards leave the merchant holding the bag. Now and for my business, international sales means customers will have to transfer the $$'s via a wire. If they don't feel comfortable, I understand but I will walk from the deal.
AMEX charges a higher percentage and it is reflected in better overall service to customers. The people answering the phones are generally more articulate. Also, AMEX may simply "eat" the amount in dispute even with the chargeback is reversed back to the merchant. I too own an AMEX card. I use them because the business card I own offers strong kickbacks of about 2% on my shipping totals. Someone is paying for that. FEDEX it seems doesn't care so I get an extra 2% off which adds up to be a significant amount of $$'s.
The misnomer propagated by many is that "AMEX has their back" (as if AMEX can battle harder or smarter). Nope! As I said, the merchant laws are intact to protect both parties from fraud. As a merchant, if I felt AMEX didn't protect my interest equally, then I would refuse to use them. Remember, AMEX actively markets to merchants too. It's the balance of power. Anyone who thinks otherwise, has a false sense of security.
That all said, I refuse to use my Debit check card for ANY transactions. That's because (depending on the bank), debit cards have a maximum liability of loss @$50 just like Credit Cards. But with a debit card, liability cap lasts only two days. So you better be monitoring your statement daily. Because after 2 days, the liability (end user out of pocket loss cap) goes up to $500.
For me, THE last thing I ever want someone to see is my Debit Card number. Not a merchant, not on a website, etc. Like credit cards, they can be manufactured. In fact, I turned in my Debit cards to my bank and asked them to terminate them from my account. That said, many banks will eat the loss and cover you. But legally, they don't have to. If the bank policy changes a year from now, someone who had your card a year ago could be the person who sells the card info. So there are looming risks.
Last edited by MN-Born-n-Raised; 02-02-2017 at 05:32 AM..
I've heard that the acronym "tips" stands for "to insure prompt service". (Actually, the correct word would be "ensure", so the acronym should be "teps"...)
However, in any case it appears that the service the server provided was to promptly add a "1"...
"Tip is an old word, and it has nothing to do with either acronyms or the act of attempting to influence quality of service. Although the word has many meanings, both as a verb and as a noun, the use of the term as it applies to monetary rewards to servants dates to the 1700s. It first appeared in this context as a verb '"
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As a merchant, if I felt AMEX didn't protect my interest equally, then I would refuse to use them. Remember, AMEX actively markets to merchants too.
It's the balance of power. Anyone who thinks otherwise, has a false sense of security.
