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Not me...the waiter at Chilis.

Our 'Christmas bonus' this year was a $25 gift card for Chili's restaurant, so that's where I went to eat yesterday.

I showed up at 11am..since I get to work at 6, I hit lunch a little early because by then I've been at work 5 hours already. The service was good, the waiter, Cary, was very attentive. My buffalo chicken sandwich was a little dry, so I asked for, and promptly received, an extra side of buffalo sauce.

I paid with the gift card, a total of $11.13. I wrote "cash" in the tip line, wrote "11.13" in the new total column, and to make things more clear, next to the "Starting balance: $25.00" i did some math and showed the remaining balance as $13.87. I left a 20% tip in cash on the table.

I got a "fill out this survey for a chance to win $1000" notice on my receipt. I filled it out, choosing "Excellent" for most options.

Today, I find out that my gift card was overcharged $3.00. So, I called the store.

Poor Cary. He was an excellent waiter. I'm sorry he'll be looking for work Christmas week.

Did you check and see if the card itself charged a $3 processing fee? Some of the new ones do that. It may not be Chad.

no processing fee. The card says specifically on the back: "No service fees are charged in connection with this card."

Then fuck Chad.

---------- Post added at 10:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:19 AM ----------

Or Cary. reading fail. I just hate guys named Chad.

that was my fault. First post said Chad. I fixed it after looking at my receipt again

We tend not to eat out much (no jokes please) so I rarely run into these kinds of folks, but I do know where you're coming from.

I thought I seriously lost it, man!


So in essence he put a $3 tip on your card on top of the cash you left. Classy.

I figure that's exactly what he did.
I almost always leave a cash tip, because it's better for the waiter. They don't have a credit card percentage taken out, and it's easier to pocket money and not claim it on their taxes (which I know most all waitstaff does). Plus some restaurants pay credit card tips out the next day in the form of a check, or on the waiter's weekly paycheck.

So, to me, I'm doing the waiter a service by leaving a cash tip. But I know some waiters are unscrupulous, so I always write "cash" on the tip line. I always write the no-tip balance on the 'total' line. And I always keep my receipts. Because when I've gone out of my way to be nice to someone, and they turn around and try to steal from me, I have no problem putting them out of work on Christmas.

Tinwhistler said:

I figure that's exactly what he did.
I almost always leave a cash tip, because it's better for the waiter. They don't have a credit card percentage taken out, and it's easier to pocket money and not claim it on their taxes (which I know most all waitstaff does). Plus some restaurants pay credit card tips out the next day in the form of a check, or on the waiter's weekly paycheck.

So, to me, I'm doing the waiter a service by leaving a cash tip. But I know some waiters are unscrupulous, so I always write "cash" on the tip line. I always write the no-tip balance on the 'total' line. And I always keep my receipts. Because when I've gone out of my way to be nice to someone, and they turn around and try to steal from me, I have no problem putting them out of work on Christmas.

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For $3. Hope that latte was worth it.

that is weird. Some places won't accept tip with gift cards (Furr's Cafeteria is one of them) I always pay cash for tips when using gift cards.

SeraRelm said:

We tend not to eat out much (no jokes please)

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:tape2:

Sure hope he didn't hit a wrong button.

follow up:

I called at 11pm, 12pm, and 1pm to check the balance of the card. Still at 10.87. I also check the card history, and it shows a $14.13 charge, and not multiple charges. So I go to McDonald's for lunch because while I wanted to use the card, I didn't want to use it, empty it out, and then at some time in the future wind up with a card with only $3.00 on it when I finally got my credit.

at 1:42, I check the card again. Still no credt. I send Callistarya a text message bitching about it. She says "you'll probably hear from them after 2, as that's when they slow down."


At 2:02pm, the manager of the Chilis calls me back. Tells me he just checked the system, and there was a three dollar credit given to me. Yesterday. But that he doesn't know how it got there, or anything about it.

I tell him I just checked the card 20 minutes prior, and that there was no credit. He assures me that it's there. So I hang up and dial the 888 number. Sure enough. Now I have the credit.

It seems a little fishy that the credit would only show up in the few minutes between the time I checked last and his call assuring me that it was there.

Regardless, I have my $3.00 back, and I plan on using the card at Macaroni Grill tomorrow and wiping out the balance.

That's a pretty annoying amount of phone calls to have to make in order to 3 dollars back from a multi-million dollar franchise.

Joe Johnson said:

That's a pretty annoying amount of phone calls to have to make in order to 3 dollars back from a multi-million dollar franchise.

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Indeed it is, and the idea behind that obnoxious amount of calls is that they figure most people won't put up with all that hassle and will just let it go for a small amount like $3.00, which is more money for them/their employees. I used to have to put up with shit like this all the time working various customer service call centers, it would piss me off no end that the various companies would do that to people. It also didn't help their causes that they would piss off the customers, and then pissed off people would call me all day long. This is why I absolutely abhor the idea of working in another call center.

It could be that he hit 14.13 on accident, the 1 and 4 are close to each other, and they didn't find the mistake until balancing at the end of the day. If they credited you back it probably wouldn't have shown on your card until they closed out their CC machine again. It does seem strange though.

Joe Johnson said:

That's a pretty annoying amount of phone calls to have to make in order to 3 dollars back from a multi-million dollar franchise.

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And this is why Tin enjoys the finer things in life, while a lot of people I know are fucked in debt. I make a good chunk of change myself and like to pinch pennies where it counts. You don't get rich but being a sucker.

Chazwozel;319590][quote=Joe Johnson said:

That's a pretty annoying amount of phone calls to have to make in order to 3 dollars back from a multi-million dollar franchise.

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And this is why Tin enjoys the finer things in life, while a lot of people I know are fucked in debt. I make a good chunk of change myself and like to pinch pennies where it counts. You don't get rich but being a sucker.[/QUOTE]

Plus it is YOUR money 3$ is 3$, it may not be much, but it does add up

Chazwozel;319590][quote=Joe Johnson said:

That's a pretty annoying amount of phone calls to have to make in order to 3 dollars back from a multi-million dollar franchise.

Click to expand...

And this is why Tin enjoys the finer things in life, while a lot of people I know are fucked in debt. I make a good chunk of change myself and like to pinch pennies where it counts. You don't get rich but being a sucker.[/QUOTE]

Tell it to Linda Lovelace.

Shakey said:

It could be that he hit 14.13 on accident, the 1 and 4 are close to each other, and they didn't find the mistake until balancing at the end of the day. If they credited you back it probably wouldn't have shown on your card until they closed out their CC machine again. It does seem strange though.

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It doesn't seem possible, considering the check I signed said "11.13", not 14.13.

Someone would have had to go in later and add $3.00 to the bill.

(Shrug) either way, I could give a crap...I've got my $3.00,and that chilis isn't getting any more of my business.

---------- Post added at 04:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 PM ----------

Chazwozel;319590][quote=Joe Johnson said:

That's a pretty annoying amount of phone calls to have to make in order to 3 dollars back from a multi-million dollar franchise.

Click to expand...

And this is why Tin enjoys the finer things in life, while a lot of people I know are fucked in debt. I make a good chunk of change myself and like to pinch pennies where it counts. You don't get rich but being a sucker.[/QUOTE]

Heh, there have been times when a bill is like $2.15 at the drive-through, and I give someone $2.00 and a quarter, and they don't give me my 10 cents back, and I sit there until they do. They always look at me like "it's ten cents man, let it go!" But I can't help but notice they never give me ten cents OVER the amount they should.

Tinwhistler;319637][quote=Shakey said:

It could be that he hit 14.13 on accident, the 1 and 4 are close to each other, and they didn't find the mistake until balancing at the end of the day. If they credited you back it probably wouldn't have shown on your card until they closed out their CC machine again. It does seem strange though.

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It doesn't seem possible, considering the check I signed said "11.13", not 14.13.

Someone would have had to go in later and add $3.00 to the bill.

(Shrug) either way, I could give a crap...I've got my $3.00,and that chilis isn't getting any more of my business.
[/QUOTE]

Wasn't sure if they had to reenter the amount again, since you have the option of adding a tip.

Shakey;319671][quote=Tinwhistler;319637][quote=Shakey said:

It could be that he hit 14.13 on accident, the 1 and 4 are close to each other, and they didn't find the mistake until balancing at the end of the day. If they credited you back it probably wouldn't have shown on your card until they closed out their CC machine again. It does seem strange though.

Click to expand...

It doesn't seem possible, considering the check I signed said "11.13", not 14.13.

Someone would have had to go in later and add $3.00 to the bill.

(Shrug) either way, I could give a crap...I've got my $3.00,and that chilis isn't getting any more of my business.
[/quote]

Wasn't sure if they had to reenter the amount again, since you have the option of adding a tip.[/quote]

Well, considering that Chilis uses a Point of Sale system that automatically calculates your total based on the items entered into the computer, that seems unlikely. It seems more likely that someone would have had to put in "$3.00" in the tip field after the fact.

use to be a server (waitperson, whatever you want to call it) it is just not worth it to stuff like that. 3$?? come on! If that guy was as good as you said he was Tin, then he could have easily made more money than trying to "skim" you for 3$

Meh, people do stuff like that chibi.

They also make mistakes though so... I hope the guy didn't lose his job if he just did something accidentally. When I was a waiter sometimes deciphering people's handwriting could be a pain in the ass, probably not the issue here given what TW wrote but... things do happen.

And once again I'm grateful tipping isn't used here...

Tinwhistler said:

But I can't help but notice they never give me ten cents OVER the amount they should.

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huh. Well, here are a couple examples from my life:

Last week, my bartender talked me into having another drink. I said, sure, if it's free. It was. So, I was undercharged 6 bucks. Yeah, that one was more like a freebie, but several times I've had bartenders truly forget to add a drink to my bill. Sometimes when I point it out they add it back on the bill, sometimes they wave it off and say oh well.

Then there was the time another bartender (a hottie, too, let's call her Rachel) gave me the wrong bill. Normally, I actually check my bill but this time I didn't. Not until I was already out of the place and a block away. It dawned on me that what I ordered never could've resulted in what I paid. So I headed back, where I found her at the till with some other customers (two hotties, we'll call them Monica and Phoebe). She was searching for their bill, which it turns out was the one I had paid. Turns out I saved about 20 bucks that day.

Rachel, Monica, Phoebe.

Yeah, an example of your life, huh?

Well, one of them was named Rachel, Monica or Pheobe so I figured I'd just add in the Friends reference.

Hey Tin, which Chili's was this? Because, fuck them...I won't go there either. Seeing as how we live close by, I might very well frequent or be tempted to frequent it while out and about on the weekend. I love Chili's ranch sauce.

I hate Chili's. The food is about what you'd expect at that kind of place, but their need for turnover is so great that the servers (at least here) bug you every 2 minutes. If you take more than 5 minutes deciding what you want, they get really huffy. I've never been able to sit and enjoy myself and relax there... what you normally try to do when you go out to eat instead of cook! But I know that's not the servers' fault. That's most likely the management telling them to get people in and out of seats fast or else.

KCWM said:

Hey Tin, which Chili's was this? Because, fuck them...I won't go there either. Seeing as how we live close by, I might very well frequent or be tempted to frequent it while out and about on the weekend. I love Chili's ranch sauce.

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I work in addison...it was the one at lbj/preston.

Cajungal said:

I hate Chili's. The food is about what you'd expect at that kind of place, but their need for turnover is so great that the servers (at least here) bug you every 2 minutes. If you take more than 5 minutes deciding what you want, they get really huffy. I've never been able to sit and enjoy myself and relax there... what you normally try to do when you go out to eat instead of cook! But I know that's not the servers' fault. That's most likely the management telling them to get people in and out of seats fast or else.

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They would hate me! I'll take up a four-person table for several hours. I won't even look at the menu for half an hour.

Love me some Southwestern Eggrolls at Chilli's.