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Restaurant Overcharged Your Credit Card? — Brooklynian

Restaurant Overcharged Your Credit Card?

bradedward
bradedward
edited November -1 in Park Slope
Has this ever happened to you? You go to a restaurant, you give the waiter your credit card to pay, you sign for a certain amount and low and behold a few days later you notice an "extra" amount put onto your card?

This happened to my wife and I at Anthoney's Pizza on 7th Ave and 14th Street Friday. We signed for a certain amount (tipped 20%) and now it appears that an extra $75 was put on when I view our account online.

This has happened to us before, but I'm a bit curious if it is an easy mistake to make. I've never worked in a restaurant, so I suppose this question is directed to those who have. Is this shady?

Thanks!

Comments

  • sweet tea
    sweet tea
    yep, at this annoying cafe near columbia (le monde? frenchy, with crappy, over-cooked mussels).

    can't remember the exact amount, but something like $11. (and the food and waiter had sucked, though we had left a normal tip.) the management was totally unhelpful -- claimed they couldn't find the waiter even though we could describe him, etc. hate them.
  • new2hood
    new2hood
    it's one of the oldest tricks in the book. Call your credit card company. And the restaurant.
  • bradedward
    bradedward
    Yeah. I plan to call the restaurant first. I hope I still have the receipt at home.
  • slopehead
    slopehead
    Before you all rush out the door with pitchforks and flaming torches - be aware that many places AUTHORIZE a higher amount on your credit card. This is normally a temporary hold on funds and is automatically adjusted down when the true amount of the bill comes through. I'm not saying it's impossible that you're being scammed, but I'd at least give the restaurant a chance to explain.
  • ruska b
    ruska b
    Le Monde? God, I hate that place. all of those places up there. I liked it better up there when it was just old diners.
  • carmen
    carmen
    something like $75 extra sounds like a mistake (depending on what kind of cc machine they have, the server may have had to manually type in the amount and cc number which can cause errors. When I was a waitress I did this by accident and added an extra 0 to a cc slip [total oops there]) Its an easy fix if you call the establishment and CC company.
    HOWEVER
    I have been what I believe to be deliberately overcharged a few times- usually it'll be a total of say 55.67 and my charge will say 60.00 or something. I think its a pretty common thing for waitstaff to try to "round up." Also, as an fyi, I've recently noticed some of my bar tabs just being flat our wrong (at Moto in williamsburg Monday night the waiter tried to charge us $8 a glass of wine instead of $7 and then fought with us until we got the menu...considering there's only 5 wines by the glass you'd think he'd know...)
  • bradedward
    bradedward
    I'm pretty sure it wasn't exactly $75. It appeared they had one of those touch screen cc machines. Can someone explain how those work? Is it possible that they just charged our meal from another patron by accident?
  • bergenites
    bergenites
    Yes, it happens. Happened to us once at the Blue Note - we tipped generously (at least 25%) on our drinks and food, but personally I don't feel the need to tip on a cover charge at a jazz club, which was over $100pp for this particulat show.

    When we saw our statement online, the waitress had added a nice bigger tip for herself - close to $50. We called the place, spoke to the manager, and he refunded the charge (and agreed with us that we don't need to tip on a cover charge).
  • longtimesloper
    longtimesloper
    Slopehead wrote: Before you all rush out the door with pitchforks and flaming torches - be aware that many places AUTHORIZE a higher amount on your credit card. This is normally a temporary hold on funds and is automatically adjusted down when the true amount of the bill comes through. I'm not saying it's impossible that you're being scammed, but I'd at least give the restaurant a chance to explain.
    Very possible this is the case also. I have seen this happen before. hotels do the same thing.
  • sweet tea
    sweet tea
    LongTimeSloper wrote: [quote=Slopehead]Before you all rush out the door with pitchforks and flaming torches - be aware that many places AUTHORIZE a higher amount on your credit card. This is normally a temporary hold on funds and is automatically adjusted down when the true amount of the bill comes through. I'm not saying it's impossible that you're being scammed, but I'd at least give the restaurant a chance to explain.
    Very possible this is the case also. I have seen this happen before. hotels do the same thing.

    sure, but i think an authorization like that should clear within a day or two.
  • peanuts
    peanuts
    I was at Apertivo and they have that new credit card machine...they bring the machine to you at the table...you swipe the card, put in the tip, and get the receipt....no one touches your credit card but you. I just had read about this cc machine....it's fairly new and is just starting to be used in restaurants.
  • booklaw
    booklaw
    They had those machines at various bistros in Paris several years ago... who says the US is technically savvy??
  • bradedward
    bradedward
    They had that machine at a Cheeseburger in Paradise at the Airport in Cancun a year ago as well! USA!
  • bergenites
    bergenites
    Yes, those machines are all over Paris - first saw them there in 2006.
  • peanuts
    peanuts
    Yup, apparently we are way behind!
  • arlette
    arlette
    YEs it has happened to me. That as well as being charged twice, charged gratuity aside from my tip.All sorts of shenanigans.
  • homeowner
    homeowner
    My SO had this happen at a restaurant here in BK. New waiter, paid check w/CC and left tip in cash. Next day we checked the account and saw the tip had been put on the card as well. We called the restaurant and asked to speak directly to the waiter. He apologized profusely, said it was only his second day and asked that we come to the restaurant to have the charge adjusted. We went back, he fixed the charge, told his boss (the owner) what happened and they comped us with drinks that evening and the next time we ate there.

    Sometimes it is truly just an accident.
  • raw
    raw
    Yeah -- it happened to me too a few years ago in Manhattan. The restaurant gave me restaurant credit. I accepted the credit because I eat there often and it seemed like a one time screwup.
  • bradedward
    bradedward

    Subject: Re: Restaurant Overcharged Your Credit Card?

    bradedward wrote: Has this ever happened to you? You go to a restaurant, you give the waiter your credit card to pay, you sign for a certain amount and low and behold a few days later you notice an "extra" amount put onto your card?

    This happened to my wife and I at Anthoney's Pizza on 7th Ave and 14th Street Friday. We signed for a certain amount (tipped 20%) and now it appears that an extra $75 was put on when I view our account online.

    This has happened to us before, but I'm a bit curious if it is an easy mistake to make. I've never worked in a restaurant, so I suppose this question is directed to those who have. Is this shady?

    Thanks!
    So here is an update. I called Anthony's and explained my situation two weeks ago. They seemed friendly and said they would put it back on my card as they saw the difference (and didn't really give any reason for it). However, the money still hasn't hit and now when I call in I get put on hold with no response. !!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • filmlover44
    filmlover44
    Call your credit card company.
  • bradedward
    bradedward

    So after all the crap I went through 2 years ago I finally went back to Anthoney's Pizza. And wouldn't you know, the next day my credit card started to have mysterious charges. 1st one for 0.00. Then one for 10.00 (almost as if someone was testing the card). Then my credit card company tells me they think there are unauthorized users with my number. The account gets closed down and the next day I see a $500 cash advance that someone takes out at a casino in Atlantic City. Is this just a coincidence? Maybe, but seems strange.

  • erratum8mm
    erratum8mm

    Same thing happened to me 13 months ago, except the restaurant the card had been used at was Get Fresh. A couple of days later a clone of my card was being used to make some large purchases at stores in Allentown, PA. There were other possibilities for where the cloning was done though, depending on how long they waited before using the card.

    If I were a restaurant worker cloning credit cards I would wait a while before using or selling the clone, in order to deflect suspicion away from myself. So if your thief is at least as smart as me, the guilty party could be from a different establishment.

  • ringrunner
    ringrunner

    People, this is a two year old post.

  • dailyheights
    dailyheights

    I think that's the point.

  • bradedward
    bradedward

    ringrunner, the sky is blue.

  • illig
    illig

    yeah, restaurant staff are famous for stealing CCs

    they swipe your card twice... once through the official machine and once through a skimmer... and then they sell the info to someone who has the ability to make a duplicate card

    my parents recently visited me and took me out to lunch in midtown... two days later they apparently bought three scooters in vietnam as well :D

    what pisses me off is that the CC will not followup on such things - they'll gladly refund your money, but the dirtbag that stole it in the first place gets off scott free

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