I happens to me all the time. Recently I booked an offseason room so I can overnight before I go fishing. The guy on the phone says he's going to charge me 70 bucks a night. I get the bill and it's $76.80.
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Have you ever been overcharged? (RANT)
- Thread starter lunasmom
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I have noticed how they hold money like that and then charge you the right amount.
Also, when you sign the slip, if you don't put a tip on it (like, if you leave cash instead for the tip, which servers like better) always put a line through where the tip goes and write the total at the bottom. If you don't, dishonest people will fill in a tip for you. Sometimes its the server, sometimes its the manager.
I have overcharged someone. I worked at a bakery/cafe chain and I was a cashier, and in that hour we grossed 3000$ alone. So, the line was out the door and we were trying to go really fast. I ran someone's credit card and the machine sort of froze a little so I pressed the amount again and then pressed enter...only to realize that I had charged him for like, over 300$. I gasped, and ran and got the manager, who refunded his card, gave him his meal for free, and told him if he got any overdraft charges to come back and the company would pay it. So thats really how it should be handled, I guess. The guy was so very nice about it, I'm sure he was irritated, but he didn't yell at me or say anything nasty.
Also, when you sign the slip, if you don't put a tip on it (like, if you leave cash instead for the tip, which servers like better) always put a line through where the tip goes and write the total at the bottom. If you don't, dishonest people will fill in a tip for you. Sometimes its the server, sometimes its the manager.
I have overcharged someone. I worked at a bakery/cafe chain and I was a cashier, and in that hour we grossed 3000$ alone. So, the line was out the door and we were trying to go really fast. I ran someone's credit card and the machine sort of froze a little so I pressed the amount again and then pressed enter...only to realize that I had charged him for like, over 300$. I gasped, and ran and got the manager, who refunded his card, gave him his meal for free, and told him if he got any overdraft charges to come back and the company would pay it. So thats really how it should be handled, I guess. The guy was so very nice about it, I'm sure he was irritated, but he didn't yell at me or say anything nasty.
are you sure that the difference isn't just tax?
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- #24
Yes! I'll do that. If its carry-out from the restaurant, I write "Carry-Out" in the tip line.
If I a leave a cash tip I always write "Cash" in the tip line. I figure this way there are no discrepencies and if the bus boy takes the cash tip from the table, then the server knows that I left cash for them and can look for it.
I think it's probably just tax of somesort. But I'm tired of hearing one price and payng another. Tell me the total of the moneys they expect at payment and I'd be happy. I booked 8 nights on various weekends. Thats another 55 bucks. I'm not so sure that should go unmentioned that they are going to charge it to my card.
When I moved from New Hampshire to North Carolina I had some issues. Going from no sales tax to 7.5% sales tax was really rough. Also there was no income tax and there is here. This state is tax happy.
It took me a while to figure out this tax thing. Here's what I think... It costs "So Much Money" to run the state. Even if you are not paying sales tax you are paying for the states services somehow, In NH it might be through higher real estate taxes or something like that. Even When the republican party cuts taxes by terminating funds to local towns and states, These services must still go on to some degree and the citys,towns or states will just increase their taxes to fill the void. Even though I understand this better today I still squirm like a tortured bug when it comes to taxes and try and get around them any way I can.
Yes they have horrendous real estate taxes and tolled roads. I'm all for income tax but I'm not for sales tax. Sales forces you to pay taxes on things you often need to buy. There should never be a grocery tax IMO. I'm all for luxory taxes. I'm thrilled that NC has finally instituted the lottery because that is a tax I can optionally not pay, same as liquor, and cigarettes. The problem is now that they have a new source of income they won't lower any other taxes. This state has a routine surplus in the budget and the people will never see a penny of it.
Oh and this surplus can't be used to fix out roads either so tolls will be institued soon.
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- #29
I agree...I'd rather be given a higher price up front with all charges included (taxes, fees etc) then to be given a really low price and other things make it higher.
The bottom line is if a state needs money their going to take it from the people. Ever see the state cops come out of the woodwork and set up speed traps everywhere for a few weeks? This is not done for our safety! I think the thing that bothers me the most about taxes is that there is a Baffoon somewhere that is in charge of disbursment and probably not using good judgement. When My realestate taxes go up 150% in six years it sends up red flags.
Yes.... I agree about sales tax and hearing one thing and being charged another.... I'm lucky that I'm from Montana and my favorite places to go are 1) Washington where if you're from Montana you can have the tax waived on things like clothes (not hotels or meals though) and 2) Oregon... where there isn't one either last time I checked.
Speaking of extra charges... last night I got charged $.30 for a take out order! I was planning on leaving a tip for the people that prepared the food but after I saw that I didn't leave anything. After all, I'm the one that drove to pick up the food and they didn't have to do anything except make it.
Sheesh.
Edited to add: It's not the $.30 that bothers me but the princible behind it.
Speaking of extra charges... last night I got charged $.30 for a take out order! I was planning on leaving a tip for the people that prepared the food but after I saw that I didn't leave anything. After all, I'm the one that drove to pick up the food and they didn't have to do anything except make it.
Sheesh.
Edited to add: It's not the $.30 that bothers me but the princible behind it.
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- #32
They make you pay taxes on groceries there?!?
MI excludes sales tax on groceries. They'll charge you tax if its something like a cake that you pick up at the bakery of your grocery store, but if its non-prepared, there's no sales tax.
How sheltered am I ?! I thought it was the same everywhere!
Grocery tax here is about 4%, whereas for other stuff it's about 7%. Eating out is almost 10% tax, I think.Originally Posted by lunasmom
They make you pay taxes on groceries there?!?
MI excludes sales tax on groceries. They'll charge you tax if its something like a cake that you pick up at the bakery of your grocery store, but if its non-prepared, there's no sales tax.
How sheltered am I ?! I thought it was the same everywhere!
Sailfish said:
As a server I must say it's an easy mistake to make. This is why we have a form we print out at the end of the night that logs all credit card transactions. We have to compare the credit card slip to the total amount written on the receipt. It is rechecked by the person who cashes us out. If there is something wrong it is fixed before closing time, which is usually 10 or 11 pm. If you have a check card like mine it might show up one way immediately, but be changed within a few hours when the correction is made.
If we lose a receipt we lose the tip, so there is no "opps, I threw away the receipt!" and claiming more than what the tipper intended.
And for those who write "cash" in the tip line, thank you!! We had a bus boy who kept stealing tips from servers. He would say there was nothing on the table, even if we had seen money there. We had no way of proving it. If someone wrote "cash" in that line he wouldn't have had that excuse. I love it when people do that.
If we lose a receipt we lose the tip, so there is no "opps, I threw away the receipt!" and claiming more than what the tipper intended.
And for those who write "cash" in the tip line, thank you!! We had a bus boy who kept stealing tips from servers. He would say there was nothing on the table, even if we had seen money there. We had no way of proving it. If someone wrote "cash" in that line he wouldn't have had that excuse. I love it when people do that.
OMG esgirl thats horrible I will write cash on the line from now on.
Resturants "hold" a total of your bill + 20% cause that is usually the max people will leave, then it's changed to the amt you sign for. Now, hotels are doing this too. I checked my statement online, and was charged $120 for a hotel room, when I know the receipt I signed said $80. So I call the credit card, and they tell me this is what the hotel put through. Then I call the hotel, and they said they do the same "hold" thing for incidentals, like phone calls, movies and missing towels! I have never seen that before!
I didn't even think about doing that. I always write a huge 0 so oone can fill anything in and charged me more!
I have done that before. But instead of like 10 in gas or something I charge 1,000!! Yikes!! Luckily it was a frequent customer at the store I worked at so she understood. We got it starightened out ASAP!! But it is embarrassing!!
Nope... I've never been overcharged.... thank goodness!
I have overcharged someone tho - A frequent customer had his vehicle repaired, and wanted to pay the balance with his credit card - he had no insurance check, and never mentioned that he had one. So I ran his total on his credit card - for almost $2,000 - he then said, 'OH yeah- and I have an insurance check for less my deductible!'
I had to refund his credit card the remaining amount that the insurance co. paid him - but from now on I make sure to ask if they have an insurnace check before I run the card!
He was really understanding, considering he forgot he had the check!
Thank goodness he was nice, I get plenty of unhappy people in here the way it is!
I have overcharged someone tho - A frequent customer had his vehicle repaired, and wanted to pay the balance with his credit card - he had no insurance check, and never mentioned that he had one. So I ran his total on his credit card - for almost $2,000 - he then said, 'OH yeah- and I have an insurance check for less my deductible!'
I had to refund his credit card the remaining amount that the insurance co. paid him - but from now on I make sure to ask if they have an insurnace check before I run the card!
He was really understanding, considering he forgot he had the check!
