So my husband wanted Mexican food Saturday, but he didn't want to go out. There is a restaurant/lounge nearby that serves pretty good Mexican food, so I called in a pick-up order. The order was waiting for me at the bar, and I used my credit card to pay for it. The bar tender gal left to go to the back and refill the Coka Cola fountain pop. She never said anything to me ("Have a nice day" would have been nice) she just left me there all alone to sign my receipt.

On the receipt, there are 3 lines. One for the gratuity, one for the total, and one for the signature. Since I was in a hurry, I didn't fill in any of the first 2 lines, I just signed it and left.

I looked on my bank's website today and saw all the transactions that are pending to post to my account tonight. The Mexican restaurant was one of them, and a 20% gratuity was added to the total of my transaction.

Isn't this wrong? Isn't there a law that says that the bill cannot be altered after the customer has signed it?

I know what I will do if there is a next time. Mark the gratuity with a big fat ZERO and write the total again before signing my receipt.

By Yjja123 on Monday, June 19, 2006 - 04:58 pm:

I have had that happen but once the charge went *completely* through it was the correct amount. When you give them a charge card they authorize the amount + gratuity (which places a hold on your credit card). When they submit the charge to your bank it should be in the actual amount. If not, I would contact the bank and tell them it is more than you authorized.

By Tayjar on Monday, June 19, 2006 - 05:00 pm:

If you still have your copy, you can call your credit card company and file a complaint.

While it may be a small amount, it's still dishonest. I would also call and complain to the manager, and maybe even call you local state's attorney to see what the law in your area states. If she is doing this to you, she is doing it to others, they just aren't catching it.

By Crystal915 on Monday, June 19, 2006 - 05:23 pm:

It's dishonest, but I don't think it's illegal. You should ALWAYS fill in all the lines, or you leave yourself vulnerable to this type of thing. The person could have put in a much larger tip, and then it's your word against theirs that you didn't write it.

By Tarable on Monday, June 19, 2006 - 06:20 pm:

I agree with Yvonne. I know that a lot of places put a hold of the food price + 20% until they actually put the reciept though and then it changes to the amount that you authorized. I would wait until it is a completed transaction to say anything or get too upset about it.

By Ginny~moderator on Monday, June 19, 2006 - 06:46 pm:

I agree - I would wait to see what the final transaction turns out to be. And if the 20% stays in it, I would file a written protest with your credit card company (in writing, please, because that's the only way it counts).

By Ginny~moderator on Monday, June 19, 2006 - 06:48 pm:

And, I assume you have your copy of the bill to document your protest. I always keep my ATM receipts, and dump them into the envelope with my bank statement when I balance it monthly.

By Cocoabutter on Monday, June 19, 2006 - 08:19 pm:

Thanks!

I plan on waiting. If it posts at the increased amount, I will call my bank and tell them that I did not authorize that amount. I have had no problems in the past with this bank getting problems corrected, so I don't think it will be a big deal.

Even if I do get it resolved thru my bank first, I still plan on calling the manager of the restaurant to both complain and ask if they do this on a regular basis.

I am sorry for the confusion- I did say I used my credit card to pay. Truth is, I used by bank account debit card, but the purchase was processed as a credit card transaction and it comes out of my checking account.

I do have one credit card that I use for online purchases- I guess I could have used that one instead.