Keep an eye on your CC statements and GC balances- (we think) waitress stole from me

[stargazertechie]

DH and I have been paying for all of our meals on Disney GCs.
I always tip in cash, even at home. I went to make a breakfast purchase today, and my GC balance was much lower than it should have been.

I called the GC hotline, and 45 minutes after we left the restaurant, there was an additional $14 charge I did not authorize from the same restaurant. The only thing the rep could think of was that the server retained my card number and helped herself to an additional tip.

Just keep an eye on your balances folks. This is just proof that you are never safe... not even at Disney.

 

[sydneysmom]

WOW, that totally stinks ! Were you able to get that amount put back on your card ?

We had something like that happen to us, and it worried me that this would happen. At Sci-Fi we had THE WORST server in the history of Disney. ( no, really !!) Well, at the end, he flat out says, "so I'll go ahead and charge my tip to your room then ?" (we were on the dining plan) I'm sorry, WHAT ???? No, you're not charging your tip to our room Mr. Assume Your Getting A Tip !!!

Needless to say, we called the front desk and then checked the rest of our trip to make certain nothing was charged to our room. It's upsetting though, and I'm sorry you had to deal with that on your trip.

 

[stargazertechie]

Disney put the money back on the card no questions, but I will be contacting the restaurant to alert them that this happened.

 

[HelenParr]

Good tip.

Ive had this happen (a few times) on KTTW cards. I've always assumed that it's just a misfire on the input side using the wrong numebr (as opposed to theft).

 

[stargazertechie]

Good tip.

Ive had this happen (a few times) on KTTW cards. I've always assumed that it's just a misfire on the input side using the wrong numebr (as opposed to theft).

I tried to be optimistic at first, but there was nowhere that $14 cod have accidentally come from. If it had been timestamped at the same time as the rest of our meal, I would have given her the benefit of the doubt, but it was clear by the times involved that it was intentional.

 

[starousse]

I know with certain gift cards, especially Visa, when you eat in a restaurant, the card authorizes an additional amount off of your card I believe as a "just in case" you don't leave a tip type of situation. That happened to me last week. I checked the balance on my card after my meal and found out that an additional $12 had been deducted. When I contacted Chase, they told me that a lot of restaurants are doing this and that they recommend never using gift cards at restaurants for this reason. Maybe, this was the same situation.

 

[Wadecool]

We had that happen on our beach vacation last month. On a $100 dinner check, I tipped $20, and later found out another $15 was added by our server.

Sorry that happened to you Stargazer.

 

[nkereina]

I've heard of a lot of people not on a dining plan buy Disney GC's as a way of budgeting money to use for meals while there. I don't know if OP did this or not, but for those considering that, it might be better just to use cash. This way you can avoid what happened to OP and what PP mentions with a lot of restaurants authorizing above and beyond the bill for whatever reason. If you have a hard time saving money, just stick the cash in an envelope or a bank account you don't have easy access to (no debit card).

Sorry that happened to you OP, and glad you got the money back. For people on a DP, you should always keep track of your credits too - I've heard of servers either accidentally or on purpose charging too many credits or the wrong credits for various things. So always double check!!

 

[stargazertechie]

I've heard of a lot of people not on a dining plan buy Disney GC's as a way of budgeting money to use for meals while there. I don't know if OP did this or not, but for those considering that, it might be better just to use cash. This way you can avoid what happened to OP and what PP mentions with a lot of restaurants authorizing above and beyond the bill for whatever reason. If you have a hard time saving money, just stick the cash in an envelope or a bank account you don't have easy access to (no debit card).

Sorry that happened to you OP, and glad you got the money back. For people on a DP, you should always keep track of your credits too - I've heard of servers either accidentally or on purpose charging too many credits or the wrong credits for various things. So always double check!!

The only reason we did the GCs is that we bought them at Sams when they had the $100+$10 for $98.87- we bought enough to pay for room and dining for our 3 trips this year and it gave me enough $ in the bonus cards to buy 40 Vinylmations and a ton of clearance trading pins.

 

[leebee]

In August 2010, on the dining plan, we ended up with a double tip at Biergarten. It's very confusing at the end of a meal, as you have several slips, especially if you've ordered food or alcohol not covered by the plan. I discovered this only because I used the rewards card to buy something several hours after I'd used it for the tip and was carefully following both our dining credits and my rewards balance. The server charged a second tip to my rewards card about an hour after we left Biergarten. I talked to Chase, then took everything to concierge at POP. They straightened it out, credited the "extra" tip money to my KTTW card (I think...) and called Biergarten and made sure management there knew what had happened. It was a pain in the butt to straighten out, simply due to the time involved. Disney couldn't have been nicer, or more efficient. I was envisioning having to go back to Biergarten and hassle the manager there, but no! Concierge straightened it all out for me.

WATCH ALL DINING PLAN, GIFT CARD, AND REWARDS CARD BALANCES CLOSELY!!!

 

[mom2of2]

When a guest charges a tip to a CC, GC or room it gets rung in twice. Once when you orginally run the card and then the 2nd time when the check gets closed. It should only technically charge one time though. That would account for the 45 minutes in between rung in times, it does not account for a double amount charged.

 

[chimo2u]

Thanks for the heads up! I'll be sure to always stick with CASH tips....I usually leave my tip last thing too, after they have taken off the credits, I will state that I will be leaving a cash tip! I hate servers hovering to wait on seeing what my tip will be....I prefer to leave it at the last possible moment Sad to hear this happened to you OP. It makes a hassle when on vacation that shouldn't be...glad it was taken care of!

 

[fastergoofy]

Whenever I use a credit/debit card for a meal anywhere, I always make sure there's something on the tip line and a total written on the total line. If the tip is cash, I write "CASH" on that line. In the very rare cases in which I don't leave a tip, I draw a zero with a line through it.

I also have online banking and I've set my account up to receive alerts for any transaction over a dollar. That + a smartphone = instant notification of any charges.

 

[Euphoria027]

Why would a server jeopardize their employment for 14 dollars? Seriously? I'm not trying to be rude but I don't think anyone is stupid enough to risk getting fired for such a tiny amount of money.

 

[Tricia1972]

That's a great tip and thank you for posting your experience - it will undoubtedly be helpful to many people!

There is a sticky at the top of this forum dedicated to tipping, and the first post has thread guidelines, reason for having one thread, and a tipping FAQ. Watching balances is something that is a great tip for the FAQ.

Thank you for sharing your story!