Tip added without my permission?

[momtofour]

This has been happening more frequently and I am really getting tired of it. Yesterday I connected thru the San Fran airport. In a hurry I grabbed two gatorades and a coke from a cooler at a dessert place. (not sit down) The clerk rung it up and I gave her my credit card. She then said here is some paperwork. I put a dash thru the tip line and totalled it. (like $9.00 for the three) I checked my credit card today and sure enough they added a couple of bucks. I always seem to let this go....What do all of you do? I have no problem tipping for good service but this did not even involve service. She merely scanned the drinks!!

 

[kathie859]

This has been happening more frequently and I am really getting tired of it. Yesterday I connected thru the San Fran airport. In a hurry I grabbed two gatorades and a coke from a cooler at a dessert place. (not sit down) The clerk rung it up and I gave her my credit card. She then said here is some paperwork. I put a dash thru the tip line and totalled it. (like $9.00 for the three) I checked my credit card today and sure enough they added a couple of bucks. I always seem to let this go....What do all of you do? I have no problem tipping for good service but this did not even involve service. She merely scanned the drinks!!

Seriously? This has never happened to me; however, if it did, I'd certainly deny the charge (the tip part). I travel a lot--and would be really upset if someone did this. No way I'd let it slide.

 

[smitch425]

Has the charge actually cleared or is it still pending? Sometimes certain charges have an additional hold amount that will disappear once the charge officially posts to the account. I would give it until then and see what it shows. Good luck!

 

[Halbleib1]

I definately would not just let it slide. To me that is no different than going to the grocery store or a convenience store to pick up a few things. If this happened to me more than once I would start carrying some cash to avoid the trouble of having to call the bank every time it happened.

 

[pixiewings71]

if the charge goes through contact the credit card company, they will contact the merchant and let them know they are refusing the tip. The merchant will need to prove that you wrote in a tip, when they see you put a dash through the line and totaled it for $9 they won't charge you and it's likely the person who added the tip will get spoken to. It isn't OK that they did this, I wouldn't let it go.

 

[ILUVALASKA]

Interesting thread...this happened to me in three different restaurants this summer in San Francisco. Sketchy and annoying.

 

[cmwade77]

This usually only happens in the pending state, basically they authorize for the amount, plus an average tip. When it goes through, it should go back to what the total should be. If it goes through for the additional amount, i would definitely contest it.

 

[gillenkl]

This happened to us at Sci-Fi at HWS in December - we are 4 people and the 18% was added automatically to our check. I don't know if this is new because at Via Napoli in Epcot on the same trip the suggested tips were listed but not automatically added in.

 

[McKelly]

This happened to us at Jiko the first year the Dining Plan stopped including tips. The server kept reminding us that tip was not included and we would have to add it......I was like "I KNOW ALREADY!" Well, we left cash for a tip, but paid with our room charge. The server decided to give himself a 20% tip as well, on our room charge, so he got a 40% tip. I was so Ever since then, I write "cash" on the tip line, when I am leaving cash.

My friend had this happen to her in the OBX as well. Servers writing in tips.

 

[HouseMother]

I would not let it slide. I would probably have that person fired or severely reprimanded, in addition to a total refund, if it went through for a higher amount than I authorized.

 

[branv]

I would definitely report it. It is, plainly and simply, theft. It only happened to me once, and that was when I was staying at a very nice hotel in Banff. A breakfast credit was included in the price of the room, and every morning after dining we were presented with a zeroed out bill for our signature and room number. However, there was a spot for tipping, and so I always tipped on the pre-credit price as a room charge. When we checked out, our bill actually included copies of these signed receipts. I noticed for some reason my initials were written next to the tip line on each receipt. Curious, I asked the front desk what that meant. Surprise! Turns out that (unknown to me) the breakfast credit also paid for an 18% tip to the server. Servers were required to have guests initial any amount they put into the tip line to show that the guests understood that they were tipping over the 18% already allocated to the server.

So not only did our server conveniently not explain that to us (which I might have forgiven or passed off as absentmindedness), but his deliberate choice every day for 5 days to forge my initials showed it was premeditated. When I told the front desk what he'd done, I thought the hotel manager was going to blow a gasket. I was pretty irritated at the time, but it is still weird to think that it's very likely I got this guy fired. Correction: he got himself fired, but it's still strange. Despite that, I would still rat him and anyone else out who tried to steal money from me through the tip line. I also wouldn't just stop at disputing it to the credit card, I'd contact the business owner directly. Anyone who does this is likely stealing from the business as well.

 

[plummer925]

That is theft and theft is a felony.

I had it happen at Applebees once. The waitress was HORRIBLE and it was the ONE time I did not leave a tip (it was really, really bad for me to not tip - I always tip a minimum of 20%!).

She wrote in a $10 tip.

I called the company and they were irate. She lost her job - I did not want that to happen, of course, but if she did this once, how many OTHER times did she do it and people let it slide?

Applebees told me I had the option of pressing charges - I told them absolutely NOT that I just wanted my $10 back - well, I got my entire purchase back PLUS a very nice free meal out.

 

[caper4]

I would definitely say something. Only you should decide if they get a tip or not. Scanning items, does not get a tip in my book. We've run into the "tip not included" while at Disney. When they see I've not wrote anything in the tip spot, they give the cold shoulder. What they don't realize is we always leave a cash tip. I will take the advice above and write cash in instead of the 0's I normally do. Only incident we had this trip, was one waitress forgot to put it on our dining plan and since we were checking out in 2 days, I got a list of the charges. To my surprise there was a big old $170.00ish charge for Cape May. Easy to fix but glad I noticed it before we checked out.

 

[Anastasia]

Wow - that is just horrible! Thank you for posting about this, I will keep a closer eye on it. I will definitely begin writing "cash" on the tip line - that is a really great idea!

 

[Sagginit]

i have a bad habit of putting 0.00 or a line instead of cash, but that is the best thing to do. servers will often tamper with tips and if no one reports it they will get away with it. for ex. even if you leave a tip they can change a 4 into an 8 or a 3 into an 8. I put tips on my card sometimes but always check the posted amount a few days later. I had a friend in high school who at her first waitressing job all the servers did this. they taught her how and I was shocked at how good of a run they had because when they were only adding a few $$$ on most people did not in fact realize it. the way they got caught was a customer called and spoke to a manager and asked him to look at his slip and refund the difference. I think they noticed it was tampered with and looked thru all the slips for that day and many others were. this is theft and any time you see it should you first contact the restaurant and if they refuse then dispute the charge.

 

[Pooh2]

I frequently leave the tip in cash so usually just put a line and carry the total down. I will start writing in "cash" so thanks for that tip!

 

[cricketgirl]

This is crazy. I just can't believe people do this.

I do have an incident to share that is not the same but was stealing just the same.
Last Jan we ate at Fultons on the deluxe dining plan. Waiter was horrible, food was bad ( which is strange cause we love Fulton) waiter brings me the Check I ask about all the. Ogre toons and changes because it had us down for 16 dining credits. There were 4 adults. He took it back and corrected it. Then it was still wrong. After 5 attempts it was finally correct on the dining plan. We were over an hour waiting on our bill. Yes, we had asked for a manager by then, but never got to see one. Anyway they have tip area 15% 18% 20% tells you the amount. Well I had been double Checking them all week and they were correct so hubby says just top him so we can leave. I had been using a disney gift card to tip but since we had already been an hour waiting I looked at bill and tipped a cording to suggested 15% which was $70.00. Left cash and walked out. As we are walking to the bus it hits me that the tip was way off. Like more than double what it should have been. I look at the receipt and all the charges he had put on and taken off never changed the top amount from his first ring up mistakes. He was getting tipped on his errors in the computer. I was mad. Went back and was tx there was nothing they could do about it because I tipped him in cash. I asked to speak to him and he was not there any longer. Seriously it hadn't been 15 minutes. I did complain to the hotel and asked who I should speak to. They didn't have an answer for me just said they would never tip in cash cause there is nothing you can do about that.
Needless to say I will whip out my phone and calculate the tips myself from now on. Regardless how tacky it seems.
By the way I typo ally tip a min of 20 %. I only tipped the suggested 15% because I was tired if dealing with the whole thing and guess what it bit me in the backside.

 

[plummer925]

This is crazy. I just can't believe people do this.

I do have an incident to share that is not the same but was stealing just the same.
Last Jan we ate at Fultons on the deluxe dining plan. Waiter was horrible, food was bad ( which is strange cause we love Fulton) waiter brings me the Check I ask about all the. Ogre toons and changes because it had us down for 16 dining credits. There were 4 adults. He took it back and corrected it. Then it was still wrong. After 5 attempts it was finally correct on the dining plan. We were over an hour waiting on our bill. Yes, we had asked for a manager by then, but never got to see one. Anyway they have tip area 15% 18% 20% tells you the amount. Well I had been double Checking them all week and they were correct so hubby says just top him so we can leave. I had been using a disney gift card to tip but since we had already been an hour waiting I looked at bill and tipped a cording to suggested 15% which was $70.00. Left cash and walked out. As we are walking to the bus it hits me that the tip was way off. Like more than double what it should have been. I look at the receipt and all the charges he had put on and taken off never changed the top amount from his first ring up mistakes. He was getting tipped on his errors in the computer. I was mad. Went back and was tx there was nothing they could do about it because I tipped him in cash. I asked to speak to him and he was not there any longer. Seriously it hadn't been 15 minutes. I did complain to the hotel and asked who I should speak to. They didn't have an answer for me just said they would never tip in cash cause there is nothing you can do about that.
Needless to say I will whip out my phone and calculate the tips myself from now on. Regardless how tacky it seems.
By the way I typo ally tip a min of 20 %. I only tipped the suggested 15% because I was tired if dealing with the whole thing and guess what it bit me in the backside.

Ouch!

 

[StacyMarie]

I ALWAYS write in CASH in giant letters! I don't want anybody going back into my charge and messing with the amount EVER to add their tip!!!!

 

[Disney Addicted]

I'm glad I read this thread. I will start writing cash on the tip line as well. So many sneaky practices I never would have thought of!