Bad Tippers!

@Luke35 (81)
United States
July 13, 2017 8:31am CST
My daughter works at an Applebee's restaurant in Florida. She is a lower level manager and bartender, but also sometimes works as a server. Back in June she served a "gentleman" who was very friendly and talkative and he left her a $300 tip on a $25 bill. It was all put on his credit card and on the sales slip which showed the $25 amount (not $25 exactly to the dollar, but you get the idea) he wrote for the tip $300 [I don't know if he wrote "$300" or "$300.00" to where it could be confused as $3 and he just forgot to add the decimal point]. But in adding up the total HE wrote it as $325.00 and not $28.00. Needless to say, daughter was surprised and she asked several managers on duty if they thought he had made a mistake or if that was not his intention; but there was the amount clear as day: $325 with the guy's signature. Just to be sure, they put $300 into the store safe in case the chap walked back in a week later and told them it was a mistake. After about a week or ten days, daughter got her $300 tip! THREE weeks later this guy comes back in hot as hell demanding the return of his $300 saying they should have known better/known it was an error and threatened to sue the restaurant! He commented on how he couldn't believe how dishonest the server was after she seemed like such a nice girl. The man was irate and he got his money back (which my daughter had to make up, but which had already been spent on a visit back up to Ohio to see her mom and I and her little sister's dance recital). So not only did she have to give the money back, but she ended up ultimately getting ZERO tip from the jerk! They saved the receipt and showed the man his signature authorizing the payment of $325, but he only got more upset and said they should have known it was a mistake. Daughter says that the man did have alcohol with his meal, but he certainly was not intoxicated to where he wouldn't realize the math error. End result = she did everything right: she asked multiple managers to confirm the amount the night the guy was there and put the money into the safe for a week just in case it was a mistake and the guy came back in asking for the money. They had no way to contact the guy to ask him: "Uhh, gee sir. Did you intend to leave that large of a tip." So how long should they hold the guy's money? If it was me and I noticed my error, I would be back the next day! But three weeks later?!?!? (Okay, maybe it took that long for his credit card statement to reflect it). In the end, even though he was clearly wrong, the adage that "the customer is always right" won out. But at least all the managers had her back when the guy began threatening to sue. Did she earn a $300 tip? probably not but the way the guy handled it all was not right. And legally he had ZERO legs to stand on after he added it up and signed the receipt.
5 people like this
8 responses
@Kandae11 (55171)
13 Jul 17
He should have admitted that he was in the wrong, people are not mind readers - he could have won the lottery who knows. If I was that guy after admitting I made an error I would take $250 and leave the other 50 for all the trouble I had caused.
4 people like this
@Luke35 (81)
• United States
14 Jul 17
That would have been the generous thing to do, but for whatever reason, this man was not in a generous frame of mind.
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
13 Jul 17
Who waits three weeks?
2 people like this
@Luke35 (81)
• United States
14 Jul 17
The ONLY thing I can figure is that maybe he did not notice the charge until his credit card statement came in the mail. But even in that case it didn't warrant his rude and threatening behavior.
@KrauseHome (36447)
• United States
13 Jul 17
Wow!! This would be a little upsetting especially if the $$ would not put a big hole in someone's pocket as it was already spent, and I am not sure what the right thing to do would be. But in reality, at least it was probably about the same time he got his statement, so he could have fought it and won without coming in and then the restaurant would be wondering what really happened there.
1 person likes this
@Luke35 (81)
• United States
14 Jul 17
I think he would have had some issues fighting it given that HE wrote the amount, HE added it up and HE signed it; but it really wasn't worth the bad PR or the time/effort for the store or my daughter to challenge him on it.
@paigea (36315)
• Canada
13 Jul 17
He sure handled that badly. I like @kandae11 's suggestion. He could have at least done something like that. I hope your daughter makes up that $300 soon.
1 person likes this
@Luke35 (81)
• United States
14 Jul 17
Thanks, she is hard at it to do just that!
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (67080)
• United States
13 Jul 17
Thats terrible. I eouldve let him try to sue
1 person likes this
@Luke35 (81)
• United States
14 Jul 17
He would have a tough way to go, but the time and effort and bad PR ultimately wouldn't offset the $300 tip.
@gilggg (2538)
• Israel
13 Jul 17
Why did not he end up paying a tip at all? I think it's rude of him to do so after 3 weeks, In my language we call it a "CHUTZPA" (=like very rude)
1 person likes this
@Luke35 (81)
• United States
14 Jul 17
I agree. If he MEANT to leave $3, he should have asked for $297 back. I suppose since he thought they were trying to steal from him that she deserved nothing... But he even said to the manager he was upset because she 'seemed so nice' when she waited on him. I can guarantee that he got top notch service from her on his dining experience.
1 person likes this
@gilggg (2538)
• Israel
14 Jul 17
@Luke35 If I was the manager of your daughter I was taking it on me...
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
13 Jul 17
Better if he sued, he would spend more and your daughter would probably get more for moral damages but Im only guessing since Im not a lawyer and certainly do not know your laws, anyway, his signature and the way he added the sum would show that he had full knowledge of his carelessness and or stupidity LOL! but then again that is up to the judge to interprete.
1 person likes this
@Luke35 (81)
• United States
14 Jul 17
She really wouldn't be entitled to anything more that the $300 itself if she was successful (which I fully believe she would have been). He likely would have only spent a nominal additional amount for a filing fee in small claims court.
1 person likes this
@NJChicaa (120291)
• United States
13 Jul 17
I definitely would have thought something was up. No one leaves a $300 tip at Applebees.
1 person likes this
@Luke35 (81)
• United States
14 Jul 17
That was exactly why she sought out the managers' opinions and why they held the money for a week. In retrospect, maybe they should have held it for a month, but what it all comes down to is that she EARNED whatever tip the guy saw fit to leave ON THE DAY that he was there. As for the size of the tip and the restaurant - I agree that it sounds like a lot and is unlikely; but it DOES happen here and there - you see news stories about large tips and they aren't limited to upscale fine dining establishments.