Lunch experience at the Villages Light House

[blyarbrough]

Lunch experience at the Villages Light House recently was quite inadequate in several ways; poor quality food, high prices and poor service BUT the real problem was discovered later. I keep a;; credit card slips for at least one payment cycle and just happened to notice a strange charge when the credit card bill came in today……..the amount of the lunch including taxes was $XX.33……the amount posted was $XX.99 …. (I always leave at least 10% even if the service and food are of poor quality and often 15% to 20% for good food and service. So I start wondering HOW the tip get inflated by 45%...... Well I figure the only way was to inflate the tip by changing $XX.00 to
$XY 99…..an easy way to make a few extra bucks per day. This has happened to me before when I left cash tip then someone posted an additional charge to the credit card. I of course called management…trying to explain the issue to the Manager and she seemed indifferent to say the least….it became clear to me that she did not want to be bothered with my petty issue and she even threaten to review the security footage and BAR me from the Light House for life because she has been the manager many many years and the named server had worked for her for 9 years and would not do anything like I was suggesting. WOW what a sad experience at the friendly town in America…..I am just wondering if anyone else out here has ever had a problem like this in the Villages. Here’s just another thing that seniors must watch out for in the Villages…..Be you own judge but best check those charges on your credit cards every month.

[blyarbrough]

Wow...

[Rapscallion St Croix]

I would like to volunteer to be banned for life in your stead.

[Bogie Shooter]

Lunch experience at the Villages Light House recently was quite inadequate in several ways; poor quality food, high prices and poor service BUT the real problem was discovered later. I keep a;; credit card slips for at least one payment cycle and just happened to notice a strange charge when the credit card bill came in today……..the amount of the lunch including taxes was $XX.33……the amount posted was $XX.99 …. (I always leave at least 10% even if the service and food are of poor quality and often 15% to 20% for good food and service. So I start wondering HOW the tip get inflated by 45%...... Well I figure the only way was to inflate the tip by changing $XX.00 to
$XY 99…..an easy way to make a few extra bucks per day. This has happened to me before when I left cash tip then someone posted an additional charge to the credit card. I of course called management…trying to explain the issue to the Manager and she seemed indifferent to say the least….it became clear to me that she did not want to be bothered with my petty issue and she even threaten to review the security footage and BAR me from the Light House for life because she has been the manager many many years and the named server had worked for her for 9 years and would not do anything like I was suggesting. WOW what a sad experience at the friendly town in America…..I am just wondering if anyone else out here has ever had a problem like this in the Villages. Here’s just another thing that seniors must watch out for in the Villages…..Be you own judge but best check those charges on your credit cards every month.

Don't blame the whole place over the alleged misdeeds of one person!

[Joeg180]

Never had an issue there. One of my wife's favorite restaurants in TV.

[SFSkol]

I am confused by your figures. Just tell us the real amounts so we can make sense of this.

[blyarbrough]

The amounts do not matter.....the ticket was inflated by 45%. If your child steals a stick of gum from a supermarket is that ok??? Well how about an armored car or bank......stealing is stealing....and it's really bad when it's from senior folks. Just check you charge cards is all I am saying.

[blyarbrough]

You do realize that senior management was informed....therefore it is the whole organization top to bottom......

[Brawnwy123]

[QUOTE=blyarbrough;1593072]Lunch experience at the Villages Light House recently was quite inadequate in the

AN ANSWER ???

The first time we went there, 3 years ago, it was really bad, very poor cooking and wait staff, a real bummer. Friends came here and we agreed to try it again. It was Awful, just a mess.
So, we walk in the area a lot, check the workers at the back of the place, smoking who knows what? We think the allure of the lake, the lighthouse is the main item, they do draw a crowd. We think it is a dump in many ways. OK, you are in the villages. I asked a local honest handyman, why is this so common here ?? His answer: The Villages is loaded with older and sometimes not too smart visitors, they fall for the location and also,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, THE VILLAGES IS LOADED WITH PEOPLE, WHO HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY AND TOO LITTLE SMARTS. Fair game for anything, be careful. Be safe. Good luck
:bigbow:

[biker1]

Tell the restaurant to run a refund for the amount they overcharged. If they fail to do so then contact your credit card company and dispute the charge. In general, you need to make a good faith effort to have the vendor correct the issue before disputing the charge with your credit card company. Since you have your credit card slip, there really shouldn't be any issue.

The overcharge may have been the result of misreading the amount of tip and the total on your charge slip or they may have fat fingered the keyboard when entering the tip. I would not necessarily assume it was intentional. Regardless, this can be corrected.

Lunch experience at the Villages Light House recently was quite inadequate in several ways; poor quality food, high prices and poor service BUT the real problem was discovered later. I keep a;; credit card slips for at least one payment cycle and just happened to notice a strange charge when the credit card bill came in today……..the amount of the lunch including taxes was $XX.33……the amount posted was $XX.99 …. (I always leave at least 10% even if the service and food are of poor quality and often 15% to 20% for good food and service. So I start wondering HOW the tip get inflated by 45%...... Well I figure the only way was to inflate the tip by changing $XX.00 to
$XY 99…..an easy way to make a few extra bucks per day. This has happened to me before when I left cash tip then someone posted an additional charge to the credit card. I of course called management…trying to explain the issue to the Manager and she seemed indifferent to say the least….it became clear to me that she did not want to be bothered with my petty issue and she even threaten to review the security footage and BAR me from the Light House for life because she has been the manager many many years and the named server had worked for her for 9 years and would not do anything like I was suggesting. WOW what a sad experience at the friendly town in America…..I am just wondering if anyone else out here has ever had a problem like this in the Villages. Here’s just another thing that seniors must watch out for in the Villages…..Be you own judge but best check those charges on your credit cards every month.

[SouthOfTheBorder]

The amounts do not matter.....the ticket was inflated by 45%. If your child steals a stick of gum from a supermarket is that ok??? Well how about an armored car or bank......stealing is stealing....and it's really bad when it's from senior folks. Just check you charge cards is all I am saying.

Sorry, based on your vague explanation the ticket was not inflated by 45%. XX.99 - XX.33 = XX.66. That is much less than 45% of XX.33.

What's with trying to complain using using XX?, it is just a restaurant receipt.

Do you still have a copy of your original receipt? What is the total difference between it and your card statement transaction?

With all that said, if there is a difference why do you jump to the conclusion it is due to theft? Mistakes can happen and can easily be corrected.

[biker1]

///

[Bogie Shooter]

Sorry, based on your vague explanation the ticket was not inflated by 45%. XX.99 - XX.33 = XX.66. That is much less than 45% of XX.33.

What's with trying to complain using using XX?, it is just a restaurant receipt.

Do you still have a copy of your original receipt? What is the total difference between it and your card statement transaction?

With all that said, if there is a difference why do you jump to the conclusion it is due to theft? Mistakes can happen and can easily be corrected.

I agree.
If I had this issue, I would have gone down to the restaurant to talk with the manager. Put a smile on my face as I walked in, to point out there was a problem with the charge.....not accuse anybody cheating.
If no satisfaction...……….call the credit card company, they will do a charge back. Issue solved.

[graciegirl]

Please tell us what you meant to tip and then how much the tip showed up as.

[SFSkol]

I think I figured it out.

She showed up with 8 people. Menu sez a 15% gratuity will be added to your bill for 8 or more. Your 10% tip was changed to 15% the mysterious 45% figure.

DONE

[biker1]

What difference does it make?

Please tell us what you meant to tip and then how much the tip showed up as.

[blyarbrough]

FYI....I did contact senior management and they blew me off and were ugly verbally. They just don;t care I assume....but be advise that I made a good faith effort with poor result.

[biker1]

Since you made a good faith effort with the vendor, your next step should be a call to your credit card company.

FYI....I did contact senior management and they blew me off and were ugly verbally. They just don;t care I assume....but be advise that I made a good faith effort with poor result.

[blyarbrough]

I did and management just blew me off as if they did not care if I complained. There are just too many folks living in the Villages to offer personal service......They do not care.

[CFrance]

It sounds like you want to complain more than you want to be made whole. Just call the credit card company and get the overcharge reversed. And never go there again since you didn't like any part of the place.

People in TV all have their likes and dislikes as far as restaurants go, and you won't change anyone's mind.

Plus the $XX thing is just weird.

[Fraugoofy]

Lunch experience at the Villages Light House recently was quite inadequate in several ways; poor quality food, high prices and poor service BUT the real problem was discovered later. I keep a;; credit card slips for at least one payment cycle and just happened to notice a strange charge when the credit card bill came in today……..the amount of the lunch including taxes was $XX.33……the amount posted was $XX.99 …. (I always leave at least 10% even if the service and food are of poor quality and often 15% to 20% for good food and service. So I start wondering HOW the tip get inflated by 45%...... Well I figure the only way was to inflate the tip by changing $XX.00 to
$XY 99…..an easy way to make a few extra bucks per day. This has happened to me before when I left cash tip then someone posted an additional charge to the credit card. I of course called management…trying to explain the issue to the Manager and she seemed indifferent to say the least….it became clear to me that she did not want to be bothered with my petty issue and she even threaten to review the security footage and BAR me from the Light House for life because she has been the manager many many years and the named server had worked for her for 9 years and would not do anything like I was suggesting. WOW what a sad experience at the friendly town in America…..I am just wondering if anyone else out here has ever had a problem like this in the Villages. Here’s just another thing that seniors must watch out for in the Villages…..Be you own judge but best check those charges on your credit cards every month.I quit going to the Lighouse when they stopped serving draft beer. I don't have draft beer at home so I like it when I go out. So now I go to other places.

I always tip in cash. Servers appreciate it. Peace out!

Sent from my SM-N920R4 using Tapatalk

[retiredguy123]

Sorry, based on your vague explanation the ticket was not inflated by 45%. XX.99 - XX.33 = XX.66. That is much less than 45% of XX.33.

What's with trying to complain using using XX?, it is just a restaurant receipt.

Do you still have a copy of your original receipt? What is the total difference between it and your card statement transaction?

With all that said, if there is a difference why do you jump to the conclusion it is due to theft? Mistakes can happen and can easily be corrected.
I agree. The OP's post makes no sense. Was the tip paid in cash? What was the actual amount for the meal and how much was added to it? Don't you have a receipt for the credit card charge? They can only charge for the amount signed for. Otherwise, you can just dispute the credit card charge and the bank has to remove it from your account. That is the Federal law.

[graciegirl]

What difference does it make?

My dear, I was just trying to understand.

[golf2140]

This issue happened to me once before at a different restaurant. When I spoke to the manager in person he explained that at the end of a shift the tip is added to the card. He told me that he made a mistake adding the tip from another card to my charge. If you speak to the folks in a civil manner it all works out.

[Chatbrat]

If you paid with a credit card -Dispute the charge

[retiredguy123]

This issue happened to me once before at a different restaurant. When I spoke to the manager in person he explained that at the end of a shift the tip is added to the card. He told me that he made a mistake adding the tip from another card to my charge. If you speak to the folks in a civil manner it all works out.
It is standard procedure for restaurants to add tips to the credit cards after the customers have left. First, they bring you the bill on a plastic tray. You put your credit card on the tray, they take it into the back room and immediately charge your card for the meal without the tip amount. Then, they bring you another bill and you add the tip to the second bill and sign it. Then, after you have left, they add the tip and revise the charged amount. I think this is a ridiculous and inaccurate way to do business, and it is why I never use a credit card in restaurants. I pay cash only.

[Doro22]

Aha! Good advice...cash only.

[Aloha1]

Time for restaurants here to adopt the Euro method of portable credit card machines that the wait staff brings to your table to process the charge.The card is never out of your site.

[refeik]

[QUOTE=blyarbrough;1593072]Lunch experience at the Villages Light House recently was quite inadequate in the

AN ANSWER ???

The first time we went there, 3 years ago, it was really bad, very poor cooking and wait staff, a real bummer. Friends came here and we agreed to try it again. It was Awful, just a mess.
So, we walk in the area a lot, check the workers at the back of the place, smoking who knows what? We think the allure of the lake, the lighthouse is the main item, they do draw a crowd. We think it is a dump in many ways. OK, you are in the villages. I asked a local honest handyman, why is this so common here ?? His answer: The Villages is loaded with older and sometimes not too smart visitors, they fall for the location and also,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, THE VILLAGES IS LOADED WITH PEOPLE, WHO HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY AND TOO LITTLE SMARTS. Fair game for anything, be careful. Be safe. Good luck
:bigbow:

My wife and I took some visiting friends to the Lighthouse for lunch. The menu prices were normal for local restaurants. The male visitor chose the unpriced catch of the day (fish). I was treating and asked for the bill. If I recall correctly, his catch of the day was $36.00. I was shocked !!!!! Never again !!!

[biker1]

I don't mean to belabor the issue but he was apparently overcharged. The amount he was overcharged doesn't matter, how much he tips doesn't matter, and he apparently does not wish to provide the actual dollar amounts based on the fact that he used "XX" in the original post. He has been advised in several posts to contact his credit card company to dispute the charge. This thread should probably be closed.

My dear, I was just trying to understand.

[blyarbrough]

The server worked there for 9 years and can't read the correct amount???? Even so the head management should honor the complaint; not slam the Customer.

[JerryLBell]

I must be weird. Every time I read a complaint about a particular restaurant in The Villages at which I have eaten recently, I find my experience to be the exact opposite. The last few times my wife and I grabbed lunch at The Lighthouse, service was very good, the food quite good and the prices (which admittedly for were the luncheon specials we had) to be extremely reasonable. Maybe my standards just aren't up to snuff or maybe I go in just so happy to be living the good life here that it brings me good karma.

Gosh, thinking of The Lighthouse makes me want to get some of that fried fish they have with the crushed corn flake coating... Yummy!

[Chatbrat]

The Lighthouse has changed, the new menu is a shadow of its former self--used to go there, for the stacked lobster app, and other fresh fish and oysters-went there a couple of months ago we had one cocktail looked @ the menu, left and went to the Bonefish

[ditka41]

Guess the OP should be glad the total was only "XX". ----If it had totaled "XXX" there would be real trouble here.

[graciegirl]

The server worked there for 9 years and can't read the correct amount???? Even so the head management should honor the complaint; not slam the Customer.

That is confusing and troubling to me. I know that woman, not well, but have had a nice chat with her several times over the years. She seemed to me to be quite used to people of every sort. I think I am missing something here.

You were overcharged and incorrectly billed for a tip. Was that more than one dollar? Not that I think it would be right no matter what the amount. I wonder if she offered to pay you back at any time?

[Vladimir]

The .XX scenario does not make sense to me and percentages can be misleading.

If the bill was $200 and the tip $40 then having the tip inflated by about $15 is something to maybe take issue with. If the bill is $50 and the tip $10 then its only about a $4 overcharge.
If you dont want the credit card company to fix this then chalk up the $4 overcharge to a learning fee and dont patronize that restaurant again.

[Aloha1]

The landlord for the property on which The Lighthouse sits is the Developer. My understanding is that the Developer initially ran this restaurant successfully(correct me if I'm wrong). This location is a primo site at the heart of the major town square in TV. To have an establishment not deliver top quality food and service here creates a negative opinion of TV as a whole. First impressions matter. The Lighthouse should be more of a destination casual dining experience than it is today. Perhaps the Developer should help the current owners out of their financial pain by ending the lease and bringing in someone that can make this place sing.

[CWGUY]

:icon_wink: With all the XX's I was thinking they were talking the "Cafe Risque". :faint:

[Chatbrat]

Aloha--right on--restaurants in the square should all be well above average--they help move real estate

[Kerry Azz]

I’m a former restaurant owner/operator and a former customer of the lighthouse, 2010-2016 I found the place Very inconsistent, the waitstaff mediocre at best. They advertise New England chowder, any restaurants, If they served that no one will plan chowder to anyone in New England they would be out of business. I stoped wasting my time going there two years ago, because I was nothing but disappointed every time I’ve went. If you Yeah for real authentic seafood goes to Leans Seafood in silver springs. On highway 40

[graciegirl]

gone.

I'm sorry. I'm not an English teacher either.