Fees added to restaurant bills?
 

I am relatively new to The Villages and my wife and I have been enjoying many of the restaurants at the town squares. When dining specifically at the Brownwood restaurants I noticed some unusual activity on my restaurant charges. As I have done my entire life I order, eat, pay the bill with a credit card and close it out after adding a gratuity. I am very articulate about my financial house and accounting so I always save a receipt and reconcile them with my credit card statement. What is unusual is that only half of the receipts reconcile with my statement (granted I have only dined in Brownwood about a dozen times). The ones that don’t match generally have an additional amount of $1-$5 on my credit card statement. There is no pattern that I can make out. This has occurred multiple times at WOB, City Fire and even when I use a credit card at the beverage shacks. So, with me being new, I am wondering if fees for some reason (entertainment on the square, use of credit card, ?) are being added after I close and sign the receipt. The amount is small so I have been letting it pass but if there are no good explanations for why this extra amount is added I may start taking it up with the restaurant managers.

I would get on to CC provider.
What is on the receipt, and you signed off for, is the amount you should pay.
Had this myself some years ago, so only pay cash now.

Seems to me someone is padding your charge. I always insist that:
1. I get an itemized bill, noting each item and the tax.
2. I always use a credit card, never a debit card. (My credit card gives me 3% back.)
3. I usually tip about 20% for good service but I always round the amount so the total comes out to a whole dollar.
Eg.: $52.31 + $10.69 tip = $63.00
4. I write $10.69 on the tip line, write $63.00 for the total
5. When I sign, I add $63.00 after my name and circle it.
If there is any despute I can tell the bank the correct total is in my signature and circled.
6. I do the same at the gas pump, stop at $**.00
7. When you get your credit statement it's easy to see the odd totals not ending in .00


If you suspect a problem with a restaurant changing the amount, you should bring your duplicate credit slip to the OWNER of the restaurant, NOT THE MANAGER, who may have been the culprit. Threaten the owner with a complaint to VISA or MC who can shut them down for tampering with credit slips. Some day we will be like Europe and they will bring the "machine" to the table and you type in your own tip. Problem solved.

There should be NO FEES added to your bill AFTER you are presented the total. Padded bills are more common near the interstates. People are traveling and live no where near where they had lunch on the way.

Years ago in Sarasota a restaurant manager did all the bills for the servers. You were presented with a bill for say $46.70 but when the charge slip came back it said $56.30 but the original slip was no longer with it. When patrons like me complained to the server about the NEW total, the manager would come over and explain that the server "hit the wrong key". NOT! It was the manager that was the thief. Turns out the manager was padding the bills for an extra cocktail you never received (mine said "7&7" on a reprint) and somehow pocketing that $9 on every bill all day long. The credit card company finally got multiple complaints, they investigated and shut down the charge system for that restaurant.

So go talk to ONLY the OWNER in person or by phone. The Villages Gourmet Club WEBSITE lists the owners of all the restaurants around town.

Hope this helps.

Skip

What credit card gives you 3% back, please?

What is more unusual is that more than one restaurant plus the booze shacks are doing this. Why not just take one of the receipts and ask them what it's for.

I always compare my receipt to the statement just in case this type of problem shows up.

Unfortunately, the wait staff (server) may change the tip amount.

If that is happening, it is fraud and totally illegal. I would dispute the charges with my bank. I always use cash to pay at a restaurant because I will not allow the server to take my credit card into the back room. I use a credit card for all other purchases, never a debit card.

:) Sam's Club Mastercard..... 3% on Dining and Travel, 5% on gas, 1% on other things.

I agree that someone is playing you. I also use cash at restaurants. Too many horror stories of card numbers being stolen or tips being added or changed. I also like giving the employees their tip in cash. That's just me.

Bank of America card
 

has a I/2:/3% you can look up details I usually get back between $1500 to $2000 a year not so much this year because of not doing as much it’s a no fee card and the whole bill is drafted every month from credit union

one reason I always pay cash

I agree cash is KING, but if we go out to eat 3 times a week, that means we need to carry about $200+ on me and go to the ATM every week.

Credit cards are very safe. Federal law protects you from fraudulent charges. If you tell the bank you did not make the charge, they freeze your account and issue you a new card. Stealing and using credit card numbers is a felony. The new cards with chips are even safer. Soon the account numbers will be removed from the cards once we go to 100% chip processing.

Skip

Yeah, same here.

Capital One Savor gives 4% at restaurants

Yes, but it also has a $95 annual fee. So, you need to spend $2,375 on restaurant food to break even on the 4 percent cash back deal.

My Costco Citi card gives me 3% back on restaurant charges and 4% on fuel purchases. Also zero liability on fraudulent charges. Why would anyone pay cash?

You should report it to the restaurant and the police as well as your cc company. This is probably happening to others. I would also watch for other charges as they may have copied your cc information and use it to make purchases.

Some of these joints don't deserve to hold my Credit Card. If they bring the little machine to the table sometimes I still pay CASH. It's a judgement call that each adult has to make.

If one of these establishments played around with the total I signed for I would just call the Credit Card Company and contest the entire charge. When they ask if I tried to work it out with the business just say they never answer the phone. Get the business as involved as possible and waste as much of their time as possible and stretch out the time until they get paid for their service. That will learn them. If enough people did it they would act properly instead of like clowns. They are counting on you just letting it go because the amount is small. Many people are not cheap they are principled! Go Get 'Em OP!

USBANK Altitude Go Card gives you 4% restaurants, 2% gas and supermarket PLUS they give you $250 CASH BACK after spending only $1000 in first 3 months PLUS 0% APR for 1 year. NO FEE. Get your $250 then (if you want something a little better) close the card or just stick it in your sock drawer. The $250 cashback averages out to a LOT more for a long time no matter what % they give you. Or you can get 2% on EVERYTHING with Citi Double Cash card (but no bonus cashback).

Fudging the credit card charge seems to be a common practice. My yacht club up north kept adding charges I had not made and just added it to my bill. This was a complete surprise as I know all the servers. I called them on it twice and after that they got it right. But bar bills are usually a good target. They expect you not to remember how many drinks you had, and how many you got for your guests.

Padding a credit card charge before it is signed is a completely different situation from adding charges after the customer has signed it. Adding charges to a bill after it is signed is bank fraud, a much more serious crime.

Thanks everyone for your valuable input. From the discussions it appears my charges are being padded. I plan to refute future discrepancies.

Has anyone else experienced this? I know I have not and I've been out a lot. I may not have been to all the same restaurants but I've been to WoB and the beverage shacks.

If others have had this issue then maybe it's the establishments. If not, then maybe it has something to do with the individual's card.

Before we begin accusing establishments of padding cards we should find out where the additional charges are coming from.

You should also be aware that is not uncommon that bartenders, eg. In the square may make additional charges for their own benefit, although I cannot see anyway they can benefit from doing so with card payments, far more likely with cash. I used to do bar work many years ago and it was common practice in most pubs, so easy when people are enjoying themselves and having a tipple. I never did such things of course, but it did happen.

That happened to me at Belle Glade. Server jacked up the tip by $3. Also happened at O’Shucks and at Square One. So it’s not just on property restaurants. But these are desperate times for food servers. I don’t want to get anyone in trouble when my sticks go up $800 a day

This is disturbing. Hope managers can give you an answer.

Not sure about OP's card, but mine is a DIVIDEND credit card that gives you back percentage at the end of the year. Mine gives 2%.

It always surprises me when people feel cash is safer. Credit card companies always reimburse you for fraudulent charges. If lost or stolen, cash is gone. .

Lived in villages 15 yrs and shop and eat out often. Never once have I had a credit card receipt that did not match the amount shown on the bill!

I also check my receipts with my Visa credit charge and realize that if I check it right away the pending charge does not include the tip. The tip is added when the bank does the final charge. On one Visa I have for my gas expenses a single dollar is charged in pending and then the entire amount is done on the final charge. I have never seen any "extra" charges for anything I've charged around here.

Several do 3% and 5% for certain items
 

I use BOA Visa, Discover and SunTrust Master card, all of them give you at least 2% back some more, pay them every month never a fee

Last year on Father’s Day, I took my dear friend out to lunch at WOB in Brownwood. I never use my credit card for dining unless paying at the register, but that day I didn’t have enough cash with me, so I handed my card to the server. She was gone quite awhile, almost as long as it took to get our meal which was unusually long, and when she came back she apologized for all the delays and stated they had to bring in help as many of the regular servers were off for the day. It made sense and I didn’t think much about it. Later that day though, I got a call from my bank asking if I was shopping in Daytona as they noticed a lot of activity on my card along with several online electronics purchases. Of course, I was no where near Daytona and the credit card being used was the one I used at WOB. I had to cancel my card, wait for a replacement, then change all my automatic payments for utilities, etc. I learned a few valuable lessons. And while I do still go to WOB every now and then, I pay cash.

Pretty sure you can dispute each one back about 90 days. Call the fraud department at your bank (phone on the back of the card). They are your friend.

Skip

How can they do that without your permission?

This is a somewhat normal scam. I caught several "tips" added to my credit card charges I had signed for. Each time I called the manager and he returned my overcharges explaining that the "waitress" had added to the tip amount. I save all my receipts to check my charges each month,

I use my debit card exclusively and have never had an over charge on a bill. Twice I've had my debit card charged for purchases I didn't make but my bank returned the money for the fraudulent charges. I always enter the amount spent in my check register and then rectify it with the bank statement at the end of the month. I also periodically check my expenditures on line with our bank's website during the month just to be safe.

Credit card charges must be disputed within 60 days of the statement date when the charge first appears.

Ohiobuckeye
 

I would get cash & Pay my bill exactly what it says & tell them I left a tip the last time I was here! Bumpa Oompa watch out about using names of people or businesses or you’ll be banned from using this site!

None of them, they have way getting it back.