Waitress gives herself tip on my Credit card

[mouseman]

My friend and I went to a bar and the bill came out to $56.01 and that is what I left as the total amount. I left the tip part of the receipt blank. I paid for the tab on my credit card and we left her 12 bucks cash for a tip. When I checked my bill today I have a charge of $64.41. That is exactly 15% of the original bill. What should I do. Anyone experienced in waiting tables as to why this would happen? Is this just a mistake on their part, plain stealing?, maybe I'm missing something. This girl has waited my table a couple times before and I never noticed anything like this going on. She seems nice and I don't want to get her into trouble, but if she is stealing she deserves to be fired. What is the best course of action?

[PartyPooperGuy]

Call your credit card company and tell them you were billed more than the charge you authorized.

You say you left the "tip part of the receipt blank" -- did you leave the "Total" line blank too, or did you re-write the $56.01 there?

This sounds like blatant stealing to me. I hope you took the "customer copy" -- if so you'll have a very easy time proving that you did not leave said tip, if the credit card company gets bitchy about it.

[deadbody]

It is a preautorization on the credit card, not an issue, when it actually clears the account it'll charge the right amount.

THis is standard in the restuarant game, they take a preautorization for enough to cover the tip, and then the charge actually goes through for the amount you signed for.

Edit: I'm assuming you went to the bar yesterday, and you are viewing your statement online. If this is showing up on your actual billing statement you got through the mail, call your CC company and dispute the charge.

['Chair]

[ QUOTE ]
It is a preautorization on the credit card, not an issue, when it actually clears the account it'll charge the right amount.

THis is standard in the restuarant game, they take a preautorization for enough to cover the tip, and then the charge actually goes through for the amount you signed for.

[/ QUOTE ]

does this differ from state to state?

[deadbody]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It is a preautorization on the credit card, not an issue, when it actually clears the account it'll charge the right amount.

THis is standard in the restuarant game, they take a preautorization for enough to cover the tip, and then the charge actually goes through for the amount you signed for.

[/ QUOTE ]

does this differ from state to state?

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually from restuarant to restuarant. I managed a bank for 3 years, and dealt with this complaint daily. Also pay at the pump gas does the same thing, some stations preauthroize a dollar to make sure the card is active, others $100 to make sure you can pay for the gas.

Also see my edit.

[udbrky]

There's no reason a restaurant should pre-authorize for more than the amount to be charged.

When we get a CC with a tip, our computer registers only the sale. I have to go into a section that needs a management password to add the tip to the invoice. Then, we finalize the CC's that have been cashed in (it's a pizza delivery, so any order en route will not have been cashed in), and if they don't have the tip on them, we either eat them, or do a customer refund, so we won't be short on cash for that amount.

I realize every restaurant is different, but is there any reason they would be pre-authorizing for more than the amount due? Our system won't let us charge more than the amount - anything more has to be added as a tip. It's nice, because then we don't have the problem that Burger King did where the person was charged 4k for a burger.

[Tron]

I don't know if they have a GOOD reason or not, but this is definitely not uncommon at all.

[deadbody]

[ QUOTE ]
There's no reason a restaurant should pre-authorize for more than the amount to be charged.

When we get a CC with a tip, our computer registers only the sale. I have to go into a section that needs a management password to add the tip to the invoice. Then, we finalize the CC's that have been cashed in (it's a pizza delivery, so any order en route will not have been cashed in), and if they don't have the tip on them, we either eat them, or do a customer refund, so we won't be short on cash for that amount.

I realize every restaurant is different, but is there any reason they would be pre-authorizing for more than the amount due? Our system won't let us charge more than the amount - anything more has to be added as a tip. It's nice, because then we don't have the problem that Burger King did where the person was charged 4k for a burger.

[/ QUOTE ]

Except for the fact that they might have that set up with their CC processor to automatically pre-authorize the bill amount (which is what the waitress plugs in when she runs your card) plus 15-25%. Then when the receipts are actually reconciled at the end of the night the correct amount is put in for a charge.

THis is EXTREMELY common, and the fact that your restuarant (Domino's or Papa Johns?) doesn't do it does not make it incorrect.

[Forbin]

[ QUOTE ]
I realize every restaurant is different, but is there any reason they would be pre-authorizing for more than the amount due? Our system won't let us charge more than the amount - anything more has to be added as a tip. It's nice, because then we don't have the problem that Burger King did where the person was charged 4k for a burger.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is no reason they should be pre-authorizing for more than the actual charge amount. In fact it is a violation of the Visa Rules to do so. Just look at page 10 of that pdf for the concise version of the rule.

It's also a violation to impose a minimum purchase amount for credit card sales, and to ask to see ID as a requirement for using your credit card.

[mouseman]

[ QUOTE ]
It is a preautorization on the credit card, not an issue, when it actually clears the account it'll charge the right amount.

THis is standard in the restuarant game, they take a preautorization for enough to cover the tip, and then the charge actually goes through for the amount you signed for.

Edit: I'm assuming you went to the bar yesterday, and you are viewing your statement online. If this is showing up on your actual billing statement you got through the mail, call your CC company and dispute the charge.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks. That is probably what happened. It is still a pending charge so hopefully this is the case.