has anyone else had this happen to them?

[zaika]

so, on the weekend, i paid for breakfast with my debit card. the next day i checked my bank account and noticed that there were two charges pending...one for the cost of the meal, the other for the cost plus 20% tip. i called the restaraunt and he said it's common, all restaraunts do this and when the charge goes through the one sans tip will go away. i've never heard of this, and it's making me nervous. i just called my bank and she said it's not common, but it happens. i don't know...i've never seen this. usually the charge of the meal will show up minus tip as pending, and then when it actually goes through it includes the tip. i've never seen two charges before.
am i making sense? has this happened to anyone else? some of you must go out more than i do...

 

[Mr. Lucky]

Been there, done that. It does happen and, yes, the second charge usually goes away. I noticed that this more than likely happens with older joints that have older credit card machines - those that came out when the whole debit/credit card thing was just starting, thus guaranteeing the full amount to be available in the customer's bank account. I wouldn't worry.

 

[dhermann1]

Seems pretty presumptuous. What if the service was lousy and you don't want to leave a tip? What if you only want to leave 15%? What if you leave a cash tip? Doesn't seem cool to me.

 

[zaika]

Been there, done that. It does happen and, yes, the second charge usually goes away. I noticed that this more than likely happens with older joints that have older credit card machines - those that came out when the whole debit/credit card thing was just starting, thus guaranteeing the full amount to be available in the customer's bank account. I wouldn't worry.

Oh good. I'm not the only one then. Thank you Mr. Lucky! I'll still be keeping an eye out for sure.

Seems pretty presumptuous. What if the service was lousy and you don't want to leave a tip? What if you only want to leave 15%? What if you leave a cash tip? Doesn't seem cool to me.

This particular bill had gratuity already calculated because of the size of the group. Rather large, too. 20%!

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Typically, this is cause by the lag time between the charges clearing.

They give you your bill,

You pay it with your card,

They run your card and get a preliminary authorization,

You sign it and add a tip,

They run the card again and the first authorization is supposed to clear. Sometimes, it takes an extra day. That's all it is.

 

[lyburnum]

I got very nervous when this happened after having ordered £170 worth of stuff from a website (albeit for a major chain). I went into the bank straight away and they said it'd take a few days to clear, but it was nothing to worry about and it'd go away. Being charged £170 twice is no fun at all

 

[Brooksie]

They did that at the restaurant I used to work at (I guess it is just a precaution to make sure they get the money) and the extra charge would always go away, we forever had people calling all the time asking about it.

Brooksie

 

[Josephine]

Debit cards are a pain in the neck. You'll get charged often times over what you paid for something to be sure that the vendor gets their money. AND it ties up that money, so you can't use it if you have it in the bank. I never use a debit card.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

Debit cards are a pain in the neck. You'll get charged often times over what you paid for something to be sure that the vendor gets their money. AND it ties up that money, so you can't use it if you have it in the bank. I never use a debit card.

me neither...credit or cash...mainly cash...

 

[zaika]

thank you everyone for your responses. josephine and sam marlowe...i'll be doing the same as you...cash. i can't deal with the stress of this!!

 

[Ecuador Jim]

It's always a bit of a shock when you first see it happen, but it's not uncommon. Hemingway is right. Especially with debit cards, the Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) rules generally are more visible with a debit card than with a credit card, but a similar phenomenon happens. When I travel, I'll check into my hotel, and they will run an estimate of my charges for my stay. This is "blocking" your card. The establishment wants to ensure you have the funds available for your stay. Because you can check your checking account balance so easily, it's more distressing on a debit card.

What I have seen in the Seattle area is that some establishments (particularly bars), will add a tip, even when you don't leave one. It hasn't happened to me, but friends have pointed it out, and there was an article in a local magazine that pointed it out as well.

The big question; how do you hide a debit card in all that rabbit fur?

 

[GoldLeaf]

This is fftopic: This is a plea to people to please remember your wait staff work for tips, that is the primary way they earn their money. Even if you have had poor service, please don't ever stiff the wait staff. Talk to a manager and get a free meal. And if the kitchen is slow getting your food out, that isn't your wait staff's fault, even though they are the face you see.

Actually, 20% isn't excessive. A standard tip is considered to be 15%. That is what should be left, bare minimum, even if the server isn't stellar, or even if they are kind of crappy. If the server is good, 20% or more is considered to be respectful. If the server is amazing (I have had one or two) they get 30% in my book.

Large groups are so much more work than a table of 4, that 20% is considered fair for their extra hard work. Remember that some states, waitresses only make about $2.00 an hour. And just because the restaurant looks busy while you are there, that doesn't mean that the other hours of the server's shift were as busy. I used to work at a place where my shift was 6 hours. Only 1 1/2 hours were busy. I had to make all my money in that hour and a half, so I often just averaged minimum wage. Leaving at the end of the night with $50 in my pocket wasn't much.

Also, keep in mind that a lot of servers have to tip out the hostess and the bartender and the bus boys. One place I worked, I could loose almost 30% of my tips in a night to the other staff.

 

[scotrace]

I hate to seem a prig, but bad service gets less tippage. That's bad service I'm talking about - rudeness, no offer of a refill, having to wait forever to be approached at the table when the place isn't busy, having the wrong meal delivered, etc. A meal that takes awhile to be served or is cold, I'll take up with the manager as it isn't the wait staff's fault. I tip well and treat the staff very courteously. I still treat the staff very courteously if the service is poor, but I ain't leavin' no 15%.

 

[carter]

Do Not Reward Mediocrity

I hate to seem a prig, but bad service gets less tippage. That's bad service I'm talking about - rudeness, no offer of a refill, having to wait forever to be approached at the table when the place isn't busy, having the wrong meal delivered, etc. A meal that takes awhile to be served or is cold, I'll take up with the manager as it isn't the wait staff's fault. I tip well and treat the staff very courteously. I still treat the staff very courteously if the service is poor, but I ain't leavin' no 15%.

Scot, I agree with your response.
Having been in the Food/Beverage/Entertainment industry for more than two decades, I can tell you that 15% is not condidered the absolute minimum by any means. 10% perhaps. After all, TIPS means 'To Insure Proper Service'.
Servers do earn most of their income from tips. This doesn't mean just showing up at the table, taking the order, delivering the order, and pouring coffee/tea/water/etc. Done in a timely and courteous manner, these constitute minimum acceptable standards of service. Probably worth a 10% gratuity.
To earn a larger gratuity, a server should exceed minimum standards. If they can't/don't/won't, they should not expect a larger gratuity.
Exceptionally poor service deserves an equally poor response. No one should expect or reward mediocrity in service at any retail establishment no matter what the product. Unfortunately, mediocrity is increasingly prevalent in the 21st Century. fftopic:

Zaika,
A preauthorization is often unnecessary and a preauthorization done with a gratuity added is not only presumptious but fradulent.
Yes, this may be done to "protect" the establishment, and in hotels is a standard policy. However, dining is not the same as staying in a hotel. At the very least, duration is not generally comparable.
I encourage anyone, when dining out, to insist that there be no authorization done on their credit/debit card until the entire transaction has been completed, if this practice bothers/concerns/offends them. There is a very good chance that the management will comply. If not, vote with your feet and your wallet, dine elsewhere.

 

[GoldLeaf]

Perhaps the information I was given from the places I worked was off, then, which is highly possible. I haven't ever heard that 10% is the minimum, I always heard 15%. I apologize if the information I shared was off. I only worked as a server a couple of summers in college, so I am not an expert, and only know what I gained in my limited experience.

I was just trying to give a different perspective. Some folks who haven't worked in the food industry aren't aware that in some states, servers make less than minimum wage, and often have to share a good chunk of their tips with other employees in the restaurant. If a server is terrible, I agree, don't reward that. Perhaps I am just a softie for servers.

 

[zaika]

I hate tipping, but not because I hate servers. I totally feel for people who make less than minimum wage. Which is absolutely criminal. And I tip because I know how hard it is in that business. I hate tipping because it comes from a completely classist tradition and I can't help thinking that. It's like singing for your supper, and having some one judge whether or not you're performance is worthy for payment. No self-respecting, hard working person deserves that kind of treatment.
I only spent six months in that industry for that very reason. However...it's really nice, as the server, to get good tips. lol I loved the extra change.
Well, the charge went through and the other is gone...but now there is ANOTHER charge pending. :rage: I'm getting tired of this!!

 

[carter]

I hate tipping, but not because I hate servers. I totally feel for people who make less than minimum wage. Which is absolutely criminal. I hate tipping because it's completely classist. It's like singing for your supper, and having some one judge whether or not you're performance is worthy for payment. No self-respecting, hard working person deserves that kind of treatment. I only spent six months in that industry for that very reason. However...it's really nice, as the server, to get good tips. lol I loved the extra change.
Well, the charge went through and the other is gone...but now there is ANOTHER charge pending. :rage: I'm getting tired of this!!

If there is another charge pending from the same establishment, and you haven't been there twice recently, you need to contact both the establishment and your card issuer. This may be fraud.

Once someone has your name, card number and the three-digit security code, it's amazingly easy to make fradulent use of the card.

 

[zaika]

If there is another charge pending from the same establishment, and you haven't been there twice recently, you need to contact both the establishment and your card issuer. This may be fraud.

Once someone has your name, card number and the three-digit security code, it's amazingly easy to make fradulent use of the card.

Yeah...and it's for the same exact amount. I just called the restaraunt, my bank knows, supposedly I'm going to get a call back from a manager today. What a headache. And this charge isn't exactly little.

We shall see.

 

[GoldLeaf]

Zaika, that is a very interesting view on tipping, that I hadn't ever thought of before. Food for thought, hehe

 

[Viola]

I always tip at least 20% unless the staff is rude to my face. I'll go up to 25% if they're very nice or accomodating or if I'm trying to get orders customized or whatever.

I never heard it was okay to do 15%.