User deleted post
Watched bartender at The Line award himself a 22% tip with no explanation - is this allowed??
CC company may pushback because he's not actually "giving himself a tip" He's pre selecting a tip option, then OP is agreeing instead of pushing 2 buttons to select differently. Not saying a charge back won't work, but I've definitely seen it not work for that reason..
They aren’t talking about doing a chargeback though.
You absolutely should speak up. You know this is not allowed. Like what the fuck.
What happened when you told the bartender you didn't want to tip 22%?
It wasn't my tab or credit card
You're not gonna look out for your friend though?
Here's a data point for you: if I were the friend, I'd rather you keep you mouth shut and not make a big deal out of it. YMMV.
Counter data point, I feel the exact opposite and I'd hope my friends would speak up if they see me being taken for a ride.
What big deal? You just make sure your friend saw the same thing you saw. If they're cool with it, whatever, it's their money. But you at least make sure they know what happened.
“Friend”
Sure, but you aren’t OPs friend and that person may have a different view
Exactly my point, really. GP isn't their friend either. Different people might want different things in that situation.
Who the fuck says "data point" in conversation? Do you use corporate jargon when talking to friends and family too?
We might have to circle back to that, put a pin in it
Do you use corporate jargon when talking to friends and family too?
Definitely. How else are we supposed to synergize while OOO? I also speak to them exactly the same way as I write Reddit posts. Consistency is key.
Though seriously, if you think "data point" is corporate jargon... Maybe this once again comes back to different people having different friends.
i do. i don't view it as corporate jargon. why gatekeep what phrases people can use?
It’s a lot less troubling than your freaking out about what words someone chooses to use when they don’t affect you.
Nah you wrong on this one.
It is possible to discreetly mention to your friend "I hadn't realized the tip was already included -- had you known that?" and let them decide if they want to ask the bartender or not. If you and your friends don't know how to do that, that's on you.
Not sure how many data points that is though.
I wouldn’t. We’re all (presumably) adults here.
No hating shit, but it'd be really funny if that happened to you and somebody hits you with the "we're all adults here, I assumed you knew!"
It would be funny and I would expect to be made fun of for not noticing.
Sociopath spotted
No. I’m just from New England. Not only would the people I grew up with not intervene, they would wait until after I did it to tell me and then make fun of me for a week. And they’d be right to.
Bad friend
Maybe it’s just the way I grew up, but I would be far more embarrassed if my friend jumped in and made a fuss over my tab than if I noticed it after I had paid. And I certainly wouldn’t blame them for my not noticing.
Giving a friend a heads up isn’t a fuss imo
But do you
Bro you said its cause yer from New England but I’m from NE and i have no idea what the fuck you are talkin about. Cultural?? Nah you grew up with trash you don’t speak for us.
Maybe it’s just the way I grew up, but I would be far more embarrassed if my friend jumped in and made a fuss over my tab than if I noticed it after I’d been paid. And I certainly wouldn’t blame them for my not noticing.
💯💯💯
Don’t know why people getting on you. I not going to tell another person how to live. That is as long as my friend sees it also
What a shit answer.
Yeah don’t go drinking with that guy, he’ll watch bad things happen to you and post about it for karma. Real great time lmao
For credit cards left behind, they usually get an automatic tip.
Tipping culture needs to die. It's a scam on customers and creates conflict between servers and customers. Restaurants need to pay their employees like any other business.
Do bartenders even qualify as tipped staff? I dont believe so - with DC minimum wage at $17 (going to $17.50 in a few days), the whole tipping culture needs to end.
Bartenders can still be paid under minimum wage in DC. The wage rate is still below the minimum wage because the I-82 initiative is progressive, not immediately activated.
Bartenders are absolutely tipped staff and $17/hr is barely enough to live on around here. Full time at $17/hr is $35,000/year. Good luck affording even a studio apt in DC for that much
there are plenty of people making that much who aren’t servers, i don’t see why the server is more deserving of additional comp
Cool so the issue is minimum wage and/or cost of living. It isn't on us to subsidize other people's paycheck unless they're our employees. I highly doubt you tip every single low paid worker you encounter and imo you shouldn't, no one should. We should all just get paid enough to survive comfortably.
Remember to tip your receptionist when she hands you the clipboard at the doctor's office!
The reality is that cost of living is unaffordable because the government doesn't provide health care and the government has allowed a massive housing crisis to unfold.
Right but at the end of the day if you don’t tip a worker with a job where tips are expected, you aren’t fighting the system you are just fucking a worker.
Your friend could have and should have changed to a more appropriate tip. The nerve.
this can be easily disputed if you used a credit card
this can be easily disputed if you used a debit card too, even though the protections are lower.
No it can't unless the cardholder can present proof that the bartender added the tip. On the credit card side they have a signed receipt authorizing the tip.
I used to deal with chargebacks and they almost always side with the customer. The burden is on the business to show that the customer provided a real signature. If the customer says they didn’t sign for that tip and it’s fraudulent, they will side with the customer. Especially if the signature is just a little squiggle
Fair but that'd be the customer lying.
well not in this case. they did not provide that tip and signed a fraudulent receipt that was made more expensive by the bar tender without their consent
Had a bar charge me for four drinks (I got one) and didn't find out until after. I guess this is what happens when they just can just put an iPad in front of you without you seeing a tab. I fought it with my bank.
You saw the total on the iPad, didn’t you? Even about the details, the amount being charged should have indicated there was a problem before you signed.
Sure. The issue is these places screwing their customers. Not whether I saw the total, I would trust that I would be charged for what I ordered. I guess I was wrong.
What happened to OP's friend was obviously on purpose, but I figured everyone at least glances at the total to make sure something weird didn't happen. Mistakes happen. A bartender could easily mishear a name and charge the wrong bill, for example. I've definitely had the opposite happen, where it was a busy night and the bartender asked me to repeat my last name multiple times, every time. A few drinks were missing from my tab at the end of the night and they very well could have ended up on someone else's because of a misunderstanding.
Bartenders make honest mistakes all the time. Check your checks before signing them.
Doesn’t seem like you asked for an explanation. Am I wrong?
I'm amazed at alot of people who do or say nothing and then when it comes around to bite them in the ass come online to complain.
Grow a backbone ya'all!
It depends on the situation whether saying something is a good idea. Like if someone is playing loud music on the Metro, I'm probably not going to say anything because they could be baiting a reaction and looking to start a fight or something. I may text MyMTPD depending on whether I'm in a rush or something.
It's also possible in this case that the friend might not have wanted OP to say anything. After all, it's not OP's card. Someone commented this, for example:
Here's a data point for you: if I were the friend, I'd rather you keep you mouth shut and not make a big deal out of it. YMMV.
I mean, the inoffensive thing is to pull your friend aside and quietly ask if they intended to tip the dude 22% because what he did felt sketchy.
At least then your friend knows you're looking out for them and you're not creating a scene.
Some people's upbringing effectively conditioned them (like training a dog) to not be able to speak up for or assert themselves. Sometimes, the "aversive stimulus" is beatings or CSA. For some people, even being able to talk about the injustice afterwards is progress.
The point being - you don't know why someone can't assert themselves in the moment, and what may be easy for someone with a healthy/good enough childhood may be next-to-impossible for someone who didn't. Don't assume everyone has your privilege.
They just observed this happening to someone else. From the customers end, they may have only seen a total and been asked to sign. I probably wouldn’t have caught that 90% of the time at a bar if just told to sign. Sometimes thinngs are printed out and tips are added after.
This is terrible, unethical behavior by the bartender. I would report to management if I had seen it.
This was literally to pour a pre-mixed negroni that was already $19!
I'm regularly reminded how much money I save by not drinking. How do people afford regular nights out at the bar?
Most people don’t buy drinks that cost $19 on a regular night at the bar. But it is still outrageously expensive!
Six figure jobs and no kids
50% of households who make 250k a year say they're living paycheck to paycheck. :(
Talk back like a human being ?? Even if I was delighted by the service and was about to give the fattest tip of my life, I would immediately confront them about something like this.
They do this at Nellie’s all the time.
Not surprised. That place is super scummy. Filthy too.
It’s annoying and I hate having them watch over you with those iPads, but don’t you have the option to change the tip before you sign?
I’d complain to management. I always tip well. I don’t want a server bullying me into it.
That place is nothing but problems! I went there with my in laws. Walked in past the hostess stand where the hostess watched us walk in and never acknowledged us or said anything. Sat down, it wasn’t crowded at all. The server came and said “the hostess needs to seat you.” We said, “she didn’t say anything to us about that.” They made us all stand up, walk over to the hostess stand, and then have her escort us to the very same table we had just been sitting at and re sit down like we were a bunch of children. Then we had the worst service - they charged us for stuff we never received and the entire thing was over priced. I’ll never be back.
That's very unprofessional and unethical. You should bring it up with the manager if possible and try to avoid that place/bartender from next time
this is why I always double check those little iPads and have grown to shamelessly select “No Tip,” judgement or people behind me be damned
Short answer is no, that’s not allowed. Also, it’s a crime
I’ve noticed a lot of bartenders (especially the beer slingers at stadiums) do this — they are pre-selecting a tip before spinning the iPad around for you to complete the transaction. It’s definitely a strong arm tactic, and they’re hoping you’ll just go along with it, but you can absolutely change it to no tip if you want.
User deleted comment
9d
That place suckkkks no one should be going there 😂
Maybe his fingers slipped? The touch sensitivity of iPad can be tricky. Did the bartender do the same thing when you attempted to pay?
I think it is bad to accuse someone especially when you didn’t address it directly with them.
I agree $19 for a cocktail is outrageous
Slipped, fell, and landed on his tip?!
Em didn't buy it, and neither do I!
Similarly to the fact that OP didn’t even voice their concerns to the person affected and/or the bartender that are accusing on here. Or brought up the issue with management. I am just saying that I am given them the benefit of the doubt because OP doesn’t seem credible since they didn’t address the issue then. They prefer to come and post their unsubstantiated claim on here.
The cocktails at the line are definitely pricey. That said the drinks there are on a whole other level. They have an in house beverage maker who makes his own liqueurs/cordials/amaros etc. It's not just over priced hotel drinks.
I mean, they’re good but they aren’t spectacular
I'm merely pointing out that the prices are high because there's an extra level of work going into them. Taste and value is up to the individual.
If not explicitly stated, and you have proof you didn't authorize the tip, you could dispute the charge or a portion of it with the credit card issuer
yikes…good to know that the rooftop happy hour is not worthwhile. thanks for giving us all a heads up.
Here’s what you do: dont pussy out and just take it
I feel like a lot of scummy people entered the service industry post covid in dc. I was at circa in dc and in Arlington recently. The Arlington location felt like it was in a different higher tier based upon service alone.
Straight up would dispute that
After Opie left No Goodbyes, I said goodbye to that whole overpriced shit show.
So, OP, here's what you should have done. Tell the bartender to credit your card back and give them a big fat zero tip and then complain to the management.
You next step is to avoid that place from now on.