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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be really pissed off at this restaurant??

233 replies

K1092902 · 03/08/2017 20:28

Booked a meal this afternoon in London for for 9 at 1pm. A restaurant a few people recommended to us and that friends we are staying with have been to and said was very good. We expected the price to be pretty high a) it's central London b) it has a good reputation

There was an office party of some sort in there- about 10 of them.

Anyway we had our meal and the bill came. There were 8 adults (My friends and their 2 adult children, DSDs, Me and DH) and 3 year old DD.

I looked at the bill at thought it was quite high. I offered to pay as we are staying with our friends and they took me and DH for dinner in Tuesday night but friends insisted on paying half and after tooing and froing we OKd it

Friend noticed we had been given the wrong bill after again noticing the price seemed a little high.

We were given the bill for the other group. Waitress and manager told us that we couldn't pay our own bill as it was already paid for and all they could do was give us a print out of a receipt.

DH said we wouldn't be paying and the manager threatened to call the police so I paid to keep the peace and because DD was getting upset. They have given us a gift voucher for the difference but I'm still pretty pissed off

OP posts:
HicDraconis · 04/08/2017 00:06

FGS people. If you don't believe it, stop with the snide Maui / eventful / one liner eyebrow raised posts. Just ignore it! Or report it if you feel so inclined.

Back to OP - you were daft to pay it and should have called their bluff. What would a policeman have done? Arrested you for non payment of someone else's bill? threatening you while seeing your 3 year old get upset is poor form. Naming and shaming (plus social media, tripadvisor reviews) might get your vouchers converted to a cash refund if you want the hassle of pursuing it.

PodgeBod · 04/08/2017 00:08

So not only did you pay more then you owed, your friends were also happy to? Or did you only split the right amount and you paid everything that was on top?

PelorusJack · 04/08/2017 00:16

.

BadLad · 04/08/2017 05:28

Incredible tale of wimping out.

Rainbunny · 04/08/2017 06:03

Sorry OP but WHAT possessed you to pay a bill that wasn't yours? I would have welcomed the restaurant calling the police and if they hadn't called the police I would be threatening to call them!

I usually don't approve when a diner threatens to leave bad social media reviews in order to be comped their meal or something but in this case I would have explained very clearly that I intended to post an account of exactly what happened on their Facebook page/restaurant review sites etc...

Sorry OP but I simply cannot fathom paying for someone else's bill!!! Your DH is obviously very averse to confrontation which I can kind of understand with a small child present but sometimes you really have to take a stand!

TipTopTipTopClop · 04/08/2017 06:11

Why didn't you let them call the police?

They can just swap cheques around as they see fit, as you surely know.

What a silly thing you've agreed to.

Ankleswingers · 04/08/2017 06:21

You clearly have more money than sense if you paid for someone else's bill rather than your own

ConfusedHmmShock

TipTopTipTopClop · 04/08/2017 06:24

I would have a hard time having sex with my husband again if he crumpled in the face of a restaurant manager attempting to extort money from us.

DopeyDazy · 04/08/2017 06:28

Im constantly amazed at the lack of backbone at posters on here. Would have had a right row if they'd tried that on with me or my dh

TimeFliesWhenYoureHavingGin · 04/08/2017 06:32

To cut the OP some slack, can imagine things were becoming fraught, DD beginning to play up, threatened with the police and while she did pay someone else's bill, she did have vouchers for the difference, so not as if she's paid a higher bill and left but still....I would NOT have accepted vouchers, it was their mistake, bet it's the last place you want to return to. I'd be heading back there demanding a refund instead and if that doesn't work, social media the hell out of it!

TimeFliesWhenYoureHavingGin · 04/08/2017 06:32

TipTop Grin

Winterc00kie · 04/08/2017 06:36

Oh tiptop. Hilarious.

If this tale is true I don't know what the OP is trying to benefit from other than being called a wet lettuce with a pussy husband.

The daily fail will love this story.

HotelEuphoria · 04/08/2017 06:45

Don't believe this, you just wouldn't accept this. No one in their right mind would accept this.

RedBullBlood · 04/08/2017 07:20

See, a thread like this gives me hope. I think I'm the world's least confrontational person (ie a spineless wimp) but there are at least 8 other people worse than me. Even I wouldn't have put up with a second of that nonsense.

ememem84 · 04/08/2017 07:29

What was the price difference?

TipTopTipTopClop · 04/08/2017 07:34

OP is gone, I suspect.

woodhill · 04/08/2017 07:36

No way OP. I wouldn't have paid the bill.

DopeyDazy · 04/08/2017 07:43

Wasnt it £40 in vouchers

Sunshinegirls · 04/08/2017 07:47

This was their mistake and they should have apologised profusely and given you the correct bill (knocking off a few items as a way to soften their error too)
Threatening you with the police because they gave you someone else's bill which you rightly refused to pay is astounding behaviour!
Unfortunately you have paid and left now so I doubt you can do anything. Though I would probably email the manager your story anyway.

ShotsFired · 04/08/2017 07:48

@QueenArnica Why on earth did you pay it? Ridiculous behaviour, sorry OP! There's non confrontational and then there's total and utter pushover.

This. Come on OP, get a grip.

ThatAussieBogan · 04/08/2017 07:53

OP, have been off mumsnet for a bit and haven't read the whole thread yet, just skimmed to see if anyone had posted this.

Here you go, think you could safely name them here without going the social media route as look what popped up here in Aus Grin

www.kidspot.com.au/parenting/real-life/in-the-news/mum-forced-to-pay-another-tables-restaurant-bill/news-story/747c7c9da297bccc7e2892b1f5a35af0

Now off to explore anything juicy educational that I've missed.

ThatAussieBogan · 04/08/2017 08:04

Oh, and I wouldn't have paid it either but do understand in a way why you did.

I seriously can't believe they bloody did that though, you'd think if it was a fairly decent restaurant then they'd forgo the bill for what was their stuff up and wear the cost.
A place doing that would have me leaving them a brilliant review but doing what they did would most definitely have me posting that on their social media.

I'd rather let someone off on a bill that's not exactly in the thousands than risk a fallout over my own mistake.

sunfloweras · 04/08/2017 08:06

I don't understand the point of this thread? Is there anything op can actually do now they have clearly agreed to pay too much and then are now moaning that they agreed with this? There is more reason to kick up in a restaurant than not surely? Management hardly want a brawl and phoning the police would have done you a favour (they just would not have done this though)
Imagine a loan company saying oh sorry someone else paid your power loan you now have to pay the higher one. You've effectively said ohhh I better just pay it off in case I get into trouble. The lack of assertiveness here has annoyed me so I'm off now.

Crunchymum · 04/08/2017 08:10

If you have any issues with this thread / poster then report.

GinIsIn · 04/08/2017 08:13

You paid someone else's bill? That's just bloody stupid!