About cancelling Valentines dinner?

[RedCarsGoFaster]

Booked a table (online) at a lovely restaurant for Valentines day. DH and I have been married 5 months, I thought it would be a nice surprise for him as we don't normally do much.

Received a call today, asking me to provide my credit or debit card details so they can store the details, put it against the booking (legit call, all checks out) and if we don't turn up they'll take £10/head fee.

Apparently their online system wasn't set up properly, and it should have asked me to do this when I booked a month ago. I said I'd call back....

AIBU to want to tell them to stick their booking? They've had 4 weeks to sort this out, and they contact me 6 days before the date. It's peed me off.

A restaurant asking for a deposit for the busiest night of the year? Scandalous.

They will do it on a card machine, pre authorise the amount then charge/not as they need. It won’t be on a scrap of paper.

They haven't made this clear to the OP, though. If they are looking to pre-authorise the amount, they need to say so. OP might not have those funds available in advance of the booking.

"Besides surely you pay for stuff by phone regularly? Most people do."

I don't remember the last time I paid for anything by phone! Everything I use is online these days...what sort of things still take phone payment? (Not a rhetorical question.)

You are very lucky that this is all you have to be irritated about.

It really doesnt make any sense to me.

Are you pregnant?

I paid my gym membership by phone today southbound

I can also pay my gas, telephone, water etc by phone if I wish (I happen to have DDs). I paid my car insurance recently by phone as I wanted to pay the whole premium at once, not a DD.

Would you like some more examples

If you're not happy providing your card details due to security could you drop £20 in to the restaurant in cash and ask for this to be taken off your final bill on the night?

I took about 20 card payments over the phone at work today, I didn’t write any of them down, I just put them in the computer booking system ( kids holiday clubs)

I also ordered some flyers from our printer & paid for them over the phone

You're not doing them a favour. Go or don't go, they won't care.

South well just off the top of my head I have recently given my card details over the phone for:

Ordering a part a kitchen appliance
Paying for home insurance premium
Paying for an activity for my D.C.
Ordering something from a local shop
Paying my annual alarm maintenance bill.

I do lots of things online too of course but it’s not unusual to pay by phone either.

This is standard practice in proper restaurants.

Why does it make a difference to you that you have been asked now rather than at the time of booking?

they've had 4 weeks to sort this out So what? You're no worse off doing it now than 4, 3 or 2 weeks ago, are you?

Don't live your life like this. This was supposed to be a lovely treat for you and your new H on your first Valentine's Day after getting married. But you've spoilt it for yourself with your ridiculous temper tantrum.

Umm, no tantrums here!

@Bouledeneige not pregnant. DH is infertile and I'm in counselling for our situation, but gee, thanks for the throwaway comment.

OP - happy valentines, and hope your counselling goes well. I think I'd only be annoyed in this kind of situation if I was already in a bad mood, if you like the restaurant probably best to get over the thing you're annoyed about and go and have a lovely time with your dh

We make it a rule to never eat out on 14th Feb, too busy, lousy service, and I wouldn't ever pay a deposit in advance for a meal in a restaurant.

I would never use a debit card online or over the phone.

You're fine with a credit card. It's the credit card company's money that goes to the vendor, not yours. You can query a credit card bill before paying it.

FWIW, I was taking CC deposits over the phone for tables at Valentine's, Christmas and so on 15 years ago in Yorkshire.Then chasing them up the week before. It's pretty standard.

It's possible the person who took your booking made a mistake or has left so the manager has rung to query the booking when they couldn't find a matching deposit. Surely that's better than you rocking up on the day and finding that you don't have a table?

YABU to go out on that night. It will be naff and over-priced, probably a limited choice and the service will be pants. Cancel it and get an M&S ready meal. Much cheaper, probably nicer and you can choose your own music. Closer to bed too!

@BitOutOfPractice I was wondering what things you would still pay for over the phone and I realise I have literally paid for everything you've just listed over the phone.