Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you say something if a restaurant undercharged you?

244 replies

MrsClayneCrawford · 18/10/2018 17:20

Went out for meal with DH & mutual friend. The bill came & they hadn't charged us for my meal. I thought cha ching & said to keep stum but friend ignored me & told the waitress. I was really miffed & abit pissed off with my friend. Would you have told them or kept quiet? It was a chain not a family run place if that makes a difference.

OP posts:
Celticrose · 18/10/2018 21:58

I once received 2 free electricity bills. The energy company installed a new meter around the same time my bill was due. When I got my estimated bill I contacted them and gave them the new reading and when I received my new bill it was in credit about £90. After puzzling over this I realised they had got the readings the wrong way round so being a honest citizen I contacted the company to explain the problem with my bill but try as I might the woman insisted my bill was correct so I gave up and enjoyed two free quarters

buckeejit · 18/10/2018 22:08

Were you planning on paying anythIng if they'd kept quiet? Yabu either way

Cococachara · 18/10/2018 22:13

Yes I would of said something and have done before in previous situations like this.

fifig87 · 18/10/2018 22:14

I would tell them and have done previously when we got the wrong bill. My friend didn't want to say anything, but like others I know what it's like to work in hospo and I didn't want the other table to end up with our larger bill.

Defo not a saint but I have made bill errors myself and hate that feeling when you get a bollocking!

AlbusSeverusMalfoy · 18/10/2018 22:36

Nope.

SputnikBear · 18/10/2018 22:45

I worked as a waitress so I know that a certain amount of waste is factored in. Food gets dropped, someone sends a meal back and doesn’t pay, a bottle of beer gets smashed, a dessert looks too squished to serve, etc. In some places staff are allowed to eat food for free on their break. Number of food items in stock doesn’t strictly correlate with number of food items served and paid for. The key thing is that the till is correct and orders placed matches cash in the till. If your meal didn’t go through the till then nobody is the wiser. OP your friend basically cost you a free meal.

Ontheboardwalk · 18/10/2018 22:52

Why would people be so entitled to think they should get something free they've eaten and clearly need to pay for.

I pointed a missed meal out at a chain. I got thanked and a 10% voucher off for next time. There has surely got to be some reconciliation between orders fulfilled and what goes in the till. If not the opportunity for staff giving out free food would be huge.

GunpowderGelatine · 18/10/2018 22:58

Honestly no I wouldn't say anything and I think most people wouldn't either, I don't believe half the virtue signalling on MN over undercharging!

TheSunlightsCreepingIn · 18/10/2018 23:01

No way .. more money than sense here in MN land.

I don't see how a meal can be taken from someone's wages, surely that's not legal. Yes I can see you could get a warning etc or maybe dismissed if you deliberately gave food/ drink away for free.

letsgetreadytosamba · 18/10/2018 23:05

Sunlight, it’s common practice. It’s lovely you’re salving your conscience by saying it isn’t legal, but it does happen nonetheless.

theWarOnPeace · 18/10/2018 23:07

I would definitely tell them, and did so about a month ago. They didn’t add our alcohol bill onto main bill and it only occurred to me as we were leaving and agreeing what great value it was. Turned back round and told them about their mistake. They put the alcohol on and gave us a new bill, which we paid.... then they have us our new receipt along with a note saying how grateful they were as they were struggling to keep afloat. Such a lovely place, and nobody deserves to ripped off for something they’ve given you. I would also be worried about wait staff being penalised.

Katedotness1963 · 18/10/2018 23:20

Yes, I would and have. Even with the utterly useless waitress in the gelato place who undercharged us every bloody time we went in.

SD1978 · 18/10/2018 23:22

Yes, I always do. It doesn't happen often, and I don't really care if it's a chain or a family restarting, it's not about them- it's about me, and my morals. It's an accudent. If i was overcharged, I'd speak up, so if I'm undercharged I'd do the same.

colouringinpro · 18/10/2018 23:28

Yes of course. Otherwise it is simply stealing.

I did in Carluccio's as they'd missed the bottle of wine off the bill. So they put it on and gave me a voucher for a free bottle with my next meal Grin nice.

feelsicksicksick · 18/10/2018 23:43

No couldn't do it, even if it was a big chain. Because the waitress could get in trouble

DoubleNegativePanda · 18/10/2018 23:52

I always tell them. Karma's a bitch and I try to stay on her good side.

DoubleNegativePanda · 18/10/2018 23:54

And I don't have more money than sense, either. I'm a fairly skint lone parent.

JassyRadlett · 19/10/2018 00:38

No way .. more money than sense here in MN land.

I don’t eat out unless I can afford it, and I don’t order anything I’m not prepared to pay for.

Pretty simple. I ordered it. I ate it. My responsibility to pay for it.

ilovesooty · 19/10/2018 00:43

I think the people with more money than sense are those who never check their bills.

PomBearWithoutHerOFRS · 19/10/2018 01:07

Only read the OP, but yes, l would tell them.
DD and I were in Manchester recently, and ran a tab at a pub for drinks and food. When we were ready to go, it became apparent that the barman thought we were paid up already, so we could have just left without paying anything.
I spoke up and paid our bill just because it's the right thing to do. If I hadn't, it would have preyed on my mind incase the staff had to pay when the till was wrong at cashing out time.
I might be in the minority, but I just couldn't do it.

shockthemonkey · 19/10/2018 05:52

“More money than sense”?

Like if we decide to pay for what we’ve eaten we’re somehow throwing money around wantonly??

As pp said, you only eat out if you’re prepared to pay the bill. You don’t go in saying “I can’t really afford this so let’s hope they undercharge me in error”.

Virtue signaling my foot. It’s plain honesty

MsHopey · 19/10/2018 06:13

Anyone think most the people who would tell the staff the error haven't worked in shitty jobs?
I worked in retail for years where tills had to add up otherwise you got in shit. Most the people who were nasty, rude or trying to get something for free always looked like they A) had never had a job in their life, or B) went to work in Daddy's company because they were such big shots.
It's just a theory but most people who have worked in these jobs know the consequences of honest mistakes which is why we are more honest.

MsHopey · 19/10/2018 06:18

*wouldn't tell the staff have never worked in shitty jobs?

DayManChampionOfTheSun · 19/10/2018 06:35

I wouldn't notice tbh, but I that goes the same way as if I had been overcharged too. I'm sure both have happened in the past.

I do point out when under and over charged in shops though

functionoverform · 19/10/2018 06:38

We underpaid recently. BUT we had a correct bill and all ready to pay, some by cash, some by card. Waitress comes along to collect card payments from X3 and only collects the first 2. She then says we have paid enough. We haven't!! We tried to point this out, but she couldn't seem to accept that we still owed £20.... We left a generous tip!