Would you say something if a restaurant undercharged you?

[MrsClayneCrawford]

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.

On the free mattress that was accidentally included with the bedframe they ordered, apparently.

I recently took my sister for a birthday dinner. The restaurant were brilliant and organised a cake etc but forgot to add it to the bill. I told them without hesitation.

Chain restaurants are struggling too. And most are franchises so 'little people per say are greatly effected. The owner of say pizza express doesn't just open a bloody place and that's that. Someone has the franchise and they had to take out a a hefty loan to set up and pay a monthly fee to pizza express and when you think duck it that person is losing a lot and so are their staff.

If companies are taking these losses out of worker’s wages then the company are in the wrong. They are not allowed to do that at all. I’ve worked in a few and it never came out the wages. Ever. It’s not allowed.

I wouldn't say anything and I'd be annoyed with your friend. She was probably jealous that your meal was free and hers wasn't

I wouldn't say anything and I'd be annoyed with your friend. She was probably jealous that your meal was free and hers wasn't

No, she was probably a decent human being.

Tbh if it was a small amount I probably wouldn't but now I feel pretty bad for having that opinion so maybe in future I would say something. Didn't realise it would be taken out of anyone's money either, I would have thought if it wasn't on the bill there would be no way to tell who had served it.

hangs head in shame<
I have kept money I've found in the street instead of handing it to police or to shop too.
Sorry karma 

I would always point out any mistakes on a bill if I spotted them.

I have to admit though that I don't always check the entire bill - I regularly go out with a friend to a local restaurant and our bill is usually around £30 each. If the total was in the expected £55- £65 range we probably wouldn't check it too closely but if it was any higher/lower then we'd actually look closely to see what was missing/higher priced.

I remember I once went out to a nice restaurant in Manchester and our table wasn't quite ready so we opened a tab and had a cocktail each at the bar while we waited. Once we finished and went to pay the bill we realised they hadn't added our bar tab to the table as they said they would. We immediately let them know and as a goodwill gesture they comped them for us so we didn't have to pay any more but they were glad that we had been so honest.

If it was an independent establishment, then yes of course I would point out the error.

If it was a branch of a corporate chain, eg Pizza Express or Nando’s, then I would keep quiet.

Another one who would tell. Once I bought a musical instrument from a large chain store. I was talked into this particular model over another one that I said I preferred, but I gave in when the salesperson had it played for me and really made it sound fantastic. It was labeled as a two-thirds sized instrument, which I wasn't keen on; but the shop assistant kept showing me how it really looked "almost full sized" so I relented. It cost more than the other one did.

When I purchased it and the associate went to put it in its case, it wouldn't fit. The case was too small. I pointed it out, and asked if something was wrong, but he went and got another, bigger case and rang me up anyway. We stopped at a desk on the way out after paying, and had them check the instrument against our receipt. All good.

When I got home, I Googled the model number to read reviews about my new instrument and discovered that I'd been sold a 3k instrument instead of the $400 I'd paid. What a mistake! We immediately rang the store to explain and ask if they needed us to return it, and they called the owner of the chains for whom the store was named. He gave us permission to keep it. (This annoyed the manager, though.)

Honesty is always the best policy.

I would if said something yes, I’ve been in the position before and I was honest.

BonnieF - did you not read this? -

Chain restaurants are struggling too. And most are franchises so 'little people per say are greatly effected. The owner of say pizza express doesn't just open a bloody place and that's that. Someone has the franchise and they had to take out a a hefty loan to set up and pay a monthly fee to pizza express and when you think duck it that person is losing a lot and so are their staff.

Nando’s and Pizza Express do not operate franchises in the U.K. or Ireland, which is why I chose those specific examples.

Fair enough. You're honest with the independents but not the big chains.

If it was a branch of a corporate chain, eg Pizza Express or Nando’s, then I would keep quiet.

So, you don’t care about the people who depend on those places for their livelihoods? Nice. I bet the people who employed at the 30 branches of Carluccios that are closing totally understand your priorities.

Restaurants, including chains, are struggling all over. Dishonest customers are far from the main cause, but losing the entire profit margin on a bill because a waiter made an error and the customer was an arse doesn’t help. You’re basically stealing their profit margin from your table. Classy.

Yes but probably wouldn't notice an undercharge if friends shared a few bottles of wine and it was an equal split.

Would absolutely point out the mistake. Really dishonest not to.

Just yesterday got charged 43 instead of 143 on the machine. And yes, would tell lever time! Keeping it quiet is stealing, can't believe that you are ok with it!?!

Nando’s and Pizza Express do not operate franchises in the U.K. or Ireland, which is why I chose those specific examples.

So you check each place you go to, their business models and profits before deciding whether it's ok to steal from them? Where do you draw the line? Do you also check their operating procedures to make sure there is no comeback on the waiting staff?

Regardless of how you try to justify being a thief, you are still dishonest and lacking integrity and moral fibre. Will you teach your children the same poor example you set?

If I buy something I pay for it. End of. Same with fare dodging - You want to use a service, you should pay. If you don’t then everyone else has to pay more. I’d just feel deeply ashamed if I behaved so dishonestly and couldn’t look my kids in the eye

If it was a branch of a corporate chain, eg Pizza Express or Nando’s, then I would keep quiet.

So you steal from Tesco’s but not from the corner shop then Bonnie?

I doubt a judge would make that distinction.

I wouldn't point out something like two apples juices being rung up instead of one apple juice and one Coke and there being a 50p undercharge, but I would definitely point out a missing meal. What sort of person wouldn't?

I would say something and I have, on several occasions. I wouldn't feel great about myself if I didn't.

Of course I wouldn't mention it hahaha I would get out of there as quick as possible before it got noticed

Yes I would - and I have

Always check the bill before paying: sometimes see things that are extra and wrong (especially if we're there on a 5pm deal) but equally sometimes see that they've not included things that we've had. In both cases we will tell the waiting staff.

Karma will out eventually