Page 4 | To think this is a bit of a rip off?

narra · 2021-04-30T10:15:57+00:00

Me and my boyfriend booked a table on Thursday night and a pub. Just the two of us. We had to pay a £60 deposit to secure our table for 2 hours. 7-9pm We got there and were informed we don't get the £60 back instead we get it back in the form of a bottle of any of their "house spirit" and unlimited mixers. I feel a bit ripped off. Aibu ?

3Britnee · 30/04/2021 12:22

What if you dont drink? What if muslims turned up to the booking? I wouldn't find this acceptable.

Newkitchen123 · 30/04/2021 12:23

Absolute disgrace
If I'm having a meal i don't want spirits I want wine!
If I'm out with my husband and we're drinking spirits we don't drink the same one, i don't like what he likes and he doesn't like what I like!
What are the chances of a group of six all wanting to drink the same spirit!
Ridiculous

ShoppingPrecinctPrincess · 30/04/2021 12:24

Ooooof that would have me fuming red mist style.

lolacola77 · 30/04/2021 12:26

So you were supposed to drink a bottle of vodka between you in 2 hours?? I'd get them all over social media. They're trying it on. I'd demand my money back

viques · 30/04/2021 12:28

But a table for six people for two hours @ £60 so a fiver an hour per person is a bit different to a table for two!

How big was the table OP? If it was a huge table with just you two on then I can sort of understand the pub not wanting two people sitting there for two hours and not making money on them, but if it was a cosy table for two then they really are taking the piss.

3Britnee · 30/04/2021 12:29

@3Britnee

What if you dont drink? What if muslims turned up to the booking? I wouldn't find this acceptable.

Sorry I assumed it was a meal too. Still not acceptable. My DH doesn't drink spirits so would be paying for lager on top of that 60. 60 for shitty vodka is disgusting. I agree, name and shame.

Tweacle · 30/04/2021 12:30

[quote narra]@Cocomarine one bottle of house spirit.
So we couldn't even pick different
We just went for vodka
Then they kept giving us unlimited jugs of iced Diet Coke [/quote]
That costs less than a tenner per bottle. Get back onto them and tell them you're reporting to local license dept at the council. They will give that deposit back ASAP trust me. Unless stated it's not legal.

Derbee · 30/04/2021 12:31

I wouldn’t have paid a £60 deposit at a pub. 2 people are highly unlikely to spend that between them in a 2 hour booking, on a weeknight?!

Even if you’d been booking an expensive restaurants, it’s unusual to pay such a high deposit for 2 people

bridgetreilly · 30/04/2021 12:32

A deposit is a prepayment of part of your bill. You don’t get it back in cash, but you should be able to take it off your bill, whatever you choose to order.

No shows for booked tables are always a prolem but especially at the moment, so it is absolutely reasonable for them to charge a deposit. What is utterly unreasonable is them dictating what that deposit pays for.

Alcemeg · 30/04/2021 12:33

Defo weird. I can't imagine drinking spirits with a meal. Presumably they just wanted to get people so pissed that they order more drinks. Not safe if anyone was driving. Really shitty approach to dining customers.

WrongKindOfFace · 30/04/2021 12:36

A deposit they deduct from the bill is fine. A minimum spend I can just about get behind. What they did is not ok. Cheeky gits.

I would absolutely report to the brewery.

KrisAkabusi · 30/04/2021 12:37

Absolutely complain, and put it all over their Facebook page as well.

8monthsinandcranky · 30/04/2021 12:38

Sounds like it just wasn’t explained well which is totally on them.

Securing deposits for tables is becoming standard practice. I understand why but it should be a per person deposit not ‘for a table up to six’ as all that does is encourage mixing and discriminate against those wanting to go out as a couple of young family.

My DH drinks but I don’t and never have. So why would I pay £30 to share a bottle of vodka? Granted we would choose a pub that did food so that I was still spending on a meal/soft drinks but a friend of mine went out to a gastro pub recently and was made to feel very awkward that her and DH only had soft drinks. Despite ordering a 3 course meal each the waiter actually muttered about why they’d bother coming out and not drinking then tried to push alcohol on them every time he went to the table. Made me cringe, as though a 3 course meal was just time wasting!

Many people can’t drink for medical or religious reasons and it is discrimination to not allow them a social life!!

I’m just waiting for restaurants to start doing the same and making it super difficult/cripplingly expensive for anyone with kids to go I understand the need to spend money in these places and would never go and take the p but it’s a crappy move for society to start auctioning off chairs to only those willing to get totally s faced before noon.

A young family should be able to go out for a pub meal and spend £50 and not be deemed time wasters or an inconvenience.

PattyPan · 30/04/2021 12:39

That’s ridiculous, I agree you should contact the council licensing department because they will not be happy to hear an establishment is expecting/encouraging a couple to drink £60 of spirits in two hours!

purpleleotard · 30/04/2021 12:42

Get in touch with your local trading standards at your local council. Just not the way to trade.

If this fails small claims on line.gov.uk is the way to go

SchrodingersImmigrant · 30/04/2021 12:45

@8monthsinandcranky

Sounds like it just wasn’t explained well which is totally on them.

Securing deposits for tables is becoming standard practice. I understand why but it should be a per person deposit not ‘for a table up to six’ as all that does is encourage mixing and discriminate against those wanting to go out as a couple of young family.

My DH drinks but I don’t and never have. So why would I pay £30 to share a bottle of vodka? Granted we would choose a pub that did food so that I was still spending on a meal/soft drinks but a friend of mine went out to a gastro pub recently and was made to feel very awkward that her and DH only had soft drinks. Despite ordering a 3 course meal each the waiter actually muttered about why they’d bother coming out and not drinking then tried to push alcohol on them every time he went to the table. Made me cringe, as though a 3 course meal was just time wasting!

Many people can’t drink for medical or religious reasons and it is discrimination to not allow them a social life!!

I’m just waiting for restaurants to start doing the same and making it super difficult/cripplingly expensive for anyone with kids to go I understand the need to spend money in these places and would never go and take the p but it’s a crappy move for society to start auctioning off chairs to only those willing to get totally s faced before noon.

A young family should be able to go out for a pub meal and spend £50 and not be deemed time wasters or an inconvenience.

This is not common occurrence. I have never had waiter pressuring anyone who was with ud and haven't drunk alcohol. That's not a standard, it's very poor service and even poorer management if they actually demand that. And I would be very much complaining

mam0918 · 30/04/2021 12:47

Im sorry but where is this 'pub' with a £60 deposit?

We have been to 4 pubs since they reopened (two cheaper chain kid friendly family ones, a 2 fancy bespoke ones that are usually expensive award winning wedding venues) and not one has asked for a deposit and we didnt spend £60 in any of them.

Red flags would have flown instantly.

MadeForThis · 30/04/2021 12:49

Allowing you to leave with an opened bottle of vodka would be breaking their licence agreement too.

Babysharkdododont · 30/04/2021 12:52

Surely pubs aren't allowed to encourage folk to down half a bottle of vodka in 2 hours, it's not a bloody Magaluf bar crawl

justchecking1 · 30/04/2021 12:57

Tricky. If you were to drink it all you'll definitely have had your money's worth.

There's 30 shots in a 750ml bottle of spirits and 40 in a litre bottle. A shot plus a mixer is around £3 in a pub so you've had between £90 and £120 of pub priced drinks for your £60.

However I would never have got through 15 drinks in 2 hours so on this basis you've spent more than you would otherwise have done.

If they didn't make you aware of the conditions then they are definitely BU

Ginmakesitallok · 30/04/2021 12:57

That's appalling! Name and shame

UserAtRandom · 30/04/2021 12:59

I'm guessing the £60 was effectively £10pp for a table of 6 (as that's all pubs are allowed to offer atm). So essentially they are saying that they are not keen on small groups when they could have a table of 6. Which I guess might be ok as a marketing strategy at the moment when pubs are busy, but not sure it will do their long term sales any good.

Thighdentitycrisis · 30/04/2021 13:01

I’m not sure that’s legal

osbertthesyrianhamster · 30/04/2021 13:10

There's no way I'd let this go (well, the second they told me there was a £60 deposit for two for two hours I'd have put the phone down). Complain to the council that they're breaching their license, name and shame on social media; in the future, heed red flags like this.

swimlittlefishy · 30/04/2021 13:10

How is it your fault they didn’t tell you the T&C?

To be fair, who in their right minds would just pay 60 quid over the phone without asking a few questions..like is it refundable or what does it pay for? Would anyone here do that?