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AIBU?

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Original poster

if you owned a restaurant what would you do ....

245 replies

EezyOozy · 17/02/2022 20:25

Went to gp today, they said I could attend at short notice .... Had to wait for ages with two young kids to actually be seen … got out at 1730 , it's quite a long drive home.... so I decided to take them to pizza place over road. Have been many times before and just pay using my phone. Didn’t have purse with me as was in other bag and left in a hurry.

Had our food , just as I was asking for the bill my phone died. Had a charger in car…which was over the road.

I apologised profusely as it was totally my fault. I alerted the waitress as soon as I realised. She went to get the manager.

Again I apologised profusely and admitted it was my fault. The manager was really really abrupt and a bit of a bully about it, and said I wasn't allowed to leave!

-she wouldn’t let me go and get my charger , saying that I couldn't leave without paying

-She wouldn’t let me use their business phone to call DH and have him pay over the phone (it's also a takeaway so they take payment over the phone)!

-She wouldn’t let me go home to get money…..

-I offered to leave my name and address and all contact details!

They just kept saying “you can’t leave until you’ve paid, you will have to contact someone to bring you some money"

Me: "But my phone has died and you won’t let me get my charger or use your phone”

“Well that’s your problem, but you can’t leave without paying or we will
CALL THE POLICE"

Went on for about 20 mins and my kids were both going mental by this point and I was struggling to contain them . Eventually I said “look I’m just going to have to leave, phone the police if you like. I’ll call up and pay when I get home”

An elderly couple who had overheard the whole thing came over and said they’d just pay our £20 bill as the was ridiculous…
So the couple paid, I said goodbye to them at my car and thanked them grovelingly. I insisted on taking their bank details and mobile number, and within 5 mins I had charged my phone and transferred them the money (and texted them to confirm).

Is it just me or were the restaurant really mean??!!! I would have expected them to let me get my phone charger or call my husband ?

yes it was totally my fault, i apologised profusely I will never rely on just my phone again

I like to think I would have just let the person get their charger?!!

OP posts:
wingscrow · 17/02/2022 23:28

I would have called their bluff and said 'OK, call the police''.

You offered them an easy ways to resolve this (get hold of your charger, call someone who could pay over the phone) and they refused.

I would have simply explained that to the officers when/if they got to the restaurant. They would have seen this as a complete waste of police time and tell the restaurant manager to let you get your charger or phone someone.

The staff were being idiots.

yupyupyup · 17/02/2022 23:30

Fair enough OP.

You're asking if I owned a restaurant what would I do..?

I'd not let someone leave without paying for what they'd eaten.

Original poster
EezyOozy · 17/02/2022 23:35

I'd not let someone leave without paying for what they'd eaten.

But that's illegal? You can't detain people?

also, I was actively trying to pay ?

OP posts:
Original poster
EezyOozy · 17/02/2022 23:39

Wow - I never go anywhere without cash on me - never. I wouldn't rely on a phone.

Wow. I know, mind blowing isn't it.

I actually go about without cash quite often. I do normally have my purse with several cards in it. Today was an anomaly. And there are several cards loaded to my phone, which usually has plenty of charge!

The restaurant / takeaway also has a phone, and the ability to take card payments over the phone.

OP posts:
WomanStanleyWoman · 17/02/2022 23:48

@Juliauns91

Wow - I never go anywhere without cash on me - never. I wouldn't rely on a phone.
I really don’t think that, in 2022, after two years of businesses rapidly moving towards card payments only, someone not always carrying cash is a ‘wow’ issue.
Gingerkittykat · 17/02/2022 23:55

The restaurant have no power to hold you against your will, I don't understand why you felt like you needed permission to leave.

Yaya26 · 17/02/2022 23:56

I use Google pay on my phone all the time. I went to pay in a shop yesterday - battery totally dead. V v luckily I found a card in my coat pocket that I didn't know was there. The restaurant were very unreasonable.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 18/02/2022 00:02

@Juliauns91

Wow - I never go anywhere without cash on me - never. I wouldn't rely on a phone.
Wow. I haven't carried cash on me in years. Does the use of wow make me cool?
AllThingsServeTheBeam · 18/02/2022 00:03

@yupyupyup

Fair enough OP.

You're asking if I owned a restaurant what would I do..?

I'd not let someone leave without paying for what they'd eaten.

Then you'd actually be in the wrong
Meandthesky · 18/02/2022 00:26

Obviously it’s your responsibility to ensure your phone is charged if you’re using it to pay. But people are human and make mistakes and it could have been very easily fixed with a smidge of common sense and empathy. Plus it would have been in their interests to let you use their phone to call your DH to get him to pay, or to pop out to your car and get your charger (they could’ve asked you to leave your phone as a security that wouldn’t run off).

Lockdownbear · 18/02/2022 00:33

How do you go on when you're buying petrol? If you can't pay, garages file a police report

Bullshit they'll only file a police report if you drive off.

Go in talk to them, Sainsbury's got me to fill in a credit agreement, 7 days to pay before they hand it over to a debt agency. Other petrol station did similar. Yes I've done it on more than one occasion Blush filled up then realised my purse wasn't in my bag.
The last time I did it the guy commented he'd had 3 people that day and we'd all been back to pay!

Op the restraunt were being nasty, they could have lent a charger, phone or said leave the kids while you went for it.

DropYourSword · 18/02/2022 00:35

@yupyupyup

Fair enough OP.

You're asking if I owned a restaurant what would I do..?

I'd not let someone leave without paying for what they'd eaten.

So...in OPs situation, if you were the restaurant owner what would you have done? She was perfectly WILLING to pay. All she needed was to go and get her charger. OR, to call her husband from the cafe phone who could pay over the phone. She proposed two entirely reasonable solutions. If neither of those were acceptable what else would have worked?!
HotelCaliforniaOnRepeat · 18/02/2022 00:35

Another hospitality manager here. We would have charged your phone or called your husband for you. We often have people asking and have chargers behind the bar.
Charitably they manager was having a bad day.
They've been short sighted as in your shoes I wouldn't return to eat there. Witnesses were likely unimpressed too. A professional attitude & common sense would have resolved this instantly.

ClareBlue · 18/02/2022 00:59

The legal position is they absolutely can not stop you leaving. If you leave and intend to pay then it is not a criminal action. You can leave, get the cash, pay and that is it. Theft is taking the goods with no intention to pay. Stopping you leaving is false imprisonment and a serious criminal offence.

ClareBlue · 18/02/2022 01:12

@lanbro

I've let people leave my businesses to get cash when they have had a problem with their card, 100% of the time they have returned with cash or phoned up and paid, you were subjected to ridiculous behaviour, although perhaps they've been stung before
You have no choice but to let them leave. You can decide to not give them the goods if they don't pay, but if it is food consumed , you can not withdraw the sale as it is eaten. Some premises avoid this by asking for charges on cards before consumption, which is fine. You absolutely can not detain a person and any business that does this is seriously asking for major consequences. Asking for details is fine because it shows an intention, or not, to pay. If they refuse details then it is reasonable to say they had no intention to pay and it was theft. Then report to police with all details you have and let them do their job. Do not detain anyone or you will end up in all sorts of trouble, and rightly so.
pancakesandsyrupplease · 18/02/2022 01:14

@yupyupyup

Fair enough OP.

You're asking if I owned a restaurant what would I do..?

I'd not let someone leave without paying for what they'd eaten.

But she was trying to pay! She didn't even need to leave to do so, her DH could have paid over the phone. In what way at all was the manager behaving in a reasonable and sane way?!
sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea · 18/02/2022 01:19

@hassletassle

The lady of the couple who paid for me has messaged me back to say the money is received and to say how happy she was to help, she hopes I got home ok with the children etc. I told her about it being "Random Acts of Kindness Day" today (apt) and she said "oh that's so wonderful - every day should be random acts of kindness day.". ❤️
I'm just quoting this, because I think in all of the furore, we've forgotten just how lovely the couple were! It has cost them nothing but their time, but now they feel happy that they made a difference to a stranger today. We should all be a bit more like lovely elderly couple.

OP, you encountered one absolute wanker today. But you also got to meet two lovely people who helped you on your way. So the nice people are winning!

Goldensunnydays81 · 18/02/2022 01:42

I run a cafe/ restaurant and due to where we are we can’t get any signal for card machines so only take cash. We regularly let people order there food eat and then wander into the village to get cash and come back and pay and this could be bills of up £70.00. We have only ever had 2 people not pay but we just trust people and they are really happy with that. So definitely think the restaurant were in the wrong and could have definitely done more to help.

HappyDays40 · 18/02/2022 04:13

It could happen to any of us OP and you were in a catch 22.

WomanStanleyWoman · 18/02/2022 09:05

@yupyupyup

Fair enough OP.

You're asking if I owned a restaurant what would I do..?

I'd not let someone leave without paying for what they'd eaten.

Please explain how you would stop them.
misspercy · 18/02/2022 09:27

I think the manager should have accompanied you to your car for you to collect the charger, whilst one of the waiters kept an eye on the kids in the restaurant.

As you had no purse with you, you obviously had nothing useful to leave as collateral, and most parents wouldn't abandon two small children, so they would do in a pinch!

pradavilla · 18/02/2022 09:35

I would put in a complaint and put a review on tripadvisor about the experience that might get the owners attention.

You offered for your husband to pay over the phone. Which meant u weren't even leaving the building. They were being ridiculous.

When this happens at petrol stations they take ur details and asks you to return with payment asap they will contact the police if you haven't came back within a week. That actually happened to me but luckily my mum worked at the petrol station lol so she paid it for me but I know that's what they do there.

Gowithme · 18/02/2022 09:39

I don't understand why they would be prepared to phone the police on you but not be prepared to phone your husband to get payment from him for you?? Very bizarre.

Tragicroundabout · 18/02/2022 10:23

I remember my mum leaving me in a petrol station as collateral when I was about 8 or 9. I was there for about 30 mins while she went home to get her purse. Different times....

ISmellBurnings · 18/02/2022 10:57

I’d not let someone leave without paying for what they'd eaten.

Except the OP wasn’t trying to do that.

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