Luckily, those servers most likely got their tip - it was the restaurant you screwed! What typically happens at the end of the night when a server cashes out with the manager is that s/he will add up all their receipts (cash and credit), and give that total to the manager, keeping their tips (cash and credit) in cash (from the cash receipts).
The house needs $200 total from you - so you give them the $120 in credit receipts (Table 2 bill + tip) and $80 cash. You walk with $40 cash that night. If 2 weeks down the line the house gets burned on a $20 credit tip that didn’t process, that’s their problem and responsibility to follow-up on, because they’re the ones in possession of the signed receipt.
I won’t go back to collect a 5 or 8 dollar tip, but 15 or 20? Yep, especially if the cause is server negligence. But these days, with the direct interfaces, with an automated system, wrong or invalid c/c numbers or charges over the card limit are almost non existant.
I see about 1 f&b dispute a month compared to 10 or 15 even three years ago.
Wait, I’m confused. Are you a manager? Wouldn’t it be manager negligence for paying out a $20 tip to a server who didn’t provide you with the correct receipt? Or, in the case that J_W brings up (where the customer crosses out the CC# on the receipt), paying out on a receipt (with signature and $20 tip) that doesn’t process - wouldn’t that be a dispute between you and the credit card company? Either way, at that point the receipt is the manager’s responsibility, not the server’s.
This is also why servers will “buy” credit receipts from other servers. If Sally Server’s tables are in credit cards, and Scotty Server gets all his tables in cash, Sally can “sell” Scotty a receipt so that she can walk out with her tips in cash.
I am the money person and handle all cash and credit card transactions.
If a c/c number is crossed out on a receipt, you still have an electronic record of it. (When the card is swiped to get the auth code) And the c/c company sees that when the transaction is submitted to them. I am very surprised that the tips were not processed on those transactions that J_W mentions. Unless management decided not to put the tip through.
With the new interfaced systems, the server knows immediatley if the c/c is declined. It is the servers resposibiity to get a different form a payment. If they chose not to and the card does not go through, it certainly is their reponsibility.
What we see most these days is either:
“The server was supposed to split this check.” the server tried to, but didn’t swipe the second card, instead swiping the first card 2 times. We have no record of the second card, and therefore, cannot charge it. That is something that a manager would never know at the point of sale, but would be brought up later when the clients bill comes in.
or
A service complaint after the fact. Where the client calls and says service was horrible, food stunk, etc. We will investigate and make a determination.
Again, I say this is much different than even a few years ago, when c/c processors didn’t have all the interfaced technology they have today. The losses from fraud and incomplete information at the point of purchase is almost almost non existent.
And while a place may allow servers to sell their tips, I can’t think of a reason why a server would want to. It is at least ten years since I worked in a place that made servers wait for their c/c tips. Generally, the cash gets paid out the next day, if the server can’t leave with the cash that night.
The only time this has not worked, is when servers are participating in a 401k plan and need the tips to be on their check so they can be a part of the program.
Crossing out the credit card number on the receipt shouldn’t be a problem. Each transaction has an invoice number, which is also printed on the receipt, and that is what the server uses to enter a tip amount.
This freaked me out the first time it happened to me, a few days ago. (Don’t use my card much at these places.) I was gonna start a thread to ask, but hey! synchronicity answers my question.
Ok here is a question. Let’s say you are at a restaurant and bar full of shady people and bouncers and you end up punching one of those bouncers in the face after he does something vicious to you or says something vicious in order to baxk up another guy he’s friends with that you got in a dispute with after that guy hit you or your friend. So let’s say you got him real quick and your credit card is at the front. What do you do? The bouncer is getting up and you need to run wuidkly from that place nit to get arrested or beaten up by the bouner and his friends or other bouncers. Do you run to the front and grab your card and dash out? Wouldn’t that be risky and have you potentially fading fraud or theft as well as assault (of the bouncer)? Or do you quikly get another waiter that didn’t see it to sign it and take both slips? But if you do this wouldn’t the restaurant people or bouncer still have your name on record from the computer or cashier? And wouldn’t there be a big chance they would chace you outside thinking you are frauding them by not signing it?
Endgame, you’re getting charged with SOMETHING in any case.
In any scenario, you’re picking up at least one assault charge.
If you manage to leave without signing the slip, you basically shoplifted your meal. And you’re still getting an assault charge.
Your only chance is to burn the place to the ground, with everyone in it…
[moderating] EndGame, there was absolutely no need to resurrect a 7-1/2 year old thread to post that. I’m locking this thread down. If you’d like to start a new thread based on your hypothetical, be my guest (but not in GQ, please).
[/moderating]