19 January 2024 , 09:31
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A furious diner has blasted a restaurant for adding an extra charge to his bill without his knowledge or consent. The customer, in a post to the End Tipping forum on a popular discussion site, said he refused to pay the tip after being charged with 18 percent gratuity. He said that he was handed the bill for a meal that cost £58.29 ($73.94) but the receipt had the supposedly 'voluntary' surcharge already added.
He told other Reddit users: "An 18% gratuity was ‘voluntary’ yet automatically added to my bill for two guests." They then showed another photo where they had opted out of the gratuity, and top it off, did not tip their server at all. On the receipt, the restaurant disclosed the gratuity policy in fine print.
The restaurant's policy stated: "Please note that an 18% gratuity has been added to your check. Please feel free to increase, decrease or remove the gratuity. This gratuity will be paid to your server, is voluntary and added for your convenience. Thank you for your business!"
His fellow users said that they were sick of eateries seemingly taking advantage of their customers' goodwill, with one pointing out that percentages, he thought, were also a scam, saying: "The dumbest f****** thing about it is what if I order a £47 ($60) steak? Just the steak. That's it, $60 bucks. 20%, £9.46 ($12) tip. What if I order an £11 ($15) cheeseburger? Again, nothing else. Just here's your burger, have a good one... £2.36 ($3). They've done no more or less with anything, it's one plate with a different thing on it. Why am I tipping more for a person to bring me a plate with a steak on it than the same plate with a burger on it?"
Others were as equally flabbergasted, with one writing: "People shouldn't have to 'opt out' of anything. There should be no tip line, extra buttons to click on or push, and no cashier standing there watching if you are tipping or not. If they want to tip, they can do it like it was just a couple of years ago. The customer simply told the cashier to add so much for a tip."
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And another said: "The option to remove it is so stupid because what?! One user replied, saying: "So it’s not forced on you, right? I mean, you can tip what you want... as long as it’s: (a) 18%; or (b) having an awkward conversation with the server telling them to adjust or remove the tip." One user quipped: "Added for your convenience. Lolol."
According to the IRS, automatic gratuities are considered service charges and not tips as they do not allow customers a choice. The IRS said: "Tips are discretionary (optional or extra) payments determined by a customer that employees receive from customers."