Chili's Waitress Stole Money for a Tip!

You sound like a complete idiot. You don't deserve a free meal for
this!

Listen closely, the level of service that you receive at a restaurant
is directly affected by the type of customers that a server has to
take care of. You represent only one table out of several that they
are responsible for. If they have three other tables with rude and
demanding people, guess what, your service will suffer as well. It
isn't always the servers fault if the service is bad. I'm not making
excuses, but if you were never a server, then you don't know what
you're talking about. To me, it sounds like YOU ARE THE DIFFICULT
CUSTOMER!!! D

As far as the tip adjustment is concerned, yes I would be angry if I
found out that this happened to me. But a simple phone call to the
restaurant would solve everything. Would I personally call to save
three bucks on a tip??? Hell no. I'm not a cheap piece of scum like
you. Yes, you are $1.70 away from being as cheap as they come.

The remedy by the restaurant is correct, the problem is solved, and
the server learned a lesson. The end.

This is theft, and she should have been prosecuted.

I've worked in restaurants for over 15 years, and would never, ever
write my own tip in. That's patently unprofessional and illegal.

I don't care if the waitress was awesome and deserved 20% or more, the
simple fact is that the customer chose not to give it to her. That's
the way it is, we can't just decide we deserve more and charge the
person for it, that's insane.

waitresses always ALWAYS deserve at least 20% regardless of service
your a customers she worked there im sure she knew what she was doing
better then you did

Get over it. she served you your meal. Sure there are bad waitresses
out there. Anyone can have a bad day. If the waitress is great, they
deserve at least 20% or more. Do you know what they make? Not even
minimum wage. Shame on you for tipping, what? a dollar and some
change? I agree with the other reply to "She made off with the tip."
A whole $5. Give me a break! maybe she had 5 people like you who
gave lousy tips before you came in. Never ever tip a waitress good,
bad or otherwise less than 15%. If service is bad complain to mgmt.

This happened to a co worker of mine when he went to O-Charley's, The
waiter added another number to the tip he left on the receipt. My
friend ended up getting a full refund of the entire meal, and I
believe the waiter got fired (as he should be).

I guess this is common practice, though I can say it never happened to
me. But if it did, I'd be highly upset as well. I always tip if I
get good service usually 15% - 20% + an extra 1 or 2 dollars and
change on top of that to round it off the next dollar amount. But if I
get terrible service and a waiter/waitress with a bad attitude I have
no problem not leaving anything at all or leave a dime on the table,
and also make sure that I clearly cross out the tip box on the receipt
so they can't write anything in there.

I honestly don't think your waitress deserved ANYTHING for the
terrible service you got. I hope she got fired; this is criminal and
downright dishonest. It's a shame bad servers whine and complain
about people not tipping when they do nothing to deserve it. Like the
rest of us, they have to EARN it!

First off, I think you should have gotten the ENTIRE tip back....not
just the amount the waitress "stole". In fact, I would have thought
the restaurant would have comped your whole meal. But shhhhhh don't
let other posters on this site hear that.

But anyway, I do wonder if it was a mistake like some have suggested.
You would have to be pretty brain dead to use a different color ink if
you were seriously trying to commit fraud. And the $28 would be in two
different colors making it very obvious that she changed it from a 3
to an 8. And why do such a thing if you are going to make it so
obvious. Are you expecting someone to see it? If so, you make it look
good. She would have been better off "losing" your receipt. But who
knows. There are even dumber thieves out there.

I think Chili's remedied the situation...you were made whole by
receiving your $$$ back and the waitress (if still working there)
probably was made aware of your follow up on her actions. You paid
for what your family ate, why would you want a full refund? What do
you want your next meal to be free or coupons/discounts for future
use? The expressed impression left with you doesnt seem like you
would want to continue to even patronize this particular
establishment...let it end.

This part is priceless, "she made off with extra money!!" (laughing) I
dont think she made it too far...No need to be out for blood and bad
mouth her all over Wal-Mart.

if she was so bad, why would you leave a tip at all? next time write
0.00. regardless, call your credit card company or chilis, its not
like you have to pay that

According to what you've written here, I agree your complaint is
valid. I disagree with the idea that you should know whether or not
she was punished. Good leadership usually doesn't involve public
humiliation.

Also, I believe that normally when an employee commits theft, it is
common practice to fire them. If you received a refund, someone had
to pay for that. If they didn't get the $5.00 from this waitress for
that, then it would've come out of their profits. Companies tend to
take notice when they start losing money.

just tell her to give the money back you you will tell the police.

I would have to say many of you have worked in places like this
before......lol. I never knew it was ok for a worker to steal from a
customer.

I agree something more should have been done. I would have asked you
to come in so the employee could apologize to you directly and comp
you for half the meal plus the $5. I've seen people get comped 75% of
the meal just because it was a little to salty for their liking.

I agree with the last person on this.

The way in which it is handled is between Chilis and the employee.
They refunded the disputed amount which sounds like the correct and
simplest solution.

How a business handles its staff is none of your business. I know,
you want it to be. I've felt the same way.

But, in the end, it was the restaurant's job to "make you whole" by
giving you back your money. They did that. And you received an
apology, from the restaurant's management. That's all you are going
to get.

If they decide to fire her, that's their decision. If they decide to
prosecute her, that's their decision.

If you personally want to file criminal charges, then you need to
contact the police.

As I said, though... you received exactly what YOU deserved. Nothing
more and nothing less.

What you're doing is called "taking advantage." Just because this
happened doesn't mean that you're damaged in any way, short of having
to go through the trouble of calling to have this rectified.

WOW. That is way beyond poor customer service, it's criminal charges
time. If I were you I would definitely press the issue, by contacting
the police and the credit card company. If you feel guilty about
reporting it, remember that it's unlikely that this is the only time
that waitress will do the same (if she gets away with it), and you're
probably saving others from similar theft.

It's likely the restaurant's policies won't allow them to state
whether a particular employee was fired or not, but they should at
least give you an assurance that something would be done.

The honest thing for this waitress to do if she were unsure of the
total amount the OP wrote it would be to take the smaller of the
possible amounts. Simple as that. Whether she did it on purpose or
not, she still did not use good judgment. If I were her boss, I would
fire her because her bad decision can get the employer in trouble.

If some waitress offered me lousy service then stole money from me for
a tip when I do not tip her, I'll pour ice water all over her.

Here is some helpful insight from former waitress es that responded
when I posted this link to a message board.

"We adjust the tip ourselves and then at the end of the night there's
a sheet with all of our tips listed from credit cards, and it gets
subtracted from how much we owe the store."

"When you run the credit card for the initial amount of the check, it
leaves an open authorization in the computer. After the customer signs
the slip and leaves, you open the authorization back up and close it
out with the new amount that reflects the tip. A slip prints out with
the initial amount, the tip, and the total amount."

So why it is possible that the waitress read the 3 as an 8 it seems
more likely the waitress is guilty of theft and credit card fraud. I
would be upset too if all I got back was my 5 dollars. I'm not saying
she deserves any other compensation but she deserves an explantion
even if it is "That particular waitress is no longer employed by our
company"

Let me get this straight. In a previous letter when someone stole 20
seconds of a movie most of you chastised the person who wrote a letter
saying the theif deserved an apology. Most of you ranted and raved
about how the girl stole part of the movie and probably had the intent
to record more and that she should be punished and so on and so on.
Now we move on to this letter and waitress is assumed to have not only
stolen 5 dollars from the letter writer but committed credit card
fraud by changing the amount on the receipt. A lot of the responses
in this letter side with the waitress and state that is the OP's fault
for leaving the tip line blank and that she got her 5 dollars back and
that should be enough or that her 3 could have been mistaken for an 8.
THEFT IS THEFT no matter how it is done or no matter how much was
stolen (20 seconds of a movie, 5 dollars from a customer) I work in
the retail business and we tell our employees in orientation that we
have a zero tolerance with theft and if they are caught stealing a
quarter out of their till they will be fired no exceptions.

one redhead with glasses to another

I meant the attacks on the character of the waitress and the positive
affirmations of her guilt based on what has more than a shadow of a
doubt that it could have just been a silly mistake.

I should have clarified.

that this wasn't a misundersanding?

It seems to me that something like this is a little too blatant. The
Waitress (unless she was a total moron) had to know that she would get
caught by altering the slip. She alters the slip, she gets fired.
Now who would risk their job over $6?

Is it possible (and again, I don't know - just supposing) that because
the OP did not fill in the tip and apparently filled in her total
only, that the waitress thought the slip was merely unreadable and
modified it, thinking she meant $28 instead of $23.

It might be a stetch, but again, it seems terribly gutsy to do
something like that, knowing that the chances of getting caught are
pretty high.

I'm not saying the OP is wrong to be angry if that's the case, but I
see a lot of people get flame broiled by the OP's with very flimsy
circumstantial evidence. Demanding someone lose their livlihood
better be backed up with some facts and not just heresay!

This is just theft plain and simple, and I can certainly understand
how you feel. As others have said before me, you should never leave
the tip line blank - but that doesn't mean the waitress had the right
to take advantage of your oversight.

I would think the waitress probably was fired because you wouldn't
want an employee that steals from customers.

I think you got all that you are going to get from Chili's....if you
want to take this further report it to your credit card company or the
police. That's your call. The manager did what he should have for
you.

On a related note (and not accusing the poster that it was her fault
this happened), make sure to always put $ next to the amounts you list
on credit card receipts. I worked at a restaurant where a girl got
caught for adding a 1 in front of tip amount...making 4.00 into 14.00
and then changing the numbers on the total to reflect the larger tip.
She got away with it for a LONG time....which makes me super paranoid
so I use the $ symbol and always always draw a line through the tip
line if I'm leaving cash or not leaving a tip.

If you go back to the restaurant, you can see if she is there, if she
is not you can ask another waitress/waiter about her. If she was
fired they won't tell you, but they will tell you that she is no
longer with the company. You can pretend to be a friend of the
waitress or someone that knows her personally.

If you do not want to go back to the restaurant just call up the
restaurant, they will probably tell you that she is no longer with the
company. Again act like you know her personally.

As for demanding your whole meal replaced, that is being greedy and
ruins your whole letter.

You should immediately contact the police.

Theft is theft, but credit card fraud is just that, credit card
fraud.

I am disgusted that there are comments in here stating this is your
fault. There is no excuse for what that waitress did and anyone that
excuses this should really rethink what they stated.

I worked bartending for a while and if I ever did that I would have
not only been fired on the spot but would have been blacklisted for
sure.

"This is where I believe I made my mistake.... I left the tip line
blank, and simply wrote in the 23!!""

This is where you HAVE to take some RESPONSIBLITY for your actions
here. She NEVER STOLE A THING UNLESS SHE WROTE SOMETHING IN THE
BLANK, which maybe you can find that out. The fact is, you have to be
SMART these days. NO MATTER WHERE I GO, if there is a line for a tip,
I write $0.00 in the tip line if I choose not leave a tip such as
picking up a pizza(NOT DELIVERY) at Dominio's.

TAKE SOME SELF-RESPONSIBLITY and QUIT BLAMING OTHERS FOR
*******YOUR********* LACK OF WRITING THE AMOUNT YOU MEANT. You should
have wrote $1.70 in the blank. YOU ARE AN IDIOT!

I DO NOT FEEL SORRY FOR YOU! Unless she actually wrote something in
the blank, she NEVER STOLE ANYTHING. Honestly, I feel you got what
you deserved by not filling in $1.70 on the tip line. WHY would
ANYONE be so STUPID and LAZY not to fill out their credit card
receipt? It's just like not locking your door of your house or car.
YOU HAVE TO PROTECT YOUR MONEY!

YOU NEVER LEAVE A CREDIT CARD TIP LINE ON A RECEIPT BLANK, EVER! She
could have written $100 and put a ONE in front of the $23. She could
have left the country after. Then you would have been out $100.

YOU HAVE TO PROTECT YOURSELF! NEVER NOT WRITE SOMETHING IN THE TIP
BLANK, EVER! THIS SHOULD BE A LESSON LEARNED.

I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU ARE BLAMING THE SERVER FOR A MISTAKE **YOU**
ADMIT THAT YOU MADE! Like you have the gall.

So the waitress made off with a tip for being a criminal? That is
hilarious. I'm sorry that happened to you. I'll never leave my tip
line blank ever again.

How are you supposed to know if the waitress punished at all?

It's none of your business.

i sympathize with you. we have had this happen a few times when i was
a waitress. it's stealing, pure and simple. yes, you shouldn't have
left the tip line blank, but your negligence does not excuse her
theft. i should add that in every case this occurred at our
restaurant, the waitress was fired.

Wow!

Since I'm usually one of the first to point out when an OP is being
unreasonable, I need to step up here and say that alot of the comments
on this one are COMPLETELY out of line!

Sure, I don't care for the drama and exclamation points and the demand
to know what happened to the waitress...I'll concede that.

I also think it was fair to point out that she should never leave a
tip line blank.

But, if I were her, suffice it to say - my ass would have paied a
visit to that restaurant IN PERSON and it would NOT have been pretty.
Additonally, I likely would have called the police.

That was blatant theft, pure and simple...and a simple refund of the
money that was STOLEN from her is not enough.

I am absolutely disgusted that they just offered her a half-assed
apology and a refund of the money she was stolen.

Un-freaking-believeable.

Wow, that's messed up. But, do fill in the tip line.

I am furious what that waitress did to you. Did you tell a manager?
You should have called the police on the waitress. That is what I
would have done.

Wow. Unbelievable. I don't blame you for leaving a lousy tip, but I
do wish you had spoken with the manager while you were there, to
inform him/her about the substandard service you received.

ALWAYS fill the tip part in- if you're not leaving one, put zero
there. Because there was an amount written in the tip line in another
color ink doesn't mean that the waitress did it. It could have been a
manager who would at the end of shift or night have to reconcile the
registers, and if they thought that your 3 was an 8 (it's happened to
me a $30 check cashed for $50 before) that's an honest mistake. But,
they write the tip amount on there if the customer didn't because they
have to pull the cash from the registers.
A lot of resturants automatically place a 15% tip hold on a credit
card when they run it thru, even if the tip is more or less. And once
they do the batch run the correct amount is posted.
At least they did refund you the $5 back. In the future make sure
that you write the tip amount in yourself.

The same thing happened to me at Pizza Hut. A waitress there gave
herself 5 more dollar tip over the 3 dollar tip I had gaven her.
Didnt know she did it till I checked my statement and saw the debit.

Be happy you got your 5 bucks back so quick.

It took Pizza Hut 6 months to get my 5 bucks refunded.

Enough with all the exclamation points and dramatic posturing. It
makes you look like an immature child.

The manager did the right thing in returning your money. How they deal
with the waitress is none of your business.

With the way people write numbers today I wonder if the 3 was read as
an 8 innocently?

And they fill in the amount in the tip line.

People write things like a drunk monkey would. In my job I deal with
important documents that are filled out like someone had their drunk
monkey write them.

you should NEVER EVER leave the tip blank empty. I read, I think it
was from this site, that you should put "-cash-" in the tip spot if
your paying credit and leaving a cash tip. So when my parents' and I
went to dinner the other night, I treated them, and they decided to
leave the tip. So I did what the person said people should do. But the
waitress still shoulnd't have filled it in herself. But you should
have put something in that spot so it was known. Your lucky she was
dumb enough to use a different color ink.

Nobody is entitled to steal from you. I'm glad you got your $5 back,
but you don't know if she was reprimanded or not. It's quite possible
she was and it came out of her money or she was fired.

Your letter is very angry and while I do understand your frustration,
a calmer approach may get you better results.

I've only learned recently from PFB in fact that leaving the tip area
blank can leave you open for theft. It's not right but it's something
to look out for in the future. I can see it causing a lot of grief
for both the customers, and the restaurants.

I have no idea how restaurants handle incidents like this, but I hope
firing the employee is a possibility. That is stealing, and if proof
can be presented it seems appropriate.

If you aren't going to leave a tip on your charge slip, write
something on that line, don't leave it blank. Leaving it blank
invites fraud.

I believe you received sufficient corrective action. You received an
apology and the amount that was taken from you back. Asking for the
tip that you left is clearly inappropriate. You decided the you would
leave a tip of $1.70, and you did. End of story. Using your logic,
anytime you please you could return to a place you left a tip and ask
to change the amount. "...full refund of the meal!! - yes, that will
happen the same day that pigs fly. If you see them before I do, give
me a call!!!

I'm glad I read this letter; now I know how to use explanation
points!!

I would have given you the difference of the tip and maybe a 5 dollar
gift card for your inconvenience.

It is not your business to know if or how the manager punished the
waitress. You were made whole and then some.

Maybe next time, use cash.

Next time, fill in the tip line. Better yet, leave the tip in cash
and write the word, "Zero" in the tip line and then fill in the total
on the bottom. The word "Zero" as well as a tip of only $1.70 in cash
should send the message loud and clear.

First, if the service was really that terrible that you felt less than
10% was deserved, then you really should've spoken to a manager. A
manager can correct problems on the spot. It might also have saved you
from having $5 stolen.

A friend of mine recently told me that whenever he feels less than a
15% tip is deserved, he leaves what he thinks is appropriate AND also
speaks to a manager about why he's doing it. I think that's a good
idea.

Second, you got your $5 back and a apology from the manager. Why kind
of "better apology" would satsify you? As others below me said, the
woman's punishment is between her and Chili's. I would think she was
fired. Would that be good enough?

As for the refund of $1.70, if you felt the waitress deserved NO tip,
then you shouldn't have left anything in the first place. And as for a
refund of the full meal, the extra $5 tip aside, it apparently was
good enough for you to pay for at the time.

I do understand you're angry, and I think that anger is justified.
However, I'm not sure how much better the restaurant could've handled
it. They refunded your $5 and apologized, as they should have.

In the future, never leave the tip line blank. Either write in the tip
or draw a line through it.

I can understand why you would be upset, but I think that Chili's
acted appropriately in dealing with this. You got your $5 back, after
all. You ask, "how am I supposed to know if this girl was even
punished?" Well, the short answer is you aren't. For Chili's to
discuss the terms of this waitress' discipline with you would be
almost as unprofessional as you telling your customers at Wal-Mart
about personal issues you've had with Chili's. I can only imagine how
I'd feel if a Wal-Mart employee accosted me while on the clock to
grind an axe against another company. It certainly wouldn't make me
want to return to Wal-Mart. Not that your anger isn't justified, but
please control it at work! Otherwise, as has been pointed out, the
next letter we read may be complaining about you.

as stated below, you were refunded the money that shouldn't have been
charged to you and the manager apologized. I would think the manager
dealt with the waitress in accordance with Chili's company policy.
After all, you don't want to have employee's overcharging or changing
customer's payment slips. Unfortunately for you, it is a personnel
matter and he isn't going to tell you what happened.

Tell all the friends and co-workers you want about your experience,
but I would hold off on informing WalMart's customers, one of them
might complain about you!

I agree with Miss UK.
So many times I see complaints where what seems like a perfectly
reasonable resolution is reached, yet the OP doesn't feel that enough
has been done.
I wonder if anything short of a public flogging would satisfy some
people.

No doubt the waitress was dealt with in a manner that the manager saw
fit.
You got what you deserved and what happens beyond that isn't any of
your business.

While I appreciate that this occurrence was extremely annoying, you
did receive an apology from the manager, and were refunded back the $5
which was incorrectly deducted from your bill. In my opinion, the
restaurant handled it as best they could. I can see no reason for you
to be refunded the cost of the meal in this case. What was wrong with
the meal? Nothing, according to your letter. And you decided to
leave a small tip - do you really want to make an issue over $1.70??

This should not have happened, I know, but if it was me, I would
accept the apology and $5 refund and move on.