Originally Posted by
uppereastff
I have been amused on a trip to London that restaurant bills now say:" a discretionary 12.5% Service Charge has been added to your bill." beyond the nuisance of beng forced to tip for bad service, do they have any idea in this country what the word "discretionary" actually means? It is not involuntary...
Legally, it is voluntary if described as discretionary. You are entitled to refuse to pay it. Most of us never would refuse, however, even if faced with extremely poor service.