Originally Posted by
YYZC2
After a very enjoyable few days here in Buenos Aires, made more so by the informed guidance of some local FTers, I'll be leaving BsAs tomorrow with a bitter taste in my mouth, having been taken for 60 pesos at El Establo, the parrilla recommended by many an FT BA regular and a former favorite of mine.
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I got passed three bogus 20 peso notes by a waiter there, having asked for change of a hundred so I could adequately tip the b*stard. He came back with five 20s, the top and bottom of which were legit, the middle ones fakes (and not even good ones I would discover).
Completely my fault that I pocketed them, but I was distracted by a cell phone call that came exactly when the bill and change did, and when reaching for my phone I found two tens in my pocket that I had forgotten about and ended up becoming his tip. I was also also off my game as I have had a nasty head cold since Sunday and have been dosing myself with all manner of medication. I scooped up the twenties and went to catch a cab back to the hotel.
When I went to pay the driver, I flipped through the folded bills (the only things in that pocket) and immediately spotted the fakes - I swore to myself and told the cabbie to head back the restaurant.
Of course, I knew I was screwed but as I was leaving town tomorrow and I was full of red wine and cough medicine, I really wanted to shove the fakes down the guy's throat as a going-away present.
I went back into the restaurant and interrupted the guy while he was talking to some other diners. I let him know I didn't appreciate the gesture and where he could put the 60 pesos he stole from me. His previously very serviceable English had now disappeared.
I gave him a friendly shove and stuffed one of the notes down his shirt collar, swearing at him in English. By now the restaurant had stopped to watch the show, so to make sure everyone knew the plot, I threw the other two bills at the guy from a distance of a few feet, said what I think was, "here's your f'ing change" in Spanish, and called his mother a whore, just for effect, and left.
Had I been back home, I probably would have gotten a little more physical, but I need to be at a wedding in NYC this weekend so I don't have the time to spend in an Argentine jail and/or hospital. Some may not agree with my tactics, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let that slide.
So there you go. The guys at El Establo can always find time to clip a turista, no matter how busy they are... and by the way, if you see a curly-haired, blue-eyed punk waiting tables there, keep an eye on your wallet.
Dear YYZC2—
First of all, as a native of EZE please accept my sincere apologies for what this crook did to you. I feel greatly ashamed when these things happen in my home town because they tarnish the reputation of a City that is trying very hard to become a reliable and well established tourist destination. I’m truly sorry this happened to you.
I have contacts in the Restaurant Business and I will see how I can try to look into this incident and make sure that the owners of El Establo are properly informed of what happened to you.
Having said this, I will also be very candid and tell you that you should consider yourself very lucky. Had you gotten overly physical with the waiter, chances are you would still be in a local cell, courtesy of the Policia Federal Argentina (and with no Hotel Points credited to your favorite loyalty program).
Taking a stand does not mean taking justice into your own hands… and I’m shocked that a self proclaimed regional “quasi-resident” like
ViajeroPerpetuo would cheer on such behavior. Its very poor advice that shows pathetic judgement, and I urge you not to follow it.
I assure you that I can understand your outrage, frustration, anger and disgust at what this waiter did to you, but I am forced to condemn your actions.
The paradox of this situation and how you handled it is such that you’re sanguine behavior only played in the crooks favor. By not approaching the manager first, and by directly confronting him in the manner you did (and by creating a scene), you gave your “opponent” the best possible scenario for him to create a very strong case of reasonable doubt. The waiter has many angles to argue his case… from the excessive drinking issue to the fact that you could have been given the fakes after you left the restaurant, etc. etc. You yourself admit that you failed to check the bills at the restaurant…. hence, your case was a very weak one from the very beginning.
Had you instead returned to the restaurant and approached the Manager directly, and asked him to confront the crook in your presence about the fakes, you would have had a better chance at making the guy’s (i.e. the crook waiter’s) life a lot harder. With a complaint directed to the Manager, you would have put the crook on the spot and on the radar screen of management in a stronger way, and given him a much much weaker case to argue the veracity of your accusations. Furthermore, you would have given the manager the opportunity to make a judgment call and perhaps even give you the benefit of the doubt and refund your money. However, your actions did not allow this to even be a possibility.
I’m not sure I agree with those on this thread that say that AR$20 or US$20 is not worth making a fuss about…. I think it’s about principle. What happened to you was wrong, and the crook deserves to get fired. But the way you handled things was also dead wrong.