Tipping in the US?
 

I went to a restaurant in Boston last night and the bill (incl. drinks) was $39 ($37 before tax). I paid by credit card and wrote down $45 in the total section. I now found out that $47 has been debited from my credit card from this restaurant. I was under the impression that 15% tip is standard, 20% tip for exceptional service (based on pre-tax amount). Am I wrong? Can the restaurant change the credit card slip after you leave the restaurant?

This is a neighbourhood restaurant (certainly not fine dining) and the party consists of 2 adults and 1 toddler (13 months old who did not eat nor require a highchair).

Legally they should bill you whatever you wrote in the TOTAL line (not what they think they should have been tipped). Your tip was fine anyway. You could go back via your credit card company (do you have your copy of the receipt?)

The restaurant forged a higher price, plain and simple. Call the CC and challenge the charge.

Re tipping in the US, your perceptions are right.

Now stand back and watch about 20 posters say that the entire concept of tipping is "outragous" (mostly folks who live in countries where tipping is not customary, as well as a few uberconservative Americans) while a few posters will defend the practice.

It seems we have to go through this every few months.

You should dispute the charge amount with your credit card company. What the restaurant did is illegal.

Tipping is 100% discretionary. 15-20% is customarybut not obligatory. Even if you had left $0, they have no right to add anything.

No. What they did is fraudulent, period.

Thanks for the responses. I might just leave it as it seems too much hassle for just $2 - but then again I wouldn't want them to do it to anybody else.

You really need to let the credit card company know what is going on. If they are doing it to you they are doing it to others.

As for tipping in the United States, the rule is that you are supposed to generously tip each and every person you come in contact with -- or at least that's what many on this board believe.

You must tip the hotel maid, the taxi driver, the Starbucks girl who takes your coffee order, the busboy and any other person you come in contact with.

This could very well be a mistake. I've seen similar issues on my
credit card charges in the past. I'd suggest you call in. Its not about $2, but
if its a standard practice at this restaurant, they must know that its not
tolerated.

Sorry I did not mean to offend but wanted to know whether I have been undertipping. I will contact my cc company to rectify the situation.

No need to apologize at all... it was a legitimate question. Hope you enjoyed your trip otherwise [reference to a now-deleted post also deleted by Moderator].

I would definitely let the CC company know that the restaurant was fraudulently altering your charge.

Cheers

Agreed.

[reference to a now-deleted post also deleted by Moderator].

When one has a dispute with a vendor, the normal procedure is to first call the vendor to try to settle the dispute, no?

Does everyone on this post immediately call the credit card company when there's an error on a charge?

Btw, this thread has little to do with tipping and much to do with credit card charges.

If this is an on-line statement, it may be that it's showing a 'reserve' from the restaurant (like a hotel or car rental would do), and the actual, signed charges will be correct on your regular statement.

If , however, your charge slip as signed by you has been altered, then you're almost certainly an almost-victim of fraud & both the restaurant and your cc company should be notified.

What $2? You're entitled to the entire charge (in a strict legal sense). In some states, when an illegal act can be established, the damages are tripled, not tripling the $2, but the entire bill.

Go for the gold! Like a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, a salutory lesson for the restaurant may break that old hound from sucking aigs (a phrase which once caused me to be threatened with dire consequences for using on FT).

I would call the retaurant first and speak to the manager. Unless they condone the behavior, I'm sure they don't want staff there that overcharge customers.