As someone who has worked in a job where tipping is one of the primary sources of income, receiving a big tip can be a godsend. The opposite would be the tipper returning and demanding a refund because the amount was actually an accident. Unfortunately, that’s precisely what happened to a waitress working at a restaurant in Tennessee. She received a hefty tip of $300 after a meal, but the man returned two weeks later, demanding that she give him that money back.
“I was instructed to wait two weeks, and after that, I could spend it. So I did,” the waitress explains. However, once she had already spent the $300, the man came back demanding a refund. The restaurant gave him back the money, as the payment error was allegedly the system’s fault, not his. “But now they are asking me to pay the company back in payments for the $300 and saying that since the card reader glitched, I am obligated to pay them back,” moans the waitress. Of course, she can refuse, but she firmly believes that decision would result in her termination. The girl is worried sick: “What should I do? I love my job and don’t want to lose it, but I can’t afford the $300 payments right now.”
In the waitress’s complaint post on Reddit, many users believe it was on the restaurant for the error, so the responsibility shouldn’t be placed on her. “The company already refunded the guest, so they should be the ones to eat the cost, not OP,” one person argues. “Without written consent, they can’t just start deducting wages. OP followed the rules they were given. If anything, management should’ve flagged the glitch before approving the payout.” Another chimed in with a similar response: “Pretty obvious that he meant to tip $3.00. Management could have spoken to you first before processing the refund.” “People are so inconsiderate,” remarks a third.
Most people, even outside OP’s Reddit post, would probably state the same. The restaurant was willing to throw their own employee under the bus by forcing her to pay for their mistake. Even though she claims to love her job, it’s a shame her management would treat her like this in such a situation.
