Restaurant issue.

.... the boss is away, and all of a sudden the only way the staff wan't to accept payment is by cash.... :-)

hardCopy wrote: »

Wouldn't that be a civil matter? Guards would probably just take everyone's details and send you home, I can't imagine they'd even call out though.

The restaurant should have been more accommodating. The staff may have been told not to accept cheques but they were probably also told to keep the card machine charged. I would have expected a free drink or discount for the inconvenience. Get on to the owner and I'm sure you get this at a minimum.

Technically it would be theft.

We don't know what the actual issue with the CC is. I'm assuming it was a temporary technical problem. If it was a portable machine, and was let run down, literally a minute on the charging point has it back in action, enough for 1 transaction.

I'm also fully aware of how "local celebrities" can get arsey if something small crops up.

Personally, I'd have comped a drink while you waited to get cash, or offered free dessert on next visit, but that'd be it.

To be honest OP, I would echo what others have said - I think you are very much over reacting to the situation.

There's no doubt it could be perceived as a frustrating experience for you and certainly unwelcome (for both you and the restaurant).

But unfortuantely, sometimes these things happe, technology breaks at a poor time, such as when managers aren't available to make an "on the spot" decision. I am sure, that given your custom, if the manager(s) had have been there that they probably would have allowed you pay the bill at another time or something like that.

But unfortunately the managers were not there and no matter how well the staff know you, you really cannot expect them to break company policy or managerial direction. After all, they're job is on the line, in what is a competitive industry where they can easily be replaced. I am sure you are a trusting customer, but see it from the staff point of view - what if the cheque bounced? They could be out of a job.

If it is was me, and considering there appear to be no other major issues in your 12 years of custom, I'd put it down to an unfortunate set of events and just get over it. If you are still feeling aggrieved, you could mention it in passing to a manager next time you are there, but that's about as far as I would react with it.

Glinda wrote: »

I don't agree that the OP overreacted. What if someone plans to pay by credit card and doesn't have cash in their account that day (happens a lot of people in the days leading up to payday etc).

You can take money out of an ATM with a credit card.

picturehangup wrote: »

Not sure where to go with this, as a relative newbie here.

Mods please move if appropriate.

Was in my favorite local restaurant tonight for dinner where we are fortnightly regulars. Upon receiving the bill, we attempted to pay via visa debit as we usually do. We were informed that the machine was down, I think they said it was 'uncharged', and they asked us to leave the restaurant to retrieve money from the atm up the road. I offered a cheque, and they refused. The proprietors of the establishment were away, but the remainder of the staff knew us. I felt that their refusal of my cheque was a kick in the teeth, and questioning our honesty,as we had been such loyal customers down the years. I felt this was not acceptable treatment, after all, the malfunction of their equipment was their fault. Surely staff in charge should be able to exercise their discretion regarding who they can and can't trust?
I feel I should withdraw my business from this establishment. We were both quite upset by this tonight. A rotten end to a lovely eveningl
Any opinions?

picturehangup

Who uses cheques in this day and age?

Keyzer wrote: »

Who uses cheques in this day and age?

I do. There are circumstances where a cheque is the best option for making a payment.

My two cents ...

On one hand you can't blame them for not taking a cheque. The words trust and money don't go well in the same sentence all too often

But on the other hand I see where the op is coming from. It would feel like a kick in the teeth - you are a regular for years (people do become a familiar face over time or at least we like to think) you're after giving them so much business but when the credit card machine is out it's "sorry, didnt you know? machine is down and no cheques, cash only! - but come again next week" .....

It's a two way street of course. The business wants to make money. That's their reason for existing. They are not in the game of taking 'chances' on making money. But alot cosumers demand loyalty when they've giving alot of business. It's not like the op said "sorry, i dont have any money, can i still eat and catch you next week?" - thats a no no :pac:

Lisha wrote: »

I don't agree that the op over reacted.

Before they accepted his order they should have informed all customers that card payment facility was out of order.

For a myriad of reasons it might not suit someone to pay cash or to leave to go to ATM .

The owner / managers were wrong not the waitress . Waitress was only following orders, owners should take responsibility for their equipment being out of order.

May not have been at the time sometimes these things act up.

I do not see why the manager is wrong. They don't accept cheques and as said above maybe it started acting up at that time. Faults happen. If the manager was there at the time may he have accepted the cheque maybe but it does not excuse the way the op went off and his assumption because he is a "regular" for going twice a month should give him special privileges. His whole point is that I am known I do great things for charity the should bow down to me.

The do not accept cheques and that is the managers policy and only they could change it. From the looks of it he kicked up a scene and I can say the manager knows all about it by now so both sides will be known for the manager to make a good decision.

tricky D wrote: »

I reckon most posters here are being unduly harsh on the OP.

A few points:

• The machine being down is no fault of theirs. Lack of communication of this is negligence solely on the part of the restaurant.
• The staff have had their hands tied by the manager; again not the OP's fault. This to me seems to be the main cause of any upset and frustration that both the server and the customer experienced. Asking who is in charge should not be a cause for upset, if anything it allows the server to somewhat wash their hands of the situation. Good managers should allow their staff to have a level of flexibility available and to exerecise their own commonsense and discretion in turning a negative experience into a positive one. Being inflexible and untrusting with staff points to bad management.
• It is the customer who has been put in the awkward situation through no fault of their own.
• Cheques while perhaps not preferable are still an acceptable form of payment. The matter of fraud exposure is moot as there is plenty of CC fraud out there. My own local has no cheques policy with a prominent notice, but regulars can always use them though usually discretely.
• But most importantly is the treatment of regulars who have attended the establishment around 300 times. No goodwill has been displayed on this point which is poor customer service and worse their trust has been somewhat impugned by the notion that their cheque is not sufficient. All despite being known by the chef who is in charge on the night. Questioning someone's trust is usually a bad thing for goodwill which is essential in business.

The staff should have only suggested the ATM solution or should have, especially considering that they are regulars, accepted the cheque, despite the owner's instructions or asked to bring the payment with them next time. That would have made for a great customer service tale and possibly a nice tip on the next visit or when passing next.

I've been on both sides of this a number of times. A few times, I've either left my money at home or run out and have always been offered to run up had a tab in any regular haunt whenever needed, and in some cases despite the fact that I live less than 5 minutes away. I've also let regular trustworthy customers run up tabs in similar situations and they have always paid promptly. In both these instances goodwill has increased and tips or drinks have been tendered.

We've only one side of the story.

weisses wrote: »

That didn't keep you from replying earlier

Excuses to the waitress when she got upset by someone who questions her who is in charge, If you cannot take that kind of comment your in the wrong kind of job specially when she knew who she was dealing with.

perhaps it was the way in which the waitress was questioned

weisses wrote: »

Nobody knows that but yet the OP got roasted for getting the waitress upset

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!! Whether the waitress got upset or not is irrelevant

Is everyone forgetting that at the end of the day-The customer is always right-especially a regular, loyal and usually happy one!!!!!!!!!!

I sell part-time on eBay and am in my local Post Office every single Thursday and Friday of every week for the past two years. I would consider that very regular. And they still don't know me.

People get some sort of self-impressed sense of entitlement to be recognised because of the frequency they are presenting their face to a person. You go into the restaurant twice a month for 12 years which means you see the faces of the staff members roughly 288 times over the course of your custom. That's more than enough to start to recognise a face. However, the staff see faces every single day. They only see your face 288 times over the course of 12 years too, but take into consideration the following:

It is highly unlikely that the same staff members work there every fortnight and have been employed over the last 12 years consecutively.

They will, at the very least, see every other "regular" customer's face as often as they see yours. If it is a small town, most of their customers are probably from the town, and frequent the place. You are looking at one staff member, presumably there for 12 years, having seen a collection of maybe 10 faces 288 times each. Maybe he will recognize you. Oh, he's only been here for three years? Two? Started last month?

Face it, you are not as important to them as they clearly are to you, and you are just a face, just like all the others.