Via iStockphoto / @thatgirlkala22 TikTok
A North Carolina woman gave a $0 tip after receiving poor service but later discovered a $7 tip was added.
While it’s expected that a 15% or 20% tip is put down when you eat out, tips are optional at the end of the day. In rare cases, people will choose to not tip if the service is poor. A North Carolina woman was surprised to see a $7.40 charge after she decided to not tip the server.
In a TikTok with over 4,900 views, Kala (@thatgirlkala22) says her $52.60 bill ended up having an additional $7.40 charge tacked onto it the next day.
Kala says she went to Barbaro Durham with her friend and didn’t receive the best service. Upon arrival, she says there was confusion as to how the restaurant operated. No worker was by the door greeting customers and guiding the process to get a table or food, she claims.
Kala says she and her friend went up to the bar to ask how they could sit down and order, and the bartender told them it’s self-seating. After sitting around, however, she says no waiter or server came up to the table. The two of them waited over 20 minutes, and there was still no interaction, she continues.
Kala says she went back up to the bar to ask about ordering food, and she says the bartender then told her they had to order at the bar.
Kala says she was confused as to why nobody informed them about this. Despite that, Kala says she ordered two burgers, two margaritas, and fries. The total was $52.60.
“It’s a lot of money,” Kala shares.
The two were happy with the meal but didn’t love the service, she adds. Kala says she decided that she was not going to tip them.
“I’m tipping them $0 because I didn’t get help,” Kala explains.
The next day, Kala says she woke up to a surprise. The staff added a $7.40 tip to her charge.
“That $7 did not belong to you because you did not work for it,” Kala vents.
‘Just Dispute It’
Viewers in the comment section believe Kala needs to get her money back.
“Girl get your money, it doesn’t matter if it’s $7 or $0,7. Dispute it with your bank. Write a 2 star review. Thanks for the info cause I was looking somewhere to chill. It won’t be there though,” one TikTok commenter wrote.
“Idc what people are saying about tipping.. they stole from you girl. Smh,” another added.
Others suggested the next steps they believe Kala should take.
“Just dispute it,” one said.
“Tell the bank it was a fraudulent charge, report it to BBB, and do a consumer report with the attorney general’s office,” another suggested.
“That’s a crime. Make a police report. Contact the state attorney general. File a claim with your bank,” a third claimed.
Kala told BroBible that she submitted a dispute with her credit company and got the money back.
Kala told BroBible, “I called them like two or three times and they never answered. I had to dispute it with my bank and they gave me my seven dollars back. That’s all I wanted.”
However, Kala did get a parking ticket while she was at the restaurant.
“And then also I paid for parking at one of their facilities. And the parking was eight dollars right so I paid eight dollars but then I stayed a little longer so I tried to pull up the app again and it did not work. So they gave me a $50 ticket,” she continued.
What To Do If A Restaurant Adds A Tip For You
Before getting the banks or police involved, the first step should be to contact the restaurant directly, My Bank Tracker reports. The best case scenario is that a mistake happened, and the manager is able to resolve the issue on the spot without any dispute. The first contact attempt should be done over the phone, but a visit may be required as restaurants can be busy. Plus, it’s harder to ignore you if you are there in person.
If the restaurant is being difficult, the next move is to get your bank involved. Banks have departments that specifically handle dispute charges and represent you on your behalf. They’ll get the situation all sorted out and get you back your money.
Getting the police involved should only be done if the falsifying of the tip was done intentionally. This is simply stealing from customers and is illegal. Submitting a police report creates an official record of the situation and will also support the credit card transaction dispute. If multiple reports get submitted for a restaurant, an investigation can take place to discover if there’s an ongoing pattern of falsifying tips.
To help further support your case, taking a photo of the receipt is always great to have in your records.
BroBible has contacted Barbaro Durham via Instagram direct message. The story will be updated if they reply.