The Latest Trend At Local Dining Venues?

[Rice_King]

My wife and I just returned from what was previously one of our favorite lunch spots in Chiang Mai. Our most previous visit to this particular restaurant was 2-3 weeks ago when we were also joined by a friend for the lunch.

On that day I recall that we each had a main course dish, one drink each, and two of us split a desert dish. When the bill came we all gave it a cursory look and then divvied up the amount between us. I don't recall thinking that the bill was too low or too high. It looked about right and none of the three raised eyebrows or commented on the total. I do recall that we left a healthy tip for the great service we received that visit.

Today at that same restaurant, after enjoying a delicious lunch and paying our bill, one of the wait staff approached our table. The wife and I both recognized her from the previous visit. She informed us that on our previous visit several items had been excluded from the total bill and she was now asking us to pay the difference. I asked her if I could inspect the bill. "No, the bill is no longer available." (This was just as good as I could not even venture a guess at the amount that we might have paid, regardless if she had produced the bill.) Politely as I could, I told her that I was not going to pay money for a bill from a previous visit. She smiled and said, "ok."

Now this recent incident may have not affected me to write about it if an eerily similar incident had not occurred to me just two weeks ago at another Chiang Mai eatery. In that case, I met a friend for lunch and he insisted on paying for both meals. Since I had a previously scheduled engagement to get to, I said good-bye to my friend and excused myself, leaving him to pay our bill.

A week later at the same place, after paying for that day's food, I was presented for my half of the bill from the previous week. I told them to wait a minute while I called my friend to see what his story was regarding this bill. Over the phone my friend assured me that he had paid over 300 baht the previous week and that it covered our food bill. Since the bill I was presented with totaled 330 baht, I informed the cashier that I was not paying the bill and that it had already been paid by my friend. He smiled and said, "ok." For the record, I have been back to this establishment once since the incident and have not been subjected to requests for the money.

In my mind, this is NOT the way to run a business. Corrections to the bill need to be made BEFORE presenting it to the customer and certainly before that customer leaves their establishment. Asking for additional funds to cover a bill from 2-3 weeks ago is not the way to win over customers -- especially loyal customers! Chalk the loss up to doing business or fine the amount to the staff member(s) who commit the error. That would teach them very quickly such mistakes could affect their pay in a negative manner.

Is anyone else having these types billing errors and encounters with restaurant staff asking for money for bills paid / not paid for in the past?

[NancyL]

We had something similar happen with a contractor who was installing a large sliding screen door for us. When he came out to inspect the job initially, he gave us a written "estimate", cautioning that the final amount might be a little different if they got into some unforeseen difficulty in the installation. He did the job a week or so later. The job went smoothly and when done we were presented with a bill that was about 10% less than the estimate, which we paid on the spot -- to the owner of the company, the same guy who had given us the estimate. Three or four days later he called to say he'd made a "mistake" with the bill and he would come by to collect the difference between the estimate and the final bill. We paid it, but wondered about it at the time.

Edited June 12, 2011 by NancyL

[james24]

That part about being presented with a bill a week later is horrific. Some of these people really do need a good kicking,

[WinnieTheKhwai]

That part about being presented with a bill a week later is horrific. Some of these people really do need a good kicking,

Yes, violence solves everything.

On the OP... I can't say I have ever experienced the same.. What I do experience quite regularly is being presented with a bill (usually some drinking establishment) that I forgot to pay the last time I was there. But then the actual bill is always there.

Now, IF it would ever happen to me and it's a place I like and for example a staff member forgot to add a beer or whatever to the bill and then pointed it out next time, then I would likely pay it if I remembered the details.

That said, it's actually VERY unliekly to happen to me because I always vet the bill. That's what 'Check Bin' actually means isn't it, you're supposed to check it, which I do. Any mistake I will point out on the spot, also if it's in my favor. This is probably why I never encountered what the OP describes.

[Semper]

That part about being presented with a bill a week later is horrific. Some of these people really do need a good kicking,

Low season ?

[Ulysses G.]

My guess is that a staff member had to pay some items that they had forgotten to put on the bill and when they recognized the OP, they thought they might have a shot at getting it back.

A lot of restaurant owners here make the staff pay for someone who snuck out without paying or for wrong orders and the employees who earn next to nothing get screwed on a regular basis.

I am not saying that no one ever gets short-changed on purpose, but as someone who carefully counts their change, it usually seems to be a genuine mistake to me and sometimes in my favor.

[Greenside]

Trying to correct a bill error after the event is an object lesson in negative customer relations as much as informing a customer that they had accidentally overpaid would be a hugely positive one. The fault lies with management procedures that unfairly penalise staff in the case of genuine mistakes and staff training (or the lack of it). Discrepancies in the take at the end of a shift should be tallied regularly in which case there may be overs to set against under payments - in any event making, it a collective responsibility is more likely to keep all the staff on their toes I would have thought.

[rakchaingmai]

This has happened to me twice at a well known buffet i met a guy there that i was speaking to and the next week they tried to get the money off me for the guy i only just met .

[kjhbigv]

The answer is to check the bill before you pay....my GF ALWAYS scrutinizes EVERY bill to the last satang....being honest, it annoys me sometimes....but hey, ensures there are no mistakes!

[SausageKing]

I thought the customer is always right ? Well that if you want to keep good loyal customers.Rob/sk

The answer is to check the bill before you pay....my GF ALWAYS scrutinizes EVERY bill to the last satang....being honest, it annoys me sometimes....but hey, ensures there are no mistakes!

Edited June 12, 2011 by metisdead
Bold font removed, please use default forum font.

[MangoAndCo]

My guess is that a staff member had to pay some items that they had forgotten to put on the bill and when they recognized the OP, they thought they might have a shot at getting it back.

A lot of restaurant owners here make the staff pay for someone who snuck out without paying or for wrong orders and the employees who earn next to nothing get screwed on a regular basis.

I am not saying that no one ever gets short-changed on purpose, but as someone who carefully counts their change, it usually seems to be a genuine mistake to me and sometimes in my favor.

Knowing how much their salary is I wouldn't want them to pay my order, even if it is in my benefit. So this is why staff members/ cashiers check and check and check the change before they hand it over to me.

Correcting the bill a week later sounds awful, very amateuristic, but in a way it has something innocent, almost endearing, sounds logical from a child's perspective.

[BB1955]

My wife always gets the bill and looks it over good . If no bill and they are adding by the plates she s counting them them also . Many times they have shorted themselves and she has had to point to the drink bootles left on the table . It works both ways I dont want to be cheated but again I sure dont want to take money from them either ! Funny thing always I hand the waitress the money to pay the bill . When she or he comes back they always give the change to my wife , always . We just laugh as she passes it to me or keeps it .... Does this happen to you as well??? . Even if its 100 baht bills they give it to her and not me ....

[trainman34014]

The answer is to check the bill before you pay....my GF ALWAYS scrutinizes EVERY bill to the last satang....being honest, it annoys me sometimes....but hey, ensures there are no mistakes!

Yep , same here, my Mrs won't let me pay a cent until she's checked everything, and then she checks the change as well. She wont leave a tip if she suspects any mistakes or foul play because she says they all want to 'cheat' if they can. These Thai's can be hard on their own people !

[rodcourt49]

That part about being presented with a bill a week later is horrific. Some of these people really do need a good kicking,

..slightly off topic, but relevant to restaurants..a friend related his story where he returned to this restaurant after having been absent from Thailand for 7 months.

on sitting down prior to ordering, the waitress brought him the bill tray with 70 baht on it..appears my friend was charged for some item not consumed there 7 months earlier..so there you go..works both ways doesn't it!

[crusader79]

That part about being presented with a bill a week later is horrific. Some of these people really do need a good kicking,

Hear hear! Even better, give them a good bash with your solar topee, what?

[kalbo123]

My wife always gets the bill and looks it over good . If no bill and they are adding by the plates she s counting them them also . Many times they have shorted themselves and she has had to point to the drink bootles left on the table . It works both ways I dont want to be cheated but again I sure dont want to take money from them either ! Funny thing always I hand the waitress the money to pay the bill . When she or he comes back they always give the change to my wife , always . We just laugh as she passes it to me or keeps it .... Does this happen to you as well??? . Even if its 100 baht bills they give it to her and not me ....

Look at the Thai couples in 9 out of 10 times it's the woman the pays, in other words they control the money..

That's probably the most wise thing to do since man seem to tip more and spent the money otherwise on alcohol and mia noi's.

[slapout]

Is it possible, this is the woman's way of declaring to those within eyesight, " I am the one that must be obeyed/listened to" Seldom do I observe a male complaining about service in public, but the women certainly will. I chuckle when the women wants to check the bill and these same women cannot add a series of numbers without a calculator and then do realize when they hit a wrong key.

It would be interesting to see a proper restaurant, (not noodle shops) who presented the bill to all customers with everything itemized correctly with proper individual price, but add a extra 100 baht to the bill.

[Mapguy]

My guess is that a staff member had to pay some items that they had forgotten to put on the bill and when they recognized the OP, they thought they might have a shot at getting it back.

A lot of restaurant owners here make the staff pay for someone who snuck out without paying or for wrong orders and the employees who earn next to nothing get screwed on a regular basis.

I am not saying that no one ever gets short-changed on purpose, but as someone who carefully counts their change, it usually seems to be a genuine mistake to me and sometimes in my favor.

A very reasonable surmise. Employees often are stuck with paying any shortfall, but it would be interesting to hear owners'and managers'views on this.

[Semper]

My wife always gets the bill and looks it over good . If no bill and they are adding by the plates she s counting them them also . Many times they have shorted themselves and she has had to point to the drink bootles left on the table . It works both ways I dont want to be cheated but again I sure dont want to take money from them either ! Funny thing always I hand the waitress the money to pay the bill . When she or he comes back they always give the change to my wife , always . We just laugh as she passes it to me or keeps it .... Does this happen to you as well??? . Even if its 100 baht bills they give it to her and not me ....

Look at the Thai couples in 9 out of 10 times it's the woman the pays, in other words they control the money..

That's probably the most wise thing to do since man seem to tip more and spent the money otherwise on alcohol and mia noi's.

[JeffreyMcCollum]

In the busy tourist area, I like a few dining venues as you say. At one that is 90% tourist, and yes, I look like one too. I was over charged and noted it.

When it happened repeatedly I knew it was a policy of the business and not a mistake. I haven't gone back.

[Sansai Sam]

It doesn't seem to me that scrutinizing the bill would have made any difference in the OP's encounter or several of the others. I had this happen at a place I really liked. When I refused to pay a bill I could not see and told the owner about it she started screaming at the waitress in Thai. I never went back.

[CMX]

I've not quite been here 1.5 years, but I check my bills and have never been shorted. Or longed, so to speak. If I am overcharged anywhere, it is because I don't represent myself well enough.

Absence of a receipt sets off alarms for me, however, as when getting a certificate of residence. Doubtless that's just me.

.

PS Regarding Thailand, I do not wear 'rose-colored glasses.' So far, for honesty and integrity, I look among the working classes for some reason, probably because I know other levels of society by reputation.

Edited June 14, 2011 by CMX

[Maccheroncini]

Asking customer to pay the past bill is so uncool I guest it might be the restaurant staff doing without the owner knowing it.