When you're UNDERCHARGED in a restaurant, do you correct it?

[Jingthing]

I don't wish to embarrass anyone when they charge me different prices for the same food on different occasions. Some days the food tastes better than on other days. Maybe some of the waitresses like me better than others. Many of the dishes don't have a written price. So whatever they charge me, I just pay.

But I never eat glop from Fast Food Joints with their fixed prices.

I always eat Thai food in restaurants frequented mostly by Thai people and these places don't use English language menus.

If one of the girls mistakenly gave me an extra 100 or 500, then I would let her know of course. But that has never happened.

These girls are too cute and work too hard to underpay.

This I understand. Some casual restaurants have disorganized pricing and paying becomes kind of fuzzy logic. I'm talking about places with clear pricing on MENUS and an item on a written bill that you did consume actually being missing on the bill.

[vivek130205]

As I eat out a lot, this happens more often than some might think ... getting UNDERCHARGED.

Yes, getting overcharged is more common but this is about when you're undercharged at a restaurant in Thailand.

It happened to me again last night.

I "complained" about the bill, well the staff assumed I was complaining because why else would you question a bill.

It seemed to really shock the staff that I was insisting they put ON an item they forgot to charge me for.

I reckon they thought I was totally bonkers and perhaps they're right.

Well this was a place I am fairly regular at and I didn't feel right about getting a freebie there unless they explicitly say, this is a special freebie for you, going back there and being remembered as someone who underpaid before.

But I do that in any restaurant here ... insist on paying for all I should be charged for.

Perhaps that is "very white" of me but conditioning dies hard.

So how do you react when you're UNDERCHARGED in restaurants in Thailand? Do you just let it go?

My situation was very similar, had the same experience thrice i believe, when i asked them to add on charge for another dish or drinks, they would thank me for doing so and yes they are surprised cuz i believe its not a very common practice out here, i mean thats my best guess, not sure..

I was very surprised once when i asked a young lady to add on another 40 baht to the bill because the big chicken cutlet i ordered was supposed to be 120 and not 80 baht to which she replied the bill is correct actually as it was not a full plate of what i had ordered, little more than half dish but not full as her stock for chicken was over for that day, to which i was surprised. She thanked me for being generous.

Finally respectfully joined her hands, bend a bit and very politely said khapun khrap....

You get an apple for an apple. Land of smiles.

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[Jingthing]

As I eat out a lot, this happens more often than some might think ... getting UNDERCHARGED.

Yes, getting overcharged is more common but this is about when you're undercharged at a restaurant in Thailand.

It happened to me again last night.

I "complained" about the bill, well the staff assumed I was complaining because why else would you question a bill.

It seemed to really shock the staff that I was insisting they put ON an item they forgot to charge me for.

I reckon they thought I was totally bonkers and perhaps they're right.

Well this was a place I am fairly regular at and I didn't feel right about getting a freebie there unless they explicitly say, this is a special freebie for you, going back there and being remembered as someone who underpaid before.

But I do that in any restaurant here ... insist on paying for all I should be charged for.

Perhaps that is "very white" of me but conditioning dies hard.

So how do you react when you're UNDERCHARGED in restaurants in Thailand? Do you just let it go?

My situation was very similar, had the same experience thrice i believe, when i asked them to add on charge for another dish or drinks, they would thank me for doing so and yes they are surprised cuz i believe its not a very common practice out here, i mean thats my best guess, not sure..

I was very surprised once when i asked a young lady to add on another 40 baht to the bill because the big chicken cutlet i ordered was supposed to be 120 and not 80 baht to which she replied the bill is correct actually as it was not a full plate of what i had ordered, little more than half dish but not full as her stock for chicken was over for that day, to which i was surprised. She thanked me for being generous.

Finally respectfully joined her hands, bend a bit and very politely said khapun khrap....

You get an apple for an apple. Land of smiles.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I had a similar experience to that as well.

I "complained" about an undercharge at an Iranian restaurant. It was a lot less than the menu price. They informed me it was correct because they only had one chicken kebab to serve me, not two.

[tingtongfarang]

Although it never happened to me here i like to think i would correct the mistake ,

One time in greece pre euro times i changed money at a bank and noticed as the cashier was counting that she was about to hand over nearly twice the amount of the exchange...normally i would stay at the counter and check carefully but on this occasion i took it and made a quick exit to my car and was gone fast

[wooloomooloo]

I would have to rectify the mistake.

My conscience would remind me whether I could live with the possibility the member of staff had had their wages docked.

[vivek130205]

Although it never happened to me here i like to think i would correct the mistake ,

One time in greece pre euro times i changed money at a bank and noticed as the cashier was counting that she was about to hand over nearly twice the amount of the exchange...normally i would stay at the counter and check carefully but on this occasion i took it and made a quick exit to my car and was gone fast

LoL

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[vivek130205]

I could have done the same at many times however I am completely aware of the fact that the investors and business owners are smart enough and would never bear the loss of their staffs stupidity of mistake so ultimately the poor and unfortunate person who assisted or attended you will bear the loss out of his salary. That feeling wouldn't give a peaceful sleep.

On the other hand if you talk about small business owners, if they get a rip off of a certain amount which may not be a big deal to one of us may be a day or 2 days surplus to them.

I may spend 200 dollars enjoying with friends and family members but it will be very hard for me to digest even 20 dollars of rip off at my work.

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[Jingthing]

When this happens to me, it's usually not at the most polished of restaurant operations. I wouldn't assume the undercharges would usually be discovered by the owners of such places.

[vivek130205]

When this happens to me, it's usually not at the most polished of restaurant operations. I wouldn't assume the undercharges would usually be discovered by the owners of such places.

This may surprise you but there are various ways of calculating the sale. At Mc D they count sales of coke n pepsi by counting glasses, few take orders at name of the cash collector, few at serving staff and deficit has to be paid by them. I have even seen a restaurant wherein if the cook makes a bad dish then he cost goes to him. At few fast food joints if you want an extra glass , then you will have to pay the amount of the soft drink weather u take the soft drink or not.

I was having food at a thai restruant late night suddenly saw waiter in action and running here n there, seemed like he has almost lost it and then went outside the bar like totally crazy. when i asked him later he told me dat the customer who was seated at next table forgot to pay for his second round of drinks, almost 400 baht and he would have been held liable for that amount....

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[BwindiBoy]

Iam happy to pay my way and not a cent more (hence no tip's) and if I notice that I have been under charged Iam happy to point this out and pay the corrected amount, after all if the till is short the staff will have to pay.

No tips. Ever? So you're concerned that the staff may have to pay shortfalls but not bothered that they are low paid and probably rely on tips to make up their "wage"? Wear a sign, then they can just treat you shoddily, paying little attention to you and not go out of their way to give good service, yet deliver everything you order and to a very satisfactory standard (food & drink) because that will garner the same payment from you as impeccable, attentive service would; at least give them the chance to know not to bother with you, eh?!

[granuaile]

I make a point to correct whether under or overcharged.... One place first time I ate there they overcharged me and then the next time undercharged,... I would not feel right if I did otherwise... Same w finding money in checkout line at grocery... I turn it in...

Question - Does that same rule apply regardless if the undercharger is a small business or a corporate business, and irrespective of the amount?

Yes,...

Makes no difference u me, i would still feel dishonest if I did not.

[Gsxrnz]

As I eat out a lot, this happens more often than some might think ... getting UNDERCHARGED.

Yes, getting overcharged is more common but this is about when you're undercharged at a restaurant in Thailand.

It happened to me again last night.

I "complained" about the bill, well the staff assumed I was complaining because why else would you question a bill.

It seemed to really shock the staff that I was insisting they put ON an item they forgot to charge me for.

I reckon they thought I was totally bonkers and perhaps they're right.

Well this was a place I am fairly regular at and I didn't feel right about getting a freebie there unless they explicitly say, this is a special freebie for you, going back there and being remembered as someone who underpaid before.

But I do that in any restaurant here ... insist on paying for all I should be charged for.

Perhaps that is "very white" of me but conditioning dies hard.

So how do you react when you're UNDERCHARGED in restaurants in Thailand? Do you just let it go?

My situation was very similar, had the same experience thrice i believe, when i asked them to add on charge for another dish or drinks, they would thank me for doing so and yes they are surprised cuz i believe its not a very common practice out here, i mean thats my best guess, not sure..

I was very surprised once when i asked a young lady to add on another 40 baht to the bill because the big chicken cutlet i ordered was supposed to be 120 and not 80 baht to which she replied the bill is correct actually as it was not a full plate of what i had ordered, little more than half dish but not full as her stock for chicken was over for that day, to which i was surprised. She thanked me for being generous.

Finally respectfully joined her hands, bend a bit and very politely said khapun khrap....

You get an apple for an apple. Land of smiles.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I think she would have more likely said "khawp-kuhn ka". Otherwise, she was telling you the Thai transliteration of the capital of Afghanistan being Kabul (kha-puun), followed by the male polite particle.

[Ticketmaster]

I get all that and I would never play that game of trying to save the face of the workers there. I would assume most waiters would just take the super big tip, not going there. If that makes me a "bad expat" so be it. I point out the undercharge and get the check corrected, and then pay it. I'll probably continue to do that.

The real point was that you yourself gain face with the serving staff, but don't take their face away by insisting they resolve the issue immediately.

I get it. Kudos for you for caring so much about their face. You haven't converted me to your ways. I don't insist on paying the correct bill because of their face thing. That's their schtick, its not interesting to me. I do because I don't want to feel like I have stolen from the place.

I had nothing to say until I read this last by shocking statement by JT. Christ, you started out by sounding like a decent moral guy then end up saying you don't give a flip about Thais' "face thing"! With over 40,000 posts, I would think you have been here for a while, unless you are one of the folks posting from overseas. Do you happen to know, JingThing, that the "face thing" is just about the most important thing to a Thai? It would probably me much worse for a Thai for you to make him/her lose face in public than it would be for you to have your face slapped. Would you like to have your face slapped? If you have no more respect for the culture here than you seem to exhibit, why, pray tell, are you here? Is it perhaps its because you like bending over so much for the US Government with that FBAR thing?

Since I'm posting, I'll answer. I would leave the money on the table. That clears my conscience and leaves the ball in somebody else's court with no loss of face. As said by Gsxrnz, to change the bill, the employee would have to bring the matter to the attention of the boss. The employee loses face on two grounds, one, for making a mistake and causing a disturbance for the customer; and, two, making a mistake that costs the business money. Now why would I want to <deleted> up some lowly employees entire evening just so I could feel good about myself -- and all over what? Ten baht? Pretty selfish to do that, I would say.

[Spoonman]

Iam happy to pay my way and not a cent more (hence no tip's) and if I notice that I have been under charged Iam happy to point this out and pay the corrected amount, after all if the till is short the staff will have to pay.

No tips. Ever? So you're concerned that the staff may have to pay shortfalls but not bothered that they are low paid and probably rely on tips to make up their "wage"? Wear a sign, then they can just treat you shoddily, paying little attention to you and not go out of their way to give good service, yet deliver everything you order and to a very satisfactory standard (food & drink) because that will garner the same payment from you as impeccable, attentive service would; at least give them the chance to know not to bother with you, eh?!

No Iam not bothered at all by what ever salary they are on, If they do not like they are more than welcome to better themselves and find another job.

Thailand is not the USA so don't bother with the "they need tips to make up their salary" spiel with me.

Edited July 9, 2013 by Spoonman

[Gsxrnz]

If I am at a big chain restaurant then no, I won't tell them I have been undercharged. If I am at a 'family' run restaurant then I will tell them.

If I get the wrong change at ANY place I tell them as I don't want a cashier etc having to put their hand in their pocket because of the mistake.

But I don't care about large chain places if I am undercharged, as long as it doesn't come out of the worker's pocket.

It's a bit like banks isn't it? If a mate gives you the wrong money you give it back. If a bank makes a mistake, well, they have been ripping us off and bending us over the bench for years so getting a little back is fine with me.

Re the banks comment - in Thailand the cashiers are responsible for any shortfall. In fact, a bank employee must have a surety deposit at the bank as a safeguard against potential theft and/or shortages in their cash. This surety is often in the region of 1 million baht.

[watcharacters]

It just feels like stealing to me to not insist on paying for all that was ordered.

Thinking about this a bit more, I do tend to mostly eat at places I have a personal connection to, sometimes places run by one family.

If it happened at a big corporate place like SIZZLER, now I'm thinking maybe I wouldn't bother noting an undercharge at a place like that.

.

Isn't that just called "denial of the victim?

I like your plan "A".

[StefanBBK]

I tend not to pay too much attention. I am sure I am as often undercharged as overcharged.

I tend to not say anything, if the amount is less than what I expected. I am sure in the end all balances out somewhat.

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[thhMan]

When I have some rights and no longer treated like a tourist, I would be morally upholding to the country that gave me a home... Till then....

[JannoDL]

I have done this several times in different places, and the result have always been that they are more careful counting out my bin, because now they know i know what the bin should be to the penny.

I have "complained" about them cheating themselves for 4 baht once, and got those looks at first, but when i returned they remembered me with big positive smiles, and have been very careful since.

Like another poster said, treat people the way you want them to treat you... be it money or anything else... its a good code to live by.

[Jingthing]

Someone mentioned 10 baht for some reason.

When I am undercharged or overcharged, the amounts have always been well over 10 baht.

I guess the amount could matter. If ridiculously small could be a reason to not expend any energy to mention it either way.

[Andre0720]

I allow restaurants to steal from me, but I will not steal from them.

In Thailand, they will bring the bill for bad food left on the table and not eaten. I pay even if they ask 'mai aroi?"

But if undercharged, I will indicate so, as I will not take a chance that anyone working in Thailand might see some money deducted from their pay cheque because of their error.

[pizzachang]

I definitely correct these mistakes....but if I find a bag of money in the street, I keep it.

[bangkokstick]

I never tell except if I know that staff will have to pay for it as some cashiers at some place.

No respect for business owners who do not manage their business well or who are not able to find the right staff.

I also do not expect people to show respect in my business when I am wrong.

[uptheos]

Never been undercharged, but looking forward to the experience.

[SinglePot]

Yes.

(Posting this reply has definitely been worth around 1000 baht. it never happens in expensive restaurants in my experience).

[marell]

I will point out an under charge. For one, it's just the right thing to do. Secondly, when they tally everything up at the end of the night (or whenever) it will show. Then your waiter, waitress or the cashier will have to make up the difference. Very few restaurants will absorb undercharge mistakes. It comes out of the worker's pocket. People who think they're getting over on the restaurant aren't. They're penalizing the staff.

Edited July 9, 2013 by marell

[notmyself]

Always point out an undercharge or where I have been given too much change. I'm not sure most staff really understand when I point out an error I get a shirty look until such time as they realize that the error is in their favour. The shirty look changes to one of abject confusion. I have seen this look on people where someone haggles to get the best price and then leaves (is left) a tip.

So, even though I am convinced that many people simply do not understand why someone would behave in such a manner the very same people will hold you in high regard in the future for doing so.

[Jingthing]

Yeah the initial reaction is usually negative because the knee jerk assumption is you're accusing them of OVERcharging. So it can be kind of a fun thing to do from that POV.

BTW, the incident that inspired this thread I actually think the place MIGHT have intentionally left one thing off the bill because there was an issue with the way they cooked one of the dishes I ordered (which had been discussed) but since they didn't explicitly SAY this was an intentional gift, I didn't feel comfortable assuming it. Reading minds isn't my strong point.

Edited July 9, 2013 by Jingthing

[dunque]

It just feels like stealing to me to not insist on paying for all that was ordered.

Thinking about this a bit more, I do tend to mostly eat at places I have a personal connection to, sometimes places run by one family.

If it happened at a big corporate place like SIZZLER, now I'm thinking maybe I wouldn't bother noting an undercharge at a place like that.

So by your own definition, it's Ok to steal from a corporate?

If the shoe fits. The irony is I don't recall ever being undercharged at a place like Sizzler!

More precisely if a place like Sizzler ever undercharged me I think it would feel more like a lucky break from an impersonal entity than stealing. Not suggesting this is rational as it's clearly more about my bias against big corporate concerns and a bias towards smaller businesses.

The sad fact is that a corporate would be more likely to penalise the staff for any such undercharge - so who is the victim here. Not 'the man' at all.

[Jingthing]

The sad fact is that a corporate would be more likely to penalise the staff for any such undercharge - so who is the victim here. Not 'the man' at all.

Something to consider. Like I said, these big corps rarely make charging mistakes anyway in my experience, so it's academic.

Edited July 9, 2013 by Jingthing