My dinner bill was $48. I meant to tip $8. Somehow, I typed $150 into that little screen they shove at you, hit confirm before I could blink, and just like that — $198 gone.
I realized the mistake the second I got the notification on my phone. I walked straight back to the counter, receipt still in hand, and explained what happened. The cashier shrugged and said she'd get the manager.
The manager came out, looked at the receipt, and told me — completely straight-faced — that once a tip is confirmed, they "cannot reverse it."
I asked if he was serious. He was.
I spent the next 20 minutes standing at that counter asking to speak to someone, anyone, who could help. Nobody could. Or nobody wanted to. At one point the cashier suggested I "dispute it with my bank" like that was a totally normal thing to say to a customer who just overpaid by $142 at a sandwich place.
I did dispute it. My bank took 11 days to resolve it, during which I had to explain three separate times that yes, I did go to this restaurant, and no, I did not intend to tip 312%.
The money came back eventually. But what stuck with me was how unbothered everyone at that restaurant was. No apology. No attempt to fix it. Just a shrug and a "not our problem."
Mistakes happen. Screens are confusing, especially when a line of people is waiting behind you. But a business that won't even try to correct an obvious error — a $150 tip on a $48 bill — doesn't deserve your loyalty or your money.
I haven't been back. I won't be going back.