Getting Short Changed

[Gypsy In The Palace]

I think that everyone of us at some point in time has been short changed. Cashiers like everyone else make mistakes. It has happened to me many times. But, never before has the cashier refused to do the right thing--that is until a couple of weeks ago.

I was on a road trip with a buddy of mine. We pulled into a Burger King for breakfast and went through the drive thru. Two biscuits, two cokes, total of $6.92. As we pull around to the window, I pull out a few $1 bills to pay with, but my buddy interupts and pulls out a $20. He says that he needs to break the $20. He then realizes that he has some change. I start counting my change and between the two of us, we round up ninety-two cents. He then asks if I would give her one of the $1 bills that I had out so that he can get $15 even back. I did, and we agree to settle up later.

I get up to the window and hand the lady the $21.92. She puts the money in the register by the window and walks away. I'm thinking that she probably mistakingly thought that the $20 dollar bill was a $5 dollar bill. A few minutes later, she comes back to the window and announces that our biscuits are cooking and that they will be out shortly. When she finished telling us that, I very politely informed her that I had given her a $20 bill, a $1 bill, and ninety-two cents. She agrees and says that she took the $21.92 that I gave her, subtracted, the $6.92 price, and gave us back $15 change. I very politely but firmly told her that we never received the $15 change. She walks away from the window without saying anything.

She comes back and tells us that we are going to have to park while they close the register and count it. At this point, I am frustrated, but I understood the situation. She thought she had given us the change back, and any scumbag could come through there and insist they didn't get change and go out of there with a free meal. I understood why they were doing what they were doing. So, we park the car and go inside. About twenty minutes passed, and the manager comes to the counter and tells us that they have the computer printout from her register and that she was only sixty cents over.

My buddy opens up his billfold and shows him that all that was in there was $20's. The manager says that the computer printout shows that she is only over by sixty cents. My buddy storms out the door. Well, I stepped up to the plate, and I very calmly asked the manager, "What am I suppose to do? We came through the drive thru and never got our change back?" He tells me that I can call back after 3:00 when the deposit is made and see if they are over in any of the other drawers (Like that would make a difference) but that the computer printout showed that they had not short changed us. I said, "Well, tell me what you would do if you were in my position. If you came through the drive thru and paid $21.92 for a meal that costs $6.92 and they were refusing to give it back to you, what would you do?" He said, "Well, I understand you feel like you got took, but her computer shows that she is not over, and we can't give out money that is not ours. It's the owner's money."

I said, "Well, where did the money go?" We gave you $21.92 for a $6.92 meal, the money didn't come back to us, and it's not in the register. Where did the money go?" He said, "I don't know where it went, but we can't give out money that's not ours when the computer shows we're not over." Realizing that I was not going to get anywhere, I said, "Okay, well, where is our food?" (Heck, we paid $21.92 for it, we better get it) He turns to the cashier who waited on us and asks where our food is. She goes and gets the sack with our food in it, slaps it down on the counter , and never makes eye contact with me. I said, "Where is the number that I can call?" The manager hears me and writes down the store number and an office number. He gives it to me and says, "I'm sorry about that." When he said that, I really wish I would have said, "Sorry for what? According to you, you didn't do anything wrong."

We started down the road and while eating our $21.92 breakfast, my buddy told me that he had to come outside or he would have lost it and said something that would have probably gotten him arrested for disorderly conduct. He said that he knew I was a lot more capable of handling that than he was. He took the numbers and called them back after we got back home. He didn't tell me everything that was said, but he basically said that they told him it was his word against theirs and that the computer showed they weren't over.

We split the $15 between us as we realized that we're just out of options. While I don't know for sure, I've got a really good idea what the answer is to my question about where the money went--in that cashier's pocket. Where else could it have gone?

I apologize for the length of this post as it took awhile to tell that story. But, I am just curious: Has anything like this happened to you before when you were short changed and the cashier refused to give you back the correct change? Like I said, I've been short changed before, but this is the first time they have not made it right. Have you ever had a cashier refuse to do the right thing? If so, did you do anything about it other than just eat it?

And, while we'll never get that $15 back, I can get them back by posting this on a public message board for thousands of people to see:

BOYCOTT BURGER KING

[RinglingRingling]

if she was that much of a moron, even with a computer printout telling her how much the change was supposed to be, she could have been making mistakes all morning and it was evening out.. or: she just pocketed the $15 as a "tip"

but.. you screwed up too. You forgot the only piece of advice Joe Pesci ever gave that was worth a d*m: "They f&^% you in the drive-thru".

[sunseeker]

The restuarant business is a tough business. Someone smart (way back when) told me a great way to prevent this from happening is to balance the bills the cutomer has just given you on the drawer while you count back their change. I work in my moms restuarant every once in awhile.These days with many of the bills looking the same it is easy to make a mistake. I have never to my knowledge ever shortchanged someone. HOWEVER, I have been shortchanged many times by careless cashiers. ANd gotten the same runaround...."we have to count the drawer and if we come up over...blah blah blah"

[Conolulu]

Guess this isn't the time to tell you about the "incident" where I was short $8000 , yes, $8000, when I worked at a Credit Union....

To the freakin penny....

I didn't sleep that night....



( Happy Ending...I remembered the members name..small town...small Credit Union and they got the money back...but that first 24 hours was hell! )





I don't need people to tell on me...I do it to myself....

[land_shark3]

She comes back and tells us that we are going to have to park while they close the register and count it.

Yet another reason why I don't "park" when going through the drive-thru. I'll will wait at that window as long as it takes and cause them tolose business. Usually correcting your order costs less than dealing with the p*** off customers behind you.

[land_shark3]

Guess this isn't the time to tell you about the "incident" where I was short $8000 , yes, $8000, when I worked at a Credit Union....

To the freakin penny....

I didn't sleep that night....

( Happy Ending...I remembered the members name..small town...small Credit Union and they got the money back...but that first 24 hours was hell! )

I don't need people to tell on me...I do it to myself....

Sounds like when the DMV harassed me because the lady at the counter was $100 short.

I went to the ATM, pulled out $800, paid (and got a receipt for $680), and after she counted the money 3 times I walked out with $120.

The next morning I started getting harassing phone calls from the lady and her boss saying I owed more money because her drawer was short. The lady even came by my house (luckily I wasn't home). This went on until the end of the month.

I'm sorry her drawer was short, but don't blame the customer.

[Conolulu]

Guess this isn't the time to tell you about the "incident" where I was short $8000 , yes, $8000, when I worked at a Credit Union....

To the freakin penny....

I didn't sleep that night....

( Happy Ending...I remembered the members name..small town...small Credit Union and they got the money back...but that first 24 hours was hell! )

I don't need people to tell on me...I do it to myself....

Sounds like when the DMV harassed me because the lady at the counter was $100 short.

I went to the ATM, pulled out $800, paid (and got a receipt for $680), and after she counted the money 3 times I walked out with $120.

The next morning I started getting harassing phone calls from the lady and her boss saying I owed more money because her drawer was short. The lady even came by my house (luckily I wasn't home). This went on until the end of the month.

I'm sorry her drawer was short, but don't blame the customer.

I never blamed anyone but me.....

I was the ONLY teller working a very busy day.....It was payday for the Teachers and the Mill.....

and I was the ONLY teller on the line, front, AND Drive thru...I bet I bought money from the Vault 14 times that day...

Really poor management....( She got fired btw)

I kept trying to figure out who it was, as it really is a small town and knew most of the members by name...and their families, etc.......

I blamed the management for poor scheduling and all around bad management......I wore at least , at least, 8 hats there...



and the member was very gracious....

[SMLCHNG]

WOW. I actually read that whole story! I can't say I've ever been in your position, GITP.. But I've been on the other side for many years. Have done the ole 'count the drawer' thing for myself or someone I supervised, too. It worked several times in the favor of both sides. Sounds to me like the $ was pocketed - or she gave someone $15 too much and your shortage offset that. Shame it happened.

[buffettbride]

Did they bake any pot into your biscuits?

[CaptainP]

One time a few years ago, I started getting bank notices about fees for my bounced checks. 3 seperate fees at $45 each. As I kept a pretty close eye on my account, I questioned it. They discovered that when my wife had made her deposit 2 weeks ago, they had put the money in the wrong account. Somebody else's account.

So they happily transferred the money back to me. But they REFUSED to pay me back the $135 for the bouced checks!!!!!!!!


I had to yell, scream, and throw a temper tantrum before they understood that it was THEIR fault, not mine.

I got my money back.

[SharkOnLand]

Don't boycott Burger King, they don't charge extra for pot on your burgers...

You should've called the police. Not getting your change back, no matter what the amount, is theft. I'd imagine the store manager would rather cough up the $15, than have to deal with the cops.

Or spot health code violations, and threaten them that way.

Just because the register balanced means nothing. A bad cashier could have easily given someone too much change earlier that day, or like you said, she could have pocketed the change.

[UpstateNYPH]

i got shortchanged 2500 Khat by a guy wearing a skirt in a dark restaurant changing money under a table in a southeast asian country once. but thats a little different than your situation.

[LIPH]

I don't think I want to know what you were buying from a guy in a skirt.

[RinglingRingling]

I don't think I want to know what you were buying from a guy in a skirt.

they say travel broadens your horizons..

[Conolulu]

One time a few years ago, I started getting bank notices about fees for my bounced checks. 3 seperate fees at $45 each. As I kept a pretty close eye on my account, I questioned it. They discovered that when my wife had made her deposit 2 weeks ago, they had put the money in the wrong account. Somebody else's account.

So they happily transferred the money back to me. But they REFUSED to pay me back the $135 for the bouced checks!!!!!!!!


I had to yell, scream, and throw a temper tantrum before they understood that it was THEIR fault, not mine.

I got my money back.

If anyone had a clue what really goes on, on the teller line???

You'd probably pull your money out of the bank...



Oh the stories I could tell.....




but won't..

[CapnK]

BOYCOTT BURGER KING

are you kidding? They're putting weed on their burgers. They gotta make up the money somehow.

[Left Field ParrotHead]

BOYCOTT BURGER KING

I already do boycott Burger King. But not because of any questionable financial practices.

I find the food there is terrible. Can't stand it.

[rogue]

Walmart has shorted me merchandise two or three times. I went thru the motions and threw fits, but it didn't do any good. Now I check every bag before I leave the check stand.

[myke212]

I used to work for a large grocery store chain(jewel), many years ago. Our policy was to do WHATEVER it took to ensure that we didn't lose a customer. I can remember doing a return on a product that was clearly marked a being another chains "house brand". She insisted that she bought it in our store, so we did the return anyway, just to keep that person as a customer. It worked, she came back many times after that.

[SharkOnLand]

BOYCOTT BURGER KING

I already do boycott Burger King. But not because of any questionable financial practices.

I find the food there is terrible. Can't stand it.

Get the weed burger next time, they're great... you won't care what the rest tastes like.