Customer selects $0 tip on the payment device, but later realizes that the restaurant added 20% anyway

A diner’s night out took an unexpected turn after discovering that a restaurant had added a 20% tip to their bill, even though they had selected "0" on the handheld payment device. The story, shared by u/FabulousJava on Reddit, has sparked debate about digital payment systems and tip transparency. According to the post, the customer went out to dinner at a restaurant that already charged an automatic service fee on all tabs. Because of that, they didn’t feel the need to add an additional tip when the server brought over the payment machine. "I selected 0 for the tip," the user wrote.

Later, while reviewing their credit card statement, they noticed the total charge looked higher than expected. After emailing the restaurant for a copy of the receipt, they found out that a 20% tip had been added to the transaction anyway. "The manager said they would refund the tip if I wanted, but it’s still unnerving that they can go in and change the total like that in those handheld devices," the customer explained. "Now I guess I’ll have to try to remember to ask them to give me a physical copy of the receipt and double-check against my credit card statements. What a hassle just for a meal with a friend!"

The situation depicts a growing concern among diners about how electronic payment systems are managed in restaurants, particularly when it comes to gratuities and post-transaction edits. A 2024 paper titled "Spotlight on Fraud Risk in Hospitality" conveyed that the hospitality industry faces a median loss of about $579,000 to fraud, one of the highest across sectors. This was confirmed in a global fraud study by the ACFE (2022). It identified restaurants as particularly vulnerable to manipulation of payment systems, point-of-sale edits, and tip handling, often due to weak internal oversight and high cash flow. The report also noted that many of these cases stem from employee-initiated schemes such as altering gratuities or adjusting digital receipts after payment.

The post gained traction on Reddit, with many readers weighing in on what they believed should be the next step. u/Top_Development8243 wrote, "Whoever added it should be put on probation. With a warning if management looks at her tickets from that day forward, that person should be fired." u/JelloOverall8542 commented, "Until the transaction is batched, you have no control. The total should be locked once you finalize with a card-present terminal. And yes, if you have time, call the cops. Someone tried to steal from you." u/RoyallyOakie pointed out, "They should be refunding more than the tip. What they did was outright fraudulent."

u/mxldevs added, "They should be refunding everything. They think they can get away with fraud, and then when they get caught, they just give it back like nothing happened? If they have to pay for it out of their own pockets, even better." u/Icangiveitatry suggested, "Cash is the solution to this issue. It may seem inconvenient at first, but it’s much less hassle and frustration than checking your credit card account and arguing with restaurant managers." "The machines nowadays don't even give you the line item total, and the servers get pissu when you want to look at it," remarked u/Conscious_Formal_894.

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