Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Restaurant Scams- Interesting Article

This is one article I found on the net. We all like go out, dine at nice places and in all, have a good time. But, what can really ruin it is to know if you have been cheated. So, beware..and read through the list. Some of the tactics you have already come across and if some of them not. So, try to remember these. It may come handy.

Scam 1: For banquet parties, the guest is billed as per empty bottles of wine, beer and alcohol; as it is presumed that they were emptied / consumed during the party. But unknown to the guests, empties are sneaked in during the party and full ones are smuggled away.

Scam 2: In pubs and bars for beer on tap, the pitcher / mug is topped with soda, low priced spirits replace high priced sisters, and pegs are diluted with water. Being smart, the staff wait until the second/ third round or till the guest is high. Later, they adjust the bill (ref Scam 5) assisted by the dim lighting, ambience and the guest’s liquid state.

Scam 3: The organisation’s storekeeper is a key point in a larger scam. He signs as having received a larger order of bottles than is actually delivered by suppliers. The shortfall already exists in the bar as explained above. The supplier pays cash to staff as per the value of the short supply.

Scam 4: Smaller portions… Waiters regularly keep a bowl and plate at the sideboard (their work station). This bowl and plate is topped up with small helpings from your order. End of the day, the waiter gets a good helping to eat.

Scam 5: Overcharging — Groups of guests or inebriated guests are charged more than due. The excess is not entered in the duplicate bill. So the guests pay, but the owner does not receive it.

Icing on the cake...

If it is any consolation to the guests, the owners / shareholders are taken for bigger rides. Check this out…

Scam 6: No bill — QFS staffers pocket your bill amount by not printing a bill. Some outlets have woken up to this and have notices requesting you to inform them on ‘X’ telephone number if you don’t get a bill. As motivation, they promise to clear your bill.

Scam 7: Repeat bills — If you leave your bill behind, it may be presented to another customer. Naturally the bill may not be exactly the same — so if you’re billed for an additional item and notice it, they apologise and waive the excess charge. If you’re billed for less, you will happily pay. Normally this happens in QFS outlets as there is no KOT (Kitchen Order Tickets) system and a limited inventory (items being sold). So quite commonly, your bill of items is repeated.

Scam 8: Delayed service — QFS outlets conscious about service delays take up challenges to deliver in 30 minutes. If not, the tab is on them, or you get a free pack of fries. Despite the delivery being on time and the customer paying up, staff claims the customer did not pay as service was delayed.

Scam 9: Delete bills — Computerized billing is faster and reliable, but has drawbacks. Supervisors or managers are authorised (based on passwords) to delete or discount bills. So a bill is printed, paid and deleted. The next bill generated has the same number.

Scam 10: Change of containers —To tally billing and consumption of liquids or products served from dispensers like softies is virtually impossible. So containers (read cups / cones) are counted. Smart cookies that staffers are, they will serve you a higher priced product in a lower priced container — a milkshake served in a cola container. Here, the customer does not suffer as the volume is the same.

Scam 11: Propriety products replaced — In printed bills, you may find a last minute addition of soft drinks in pen. You presume the cashier forgot to punch it in. But the fact is, it has not been logged on the systems. The shortfall will be replaced from the market. You have paid for what you got, the owner does not lose inventory, but he loses profits. In handwritten bills, they remove the carbon before adding the cold drink price. The difference is pocketed. The owner has no idea.

Scam 12: For banquets, plates placed at the counter are the yardstick for billing. As per the number of guests guaranteed by the host, plates are counted and placed on the counter. Let’s presume the party is for 500 persons at Rs 600 per head. So, 500 plates are placed on the counter. During the party, staff surreptitiously removes about a hundred unused plates. The host is informed that the number of guests exceeds guaranteed numbers and a (supposed) fresh stack of plates (same 100) are placed on the counter. Now, the host owes the organisation for 600 plates and pays Rs 60,000 excess. Hosts don’t require / want a bill to avoid taxes (unless the company is picking up the bill) and pay in cash. This excess money is pocketed by the staff.