It could be a sign of the times--or maybe diners are actually beginning to pay attention to their credit and debit receipts--but lately I've been hearing more and more reports of incidents of tip jacking and check padding...local reports, mind you.
Here's what's going on:
Check padding:
For smaller parties, lesser items most often get "padded" onto the check (an extra drink, cups of coffee or cappuccino, a dessert). If the diner spots the error, he gets the "sorry, I added those onto the wrong table" excuse. Servers really have little to gain here, though--their take on the upcharge is a miniscule increase in the tip--but I guess "miniscule" can add up. Larger parties seem to suffer the majority of the abuse, and the items added tend to be more extensive and more expensive (an extra entree, an extra bottle of wine, several extra drinks). Usually the group splits the bill and no one in the party ever bothers to scrutinize it. A dishonest server can pocket an additional $5 to $10 or more per large table.
Tip Jacking:
This is more common because it's easy for servers to do and easy to get away with, especially when the meal is charged and the tip is left in cash. In the latter case, the dishonest server simply adds an amount to the blank "Tip" line and often no one--manager, bookkeeper or victim--is the wiser. It's also easy to alter a tip that is on the charge...as easy as turning a "3" into an "8." And we've all fallen victim to the double-tipping that can occur when a large party leaves a tip on top of the "mandatory gratuity" often added to a large party.
How often do these things this happen? No one knows for sure. An executive with the Missouri Restaurant Association says that such information is not collected or quantified, but "doesn't think it's a big problem." After I admitted that even I do not cross-check my receipts with my bills, the executive admitted the same. So how do we know it's not a problem, I asked?
If you are curious enough to begin paying a bit more attention--as were we--a few tips and words of caution:
1. Online banking junkies realize that most debit and credit card processors add "an approximation of the expected tip" at the time the charge is run through. The amount of the transaction plus tip initially is not accurate...and it will not be accurate until the charge is fully reconciled. This can take up to 48 hours, so don't bust a restaurant's chops until the charge and tip are finalized.
2. If you tip in cash, mark a double line across the "Tip" line and bring down the total twice (never a bad idea), making alterations doubly difficult.
3. One quick way to see if you've been tip-jacked is to use the CheckSum method (as detailed here). It's so much easier than reconciling crumpled receipts with statements and almost 100% effective. I now use this method all the time. But for those folks with limited addition skills who happen to own an iPhone, of course, there's an app for that. -- George Mahe
