Man shocked after noticing a hefty surcharge on his dinner bill: ‘It was midweek!’
An Australian guest has criticised a Sydney restaurant for adding four ‘sly’ charges to his bill.
On Reddit, the young man expressed his anger over the extra cost for his weekday meal, which saw him pay a blind $3 surcharge for each drink, without any explanation.
He said the restaurant staff also added a two percent surcharge on the card, a two percent service charge and a 10 percent “system charge,” adding nearly 15 percent to the total cost of the meal.
The restaurant couldn’t give him a paper receipt, so he didn’t see the extra charge until he got home. He checked the receipt they had sent to his email address.
“Normally I don’t care if I have a bad experience or if I get hit with smaller, undeclared surcharges, but this was just not okay,” the man said.
“They lie and just steal and… the prices on the menu were already excessive for the quality.”
He claimed the whole experience was horrible.
“They do this every day to unsuspecting people and get away with it,” he said.
“The whole experience was horrible and they do this every day to unsuspecting people and get away with it,” the young man said (stock image)
He then wondered whether he should report the matter.
Hundreds of people commented on the man’s post, saying they’ve heard similar allegations.
“Transparency is the most important thing…we want them to tell us up front,” one man said.
“If you’re a small business, you’re better off just factoring in the extra cost. Once you add it as an extra item, the complaining starts,” said another.
“I think the vast majority of people would rather pay $23 for the menu than $20 plus two percent, plus three percent, plus 10 percent,” someone else agreed.
“At least you know what you’re paying for when you place the order. At the moment it’s basically mystery pricing,” said a third person.
Others argued that unexpected costs are so common these days that guests should ask in advance what to expect.
Some agreed that the angry restaurant patron should take his complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The ACCC prohibits businesses from failing to properly inform customers about any surcharges they may be required to pay.
Others felt the man didn’t need to do anything at all to hold the restaurant accountable.
“They won’t be on Earth much longer in this climate,” he said.
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to the restaurant for comment but has decided not to name it.