Would this annoy you too...

dizsiebubba

Or is it just my pregnancy hormones??? lol

Just went to Cafe Giardino to get some take away lunch. Cost £4.50 so handed over my (debit) card to pay and was told minimum transaction £5.00... no signs anywhere to say this and when I asked where the sign was they said there wasn't one.

Now I knew this happens in small shops but not in large chains???

I ended up having to buy a drink to take away, that I didnt really need for another £1.70 so my £4.50 lunch cost me £6.20

I'm just wondering the following:
A) Could I have just walked out leaving them with the hot food I had ordered?
Should they have offered to transact £5 and give me 50p change?
c) Should I complain to head office?

Or am I just being over the top???

Just an update to anybody who is interested...

The Area Manager has emailed back saying that the Cafe Manager expresses their apology and has spoken to the staff. It seems their policy is a minimum of £5.00 for Credit Cards as they get charged themselves by the CC company for processing them and that there is no minimum transaction for Debit Cards as they do not get charged for these. I was using a debit card...

Their staff will now all be made aware so that it doesn't happen again and I will be sent a voucher by way of apology.

No mention that they will definitely put a sign up to let people know, but it did say that they will be taking steps to avoid further confusion.

Thanks to those who recommended that I contact them as I feel better about going back in there again now

tea_lover

I don't know about the legalities of it but I've done a) before now.

dizsiebubba

tea_lover wrote: »

I don't know about the legalities of it but I've done a) before now.

I wish I had now... i'm hot and grumpy now lol!

Auntie-Dolly

They may not be making enough profit on small order to support the costs of a card payment.

dizsiebubba

Auntie-Dolly wrote: »

They may not be making enough profit on small order to support the costs of a card payment.

Fair enough but have a sign up where you order the food so people have a choice rather than once its there and cooked and they feel guilty telling them they have to buy something else!!!!

londonsurrey

Write and complain. At least you'll get it off your chest, and you might even get an apology for the lack of a sign.

j.e.j.

Yes, I wish they'd make it clear BEFORE you order. I was in a Cafe Nerro a few years ago and ordered some coffees and 11-ses. I went to pay using my Switch card, only to be told they don't take cards!! Thank goodness there was someone else with me who had cash on them, or I might have been doing the washing up :rotfl:

surfboard2

I find it rather annoying when they don't put a sign up.

This happened in a shop i was in the other day. Thankfully i did have a little cash on me.

mrcow

I would have just said "Sorry, I don't have enough cash".

If they refused to process it, I would have told them to leave it then and walked out. I certainly wouldn't get narked about it. If they don't need the business, that's up to them.

There are plenty of other shops that sell sandwiches.

moneypuddle

Usually if you suggest you'll just leave it, they would say 'oh ok on this occasion we will'.

I would have thought they would rather you had the food and they made slightly less from it (after losing the card machine fee) than not getting anything from you and losing hot food.

PenguinOfDeath

What the last two posters said