Lunch with Colleagues - don't know what to do

gibson123

Any wrote: »

But OP said that Thingy picked up the cash and paid by card?
Unless she left some cash behind, which the others would have seen?
Or perhaps she stayed behind and they wouldn't see it..

She paid the bill whilst we thought she was at the cash line, she then returned to the table said she had paid the bill (true) picked up the £135, put this in her purse and then left the restaurant with the rest of us. Unless she went back after work she did not return to the restaurant.

Nicki

Maybe thingy paid the bill on her card, picked up the cash and have the waitress £34 from the cash pile on her way out, unseen by the OP. and maybe the waitress who was new did not know tips were to be pooled, or the waitress was dishonest not thingy. Lots of people tip in cash rather than rounding up their credit card because they can be sure it goes direct to the staff not the management and isn't taxed.

I'd have been uncomfortable in OP's shoes stating as a fact that thingy only paid £116 and pocketed £34 for herself, when there may be other explanations and when (as I said before) she might have considered there might be another explanation if someone else were involved.

gibson123

Poppy9 wrote: »

Oh I read it as they had £135 in cash and Thingy was to pay an additional £15 by card to make up her share and a total payment of £150.

OP
The receipt you saw was it for £116 cash or £116 by card? If so did she then give the cash tip direct to waitress and keep the remainder of the cash as she had settled whole bill on her card?

She paid £116 by card, she returned to the table and picked up £135 cash which she put in her bag. The total including agreed tip should have been £150 or £15 x 10. The total agreed tip would have been £34. If she had £34 cash to pay the tip, there would be no reason to go tot he cashline or pay by card. I don't think she left the restaurant, but I wasn't paying that much attention at the time.

yvonne13_2

I hope the truth comes out tomorrow.

Also did thingy agree to pay £15 or did she only want to pay for her meal without a tip? Hence her paying on her card away from the table?

arbroath_lass

yvonne13 wrote: »

I hope the truth comes out tomorrow.

One thing I don't understand is why did you give a £30 tip when it was only £19 down?

Also did thingy agree to pay £15 or did she only want to pay for her meal without a tip? Hence her paying on her card away from the table?

There were ten of them paying £15 each so £150 for a bill of £116 and £34 tip.

Thingy should have added her £15 (or £11.60 if she didn't want to pay a tip) to the table but instead it appears she paid £116 and pocketed £135.

I must say the £34 tip was extremely generous! I probably wouldn't have been happy at paying all that.

Sambucus_Nigra

Any wrote: »

That's exactly what I would say to be honest.
There is not even much I could do exactly for those reasons. I am sure that the bosses above me wouldn't be happy if I spent my time investigating something that was done off company time.
And to deal with it I would have to call the restaurant to confirm the story at least.

To repeat.

Nobody is asking the op's manager to investigate it.

Just what the op should do about it.

If it kicks off, then the management could well be left with a much bigger issue to sort out.

hardpressed

Is it possible that she paid the bill with her card, came back to the table, told everyone what she'd done and picked up the cash without counting it and not realised that she'd forgotten to tip the waitress? Easily done when everyone is sorting out their cash at the end of a meal.

nathand_2

I suspect this wasn't a mistake but another theory on paying with a card:

With it being Christmas she may have wanted cash and by paying on CC it's like an interest free withdrawal (assuming of course she pays back in full etc but I'm sure everyone understands the point).

coolcait

gibson123 wrote: »

Hardly, I have not accused her of anything, I have simply told my colleague the facts - that I went back to the restaurant and found out that Thingy only paid £116 and that I paid £30 to make up the tip, and asked her advice on how to approach her to get the money back... the reply I got was ... she did WHAT, wait until I see her tomorrow. I am sure this particular colleague will think it over carefully and come up with a decent approach, if I wanted to make trouble I would have e-mailed everyone.

I read that post, and found myself thinking:

- is the OP a poor hard-done by soul, who has been wrongly accused of bullying in the past? Or is the OP a coolly calculating type, whose actions might be perceived as bullying?

I agreed with a poster who thought that your story didn't add up. The post I have quoted doesn't change that view.

Here's how it could come across:

Hardly, I have not accused her of anything, I have simply told my colleague the facts (as you see them, and as you chose to share them - about a colleague you have dubbed 'Thingy') - that I went back to the restaurant (because you had 'forgotten my scarf, and manager "asked me to join him for a cup of coffee" and basically "asked me why we hadn't tipped as much as normal") and found out that Thingy only paid £116 (on her card. You have no firm proof that she didn't pay the tip in cash. All you have is a very odd conversation with a restaurant manager who might have been checking to see if his staff member had been stealing tips - a far more likely reason for a restaurant manager to have a 'didn't you like the service?' chat with a customer. It doesn't matter how good a relationship they have with customers, I can't see them asking 'Oi! Why didn't you tip us this time?" Unless they want the tips to stop in the future.) and that I paid £30 to make up the tip (which allegedly hadn't been paid), and asked her advice on how to approach her to get the money back (clever - now the spotlight is on the person you have chosen to 'share' this with)... the reply I got was ... she did WHAT, wait until I see her tomorrow (based on a couple of supposed facts? When she hasn't seen any proof of the allegations?). I am sure this particular colleague will think it over carefully (I hope, for her sake, that she does!) and come up with a decent approach, if I wanted to make trouble I would have e-mailed everyone (Really? When that would have put the spotlight on you - and the allegations you faced previously about your treatment of a colleague you have chosen to call 'Thingy'. Just as a request for advice from your managers might have done)

Nah. None of this story seems right to me.

coolcait

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

To repeat.

Nobody is asking the op's manager to investigate it.

Just what the op should do about it.

If it kicks off, then the management could well be left with a much bigger issue to sort out.

It depends on the organisation the OP works for.

Some organisations would take the view that, because it was a work-related meal - in the sense that the people who attended it work together, and were socialising together because of that work relationship - there was already an issue in the fact that 'Thingy' had been excluded. And was only 'allowed' to attend because of unforeseen circumstances.

Then, following on from the original attempt at exclusion, 'Thingy' is accused of having stolen money. On some fairly flimsy evidence, which has come to the fore as a result of a chance meeting with the restaurant manager, when someone returned for a forgotten scarf.

The accusation about 'stolen money' only comes to light because the person who had the 'chance meeting' with the restaurant manager emails the unsubstantiated allegation to a colleague. Who challenges 'Thingy'.

If it then becomes clear that strings are being pulled in the background by the OP, who has previously been accused of bullying the person they have chosen to call 'Thingy', it could get extremely messy.