'I'd Rather Have My Card Go Into The Negatives Than Do This!': Michigan Server Receives $5 Cash Tip.

A woman was shocked when a customer asked for their $5 tip back after handing it to her. The reason? The table said they did not realize how much their food would cost and needed the money returned.

"So I had a two top come in. They were rude as [expletive] right off the bat... like... waving at me as I'm bringing this whole tray of food to a six top nearby," Halina, the server who shared the story, said in a recent TikTok video with more than 52,000 views. 




"At the end I give the check to them and right before I give them the check [a woman at the table] goes, 'Miss, this is for you,' and gives me a $5," she said. Halina thanked the table for the tip and told them to have a great day.




But moments later, the mood shifted. "The woman then opened the bill for her food and looked at it with concern," Halina said. That's when the customer approached her and explained she "didn't know the bill would be that much," and asked for the $5 back.




Halina gave the tip back, albeit with some level of discontentment. In her video's description she said, "'Are you upset with me?' No, clearly you need it more than I do. Please get out [of the restaurant]," quoting the last interaction she had with the table of two. 

'Reverse tipping': Servers can relate

The video, which has circulated widely on TikTok, struck a nerve among service workers who have had similar experiences. Servers weighed in across social media platforms, sharing their own stories of "reverse tippers": Customers who hand over tips only to retract them within moments or days after.




In r/ServerLife, a subreddit where industry workers swap stories, servers described various difficult encounters. One person wrote: "A server at my restaurant had a customer pay a tab with a credit card and left both a cash and credit card tip. For some reason, a few days later she claimed that there was some kind of mistake made and she wanted her cash back. Our employer is demanding that he pay back the customer out of pocket. Is this legal? This is in Texas [by the way]."




Another post described a case of an apparent mistake from a customer: "A person's bill was $400. They left the same amount as a custom electronic tip on a Clover. (100% tip). I leave with the cash. My manager says it was a mistake, the tip was refunded after I'm home with cash in hand."




The comments under Halina's TikTok show how widespread the problem is. One viewer shared, "I had this happen too. His bill was about $45-50. He gave me [a] $15 tip. Generous thank you [from him] As I'm bussing their table he asks how much it was and asks for it back just to give me [only] $10 in front of 10 other adults."




Others were not forgiving to the couple from the original video: "So... I'd rather have my card go into the negatives than do this!" one commenter wrote. Another added: "If you can go out to eat you can afford to tip. That's ridiculous."




AllHipHop has reached out to Halina via email for more information. We'll let you know if she responds.

@halinascloset "Are you upset with me" no clearly you need it more than I do. Please get out #customerservice #customerserviceproblems #foodservice #serviceindustry ♬ original sound - Halina

via: https://allhiphop.com/news/michigan-5-dollar-reverse-tipper/