Grill'd and Double Charging

Hi all,

Apologies if this is the wrong place for this :). Story time though!

Me and the missus grabbed a bite over the weekend at a Grill'd in town, and ran into a strange scenario.

We paid at the counter, only to be told ten minutes later the eftops machine 'was broken' and we would have to pay again. After paying again, we checked the bank statements - yup, they charged us twice. Store wouldn't refund it, they were adamant we would have to go through our bank, as their system couldn't process the refund. What the!

This seems pretty bullshit.

Interesting in hearing if anyone has experienced something similar? Is this standard practice?

Related Stores

Grill'd
Grill'd

Comments

  • +3

    Just do a credit card chargeback. They'll be slugged with a few. That will teach them a lesson.

    • Was on a debit card, so not sure I can :(

      • +5

        MasterCard or visa? If so, give your bank a call. I believe it should be fine.

      • +4

        Of course you can, it goes through the same system. Only difference is where the funds come from.

        • Only if selecting CR (including paypass/paywave), not CHQ/SAV which goes through the EFTPOS system.

        • @ascorbic: Tap transactions always go through the credit system, and nearly every person and their dog is using tap now.

        • @greenpossum: I'm a sales clerk and about 1 in 10 customers paying by card use CHQ/SAV (maybe they have multiple accounts linked to one card). The majority tap but not nearly every person.

        • @ascorbic: There was a fair chance he was. Anyway the issuers recommend credit for this kind of protection, never mind the cost to retailers.

      • Debit card? You're OzBargaining wrong if you're using a Plebit Card to pay for stuff!
        Just kidding, different products for different people :)

  • +6

    Of course they can refund. Ask to speak to the manager.

  • +3

    I've worked in several retail areas, and sometimes this happens. Most often the banks lines go down for a short period, and it's often happened to me after it says approved. However the eftpos terminal then freezes and hasn't communicated with the in-house software. To fix it they probably have to reset the system.

    Even when it says approved on the merchant copy I have never had a case when it has actually gone through, it just has an error and sort of times out until reset.

    We normally just process it again and then let the customer know the circumstances, and if they think they'll get charged twice to give us a call and we'll sort it out for them. If they don't want to process a second time we offer to call the bank and check (however from about 30 times over 10 years I never had a customer request that)

    I can't say for certain in this case, but it could be that the banks have automatic checks and balances that may see an incomplete transaction, it could automatically reverse it. If it's still there tomorrow contact the store manager with the details of both transactions and they should be able to check and match up to their systems. No Harm No Foul

  • +5

    Post your story on their Facebook page.

    I'm pretty confident that you will be offered a refund.

  • +1

    I would send an email to the HQ and explain the situation.

    Say that you are very unhappy and that you are a regular customer.

    End the email with,

    What is the next step?

    I usually contact HQ if I have a dispute. No point in dealing with local gatekeepers…

    Also tell them that you hope to resolve this situation ASAP otherwise you will have to contact your bank and initiate a charge back.
    I am sure that they will send you a free burger coupon as a token of appreciation that you contacted them and gave them a chance to do the right thing.

  • Thanks for your replies. Yes, I spoke with the manager who is adamant the only way to refund this is to do it bank to bank.

    After contacting HQ, this is their response too

    Seems pretty outrageous, given it was their system, that we have to go to our bank and that they can't just process the refund via EFT or in cash. Apparently as it hasn't shown up on their system, their hands are tied.

    • +4

      I'd be calling them out on it.
      Merchant accounts are balanced each and every single day at the end of the day. I'd be very surprised if it wasn't in their account already.

  • +1

    Grilld are scumbags, head to toe.

  • interesting in hearing if anyone has experienced something similar? Is this standard practice?

    Woolworths customers billed twice for purchases made in March after payments error

    Yes it does happen. It may not be the merchant's fault. (They may not have got the credit for the transaction)

    Grill'd should have been able to figure out if they had been credited twice and fixed it up.

    So now, just to ring the card issuer.

    (If it makes you feel better, merchant may cop a chargeback fee)

Login or Join to leave a comment