A £7,800 tip? That'll do nicely

By THIS IS MONEY
Updated:

 

THE apple and blackberry crumble was well worth the £3.45 Daniel Lewis paid for it with a bar meal.

But yesterday he was still trying to digest the revelation that he had accidentally left a £7,888.77 tip.

Mr Lewis, who admits he rarely tips, had gone for lunch with a friend, choosing the chilli con carne for which he paid £8.50.

Deciding he was still hungry he then ordered the crumble, which he put separately on his bank card.

The waitress said there was a problem putting this payment through on the card system but Mr Lewis left the restaurant of the Luzborough House inn thinking everything was in order.

However, when he went to buy a £1.49 sandwich on the same card two days later he was shocked to be told by a shop worker that it had been declined.

Mr Lewis rang Barclays to find out what the problem was and was stunned to be told that the bank had just processed a payment of £7,892.22 to the restaurant in Romsey, Hampshire, and his account had been suspended.

The 24-year-old photographer, from Southampton, said: 'When I paid for the crumble the waitress seemed to be having difficulties entering it on to her system.

'She said £7,888.77 had accidentally appeared as a gratuity on the till and she had no idea why.'

Mr Lewis said he only signed for the cost of the food, so he thought all was well: 'When I spoke to the bank a couple of days later I could not believe what I was hearing,' he said. 'I nearly had a heart attack.

'I never leave tips for a simple lunch and if I do tip it would be about 10 per cent of the value.

Who do they think I am - Bill Gates? I do like that restaurant because the food is good value but I'm not sure I can afford to go back.'

Barclays have told Mr Lewis they will investigate the payment and then refund it. He has also been told to cut up the card. The manager of the Luzborough House, Alan Bates, described the incident as 'an unfortunate mix-up'.

'It seems there was a glitch with the card system and we don't know how that arose,' he said. 'We wiped the tip off our system and thought the matter had been resolved at the time. I'm sure Mr Lewis will be back to our bar or restaurant again and I can promise he will be well looked after when he comes in.'

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