A $22.43 sack of burgers turned into a huge pain in the ass when Burger King accidentally debited $2,243 from Bryan Sampson’s bank account, leaving him overdrawn and unable to use his debit card lest the overdraft charges keep piling up. Burger King said the manager wasn’t available to correct the mistake because it was a holiday weekend… but the local media was happy to answer the phone.
From KTVB:
Bryan Sampson’s wife picked up food for the family Saturday – totaling $22.43. But a whopper of a mistake left the couple’s account overdrawn. A clerk at the Burger King charged them $2,243.00 – with the decimal point in the wrong spot!
Bryan said he didn’t notice the charge until Sunday – but now the mistake is causing big trouble for the family’s finances.
“My bank account now is overdrawn $473, so anything that might come through at midnight is gonna be charged a $35 fee,” Sampson said. “I know there’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 charges they’re gonna charge me for at $35 bucks a pop
Sampson said the assistant manager told him they had cancelled the transaction instead of crediting his account – and that the store manager would not be in until Tuesday – after the President’s Day holiday to correct the mistake.
Burger King should really work on developing a system that will not allow cashiers to accidentally debit thousands of dollars. It isn’t as if this has never happened before.
Burger King Charges $2243.00 For A Meal [KTVB] (Thanks, Dave!)
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A lot of the fast food places I have been in have credit card machines installed as a separate machine, so the amount is punched in separately from the cash register. I check both the cash register and the cc terminal receipt, so you can’t always go by the receipt from the cash register.
Oh, and another problem I encountered a few days ago – the little hand-held unit to punch in your pin # – I could barely read the numbers and I couldn’t tell how much it was showing. I decided then to start using it as a Credit card from there on out.
As far as BK being unable to correct the mistake because it was the weekend: that’s probably because the bank was closed. Which sucks, and I’d put the blame for that on the bank.
And a signature isn’t a guarantee that *nothing* will go wrong.
A few years ago, a clerk typed “5325″ into the credit machine instead of “53.25″. I saw the mistake when she handed me the slip to sign, and a manager canceled the transaction.
But the credit card company put a $5325 hold on my account when the slip was generated. Even though the transaction was canceled, the hold wasn’t lifted until Monday.
I wasn’t hit with any fees since there was no actual charge, but it was inconvenient. And embarrassing, when the next store told me that my card was declined because I was over my limit.
My debit card has a maximum charge amount (that I can set). I think, right now, it’s something like $300. Any charge over that amount on my debit card gets denied on the spot. Found that little tidbit out the hard way trying to buy some tires a few years ago. The more I thought about it, the more I liked it and kept the cap in place. Woulda come in handy here, me thinks.
Always, ALWAYS look at the receipt to confirm the amount you are being charged. Many of the people working at fast food restaurants are in a hurry to get orders taken care of so mistakes can occur. I lucked out at Burger King a few years ago with the opposite situation. The cashier was in such a hurry to charge me $5.50 that she must not have hit the 0 properly and I was only charged $0.55 for my meal.
The bank’s processing system shouldn’t have let this go through to begin with. They’re as much to blame as BK.
Had something similar happen once. A fried chicken joint had just updated their credit running hardware and the employee entered the last four digits of my credit card where she should have put the price. Completed the transaction (by putting the 4 digits in the right place as well as the wrong place). Then, ran a second transaction, a return, for the difference between the last four of my debit card and the actual price of food purchased (about $60).
Friggin’ BoA instantly debited my account and put a hold on the credit. No fees, but I think we could have negotiated something if there had been.
OP should be sure to get on the phone with his bank proactively to keep things straight and have an accountability trail.
I use my debt card daily to purchase lunch from places like Burger King. Typically, they NEVER ask for a signature and often “forget” to hand over a copy of the receipt.
The looks I get when I ask for one… sigh…
That’s a WHOPPER of an error!
(can’t believe no one has already said this)
The other day I was at the gas station, using my debit card like I always do, and though I wanted to fill my tank, the pump shut off after $19.84 worth of gas had been pumped. Confused, I called my bank. Turns out I only had $19.84 in there, and now was down to 0.
(don’t give me shit about having less than $20 in the bank, it was the end of the month.)
I’m saying this because if a dummy terminal at a gas pump can tell how much money I have in my account, there’s no excuse for any other debit/credit system to know any less. Holds and pre-auths are bullshit revenue generators for banks.
@ElizabethD: You mean, like the picture from News 7 that goes along with the article?
@kimsama: Yea, because that’s what I said! I said the business shouldn’t have any responsibility! Oh wait, I never did say that! What I said was this person needs to accept that when you use something that directly debits your checking account, don’t cry about it when mistakes are made.
@DeliBoy: Ever heard of a credit card? Or how about cash?
That’s retarded. In pretty much any supermarket, a transaction over $500 requires approval from a supervisor. Shame on BK for not having the same safeguards.
@JustAGuy2: Thank you for stealing my thoughts
I stopped using my debit/check card for anything a couple years ago when I had the epiphany that if anything goes wrong, sure the bank will correct it within 3 days but in those 3 days I will have nothing in my checking account. Auto bills could bounce and incur further fees. Why take the risk? Use a credit card. If there are any problems, you are not out a cent for a day whereas not so for the check/debit card.
Sure, this would annoy me. I had a tux for a wedding that cost me almost $2200 for a rental but a quick call and it was fixed and I was not out any money because it was a credit card.
I feel bad for this guy but he should know the risks. Stuff happens. Sure, hate Burger King but it was a mistake.
@Fry: you can use a debit card as both: a debit card (which will require you to enter your pin, but not sign), and a credit card (which requires no pin, but sometimes your billing zip code, and requires you to sign.) cashiers don’t always do the proper thing and have you sign, and some small purchases won’t require signatures either. %90 of all debit card purchases are made as credit card purchases. if they run it as debit, they have to offer you cash back, like pulling it from an atm, hence the reason it’s called a “debit” transaction. if you run your own card at a machine, next time it asks for a pin, hit cancel, then credit. you will have to sign, and it won’t require a pin. this is good to know if your in a shady place with people around you and you don’t want to enter your pin.
i’m surprised their system would eve allow an employee to imput the amount.
@Javert: It’s a mistake that never should have happened, because both Burger King AND the bank should have safeguards in place to prevent it. BK shouldn’t be able to run a $2243 transaction, and the bank should verify available balances before approving transactions. Simple as that.
1. A POS system at Bk should not allow a transaction that is over $50 without having to simultaneously turn two keys that are 20 feet apart.
2. The POS systems should require you to enter the number of cents not dollars. Typing 2243 would be a transaction of $22.43. One less keystroke to get the right amount, and one more to get (what is probably) the most common wrong amount.
dumb asses using debit cards. when will they learn?
@forever_knight: ok i must be retarded because i fail to see how this is the consumers fault? go troll somewhere else.
@Crumbles: This discussion is not about habitually using debit cards, so save your consumer spending lessons for another thread. You won’t have to wait long – every few weeks Consumerist features an article on how ATM/debit cards are bringing about Ragnarök.
Let’s say that Mrs. Sampson used her debit card this one time. It’s a damn shame that KTVB didn’t report specifics on this family’s banking habits, but without this critical piece of data we can’t assume anything. Let’s also say that was out of cash and/or credit cards. Hell, let’s say that she grabbed the wrong piece of plastic. Do you still have a massive problem with her behavior? Do the Sampsons now have license to cry when mistakes are made?
I wonder if the higher amount could also have been a “Pre-authorization”, where the customer does NOT validate that verification (but it none-the-less blocks the funds for use for 3 business days).
Normally, the subsequent actual transaction debit transmitted afterwards then deletes the higher hold amount previously transmitted to the bank.
The manager (providing it is a trained manager…) should have been able to over-ride that, or even transmit a reversal on his card-pad.
When you buy something using your debit card at a store the merchant must preauthorize the transaction to verify that the card is valid and there is sufficient funds available to cover the cost of the goods or services being paid for. Usually this is done once the cashier has passed the items through the optical scanner and rung the total purchase price into a cash register so the actual amount of your purchase is known.
In the case of, say a gasoline purchase, when all you do is slide your card into the pump prior to dispensing any gas there is no actual amount to preauthorize. Due to the high cost of gas Visa and Master card hold the card issuer (bank) liable for the first $75.00 for this kind of transaction.
Most banks reduced the “pre-auth/hold” amount to anywhere from a few bucks to $40.00. To avoid the “preauthorization”, one would just pump the gas first and then pay the cashier they will process only the actual amount of gas you bought now that it is known.
I was at BK last night. They forgot half my order so I had to back in… I paid with debit. Got the little receipt showing a debit purchase. But when I got the order receipt (the big one with the order details on it) it said I paid $20 cash and got back $6 and change back.
I immediately checked the credit card receipt and I was charged the correct amount.
Why would the store receipt show I paid $20 cash and received $6 change back?
@kc2idf: North of the border, all our debit cards ARE our ATM cards. There is no difference up here. The debit card, which you get directly from your bank, is linked DIRECTLY to your bank account and will automatically withdraw money with every purchase from your account. It is virtually impossible to get overdrawn when using a debit card in Canada. In my second post here, I told how it works here. Is it really THAT different, though? It doesn’t make much sense to me how you guys use cards in the US.
@ElizabethD: Look at the pic…
@snoop-blog: It really IS that much different then up here. You must enter a PIN when using a debit card, and you MUST sign the receipt when using a credit card. The machine automatically knows what the card is when swiped, and with debit cards it withdraws the money immediately from the user’s account, but only after it got verification on the total, the PIN matches up, and the money is shown as available.
@Fry:
US vendors who don’t require a signature when paying by _credit_ card have a deal with the card issuers – the vendor pays a modestly higher merchant fee (to offset the increased risk of fraud), but is willing to do so, since it speeds up transaction cycle time.
@DeliBoy: “This discussion is not about habitually using debit cards, so save your consumer spending lessons for another thread.”
Obviously they need to be taught more since stupid people are still using these fake visa cards.
“Let’s say that Mrs. Sampson used her debit card this one time…Hell, let’s say that she grabbed the wrong piece of plastic. Do you still have a massive problem with her behavior? Do the Sampsons now have license to cry when mistakes are made?”
Yes. She is still an idiot for having a debit card with a fake visa on it. Mine doesn’t because I’m not stupid. I also have all my money in my bank account right now, how is she doing with her money? Oh that’s right. It’s GONE.
@Crumbles: Unless I am reading your comment the wrong way, let’s keep this civil, shall we?
@JustAGuy2: It says she used a debit card, though…? I kind of understand how you guys do credit card transactions, it’s the debit side that is leaving me confused about this.
I always pay cash when there’s another human involved in my order.
Rule One! Never, never, ever use a debit card for anything anywhere except at your own banks INSIDE ATM. Never!
The risks are just too high and the law is on the side of the bank and POS operator.
Rule Two! Never, never, ever use a credit card in a sit down restaurant, where your card leaves the table to somewhere you cannot see what’s happening to it. Never.
@solareclipse2:
Taco Bell has them as well. Probably KFC also.
@UnnamedUser: As far as Rule 2 goes, do you always pay cash at sit-down restaurants? How do you pay for your meal in a sit-down place? I guess you could just ask to “pay at the bar” or “up front.”
@Fry: You don’t have to sign for Paypass/blink/”signature not required” purchases under a certain amount … like $25 at Loblaws.
This might answer your questions about Cdn/USA differences.
[www.bankofamerica.com]
Historically, Americans were more averse to adopting debit technology, preferring instead to rely on charge cards (like AmEx), credit cards, personal cheques, or (gasp!) currency. Installing dual debit/credit functions on the same cards was a simple marketing technique to wean Americans off their chequebooks, even if they didn’t want or qualify for a credit card.
I feel this guy’s pain. Last week, I called a friend’s vet to make a payment on my friend’s account. The balance on the account when I called was $505.35. I wanted to pay $25 of the balance.
Well, the lady I talked to accidentally ran my debit card for the ENTIRE AMOUNT of the balance–or $505.35. She immediately ran a credit of the entire amount and then re-ran my card for $25.
I went to check my bank account the next day, and I had $150 overdraft transfer because the $505.35 charge was pending but the credit wasn’t showing up. Luckily, the overdraft amount just came out of my savings so I wasn’t charged for it. But $505 of my money was tied up until 2 days later, when the credit showed up.
So those people who ask if he looked at the receipt–in my case, it didn’t matter–I knew she overcharged me but my bank listed the charge as pending and not the credit. It was so frustrating!!!
BK should be responsible for all of his overdraft fees. It’s their F up.
@Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: The link wasn’t helpful, but your other paragraph was. Thanks. So with the dual-use cards, you don’t need to use a PIN, but can instead opt to sign? And for under $25 purchases (and the like), you can choose the signing option instead, and end up not signing? If so, that’s a little fucked up… Seems a little too easy to steal someone else’s money.
@Crumbles: There were debit cards in 1980??
Burger King is legally responsible for any over draft charges as well as cost associated with any negative credit reports as well as sending a letter to their bank.
@lincolnparadox: You pay the same way as with a card. They show up to take your card, you hand them cash. If it’s close enough to exact for the bill + tip, you say ‘keep the change’. If not, you request the amount of change you’re expecting. “I’d like $6, please. Keep the rest.”
I don’t pay cash all the time, I don’t carry enough cash unless I’m planning ahead. But I try to, because it is less worrisome.
Here’s a system: Cash.
@snoop-blog: i thought it was common knowledge that debit cards are riskier than credit cards for this very reason? no, it’s not the consumers fault for the error, BUT it would never have been an issue if the customer paid with a credit card. hence, the dumb asses comment.
@chemmy: You need to call your card issuer’s fraud-prevention dept. immediately. BK has probably figured out how to “float” that extra $6 for a day or two. If your receipt doesn’t show exactly what you paid, call the fraud dept. (guess what dept. I work for?)
He dug the spurs into BK and called Home Office.
[www.ktvb.com]
He got his money back and BK is to take care of any incurring overdraft charges.
Will there be a third strike I wonder? Seriously, there are way too many other (better) burger places to put up with garbage like that.
Why would you eat that garbage?
@Crumbles: Clearly you are without error in life and couldn’t possibly make a mistake. God forbid anyone use a debit card for a transaction – Oh my God!
@AlteredBeast: There’s no system prompt. The receipt prints no matter what. If the cashier didn’t notice it was over $25, he or she probably threw the receipt away without looking.
@Kendra: Exactly. I seldom use my debit card at fast food joints just for that reason.
However I still don’t understand why so many national fast food chains are still using these card processing machines that require a separate manual input opposed to a POS system that handles the entire transaction. Unless someone makes an error ringing up the order, it significantly reduces the amount of human error.
I’m picturing BK’s creepy “King” mascot coming to this guy’s door, handing him an oversized check for the balance in the guy’s account, and then bracing himself for a devastating kick in the nuts.
@Chemmy: As long as the credit card receipt reflects the right charge, you should be fine. The actual meal receipt doesn’t mean much, except for the total amount due and to show what you ordered was correct. Most likely they hit a $20 button on the computer as you were pulling around to expedite the order when you pulled up. They probably just picked the $20 button because it was the closest amount to your order total they did not have to hit more than one button for. If they were busy, they probably did this to help their drive thru time. If they weren’t then the person was just lazy and did not want to press more than one button when they knew change wasn’t due. When I worked fast food in college, a coworker would do this for the former reason. I doubt it’s fraud, though.
because this discussion has already veered so far off course, i’d like to offer another bit of advice to everyone out there: don’t eat at burger king… and if you do… stop calling it BK. that’s so 90s.
@Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: i am in your mixed up files.