Trust is EVERYTHING in business and in transactions with customers.
I owe an Italian restaurant in Sheffield city centre for a lasagne, a tiramisu, an Americano and a San Pellegrino which my father and I shared (he had the lasagne, I had the tiramisu!) whilst watching filming outside for the new Full Monty mini TV series today –
I didn’t check the bill and ended up paying for someone else’s dinner, and when the staff realised they had given me the wrong bill and had requested my card for a refund, the amount was, of course, not immediately returned to my account (my bank indicates it requires 3-5 days to issue a refund)…
So I offered the restaurant a verbal I.O.U, explaining I cannot pay out twice without the refunded money but that I will return when I have been reimbursed –
They agreed, and I hope they trust that I will return to settle up when their refund has cleared.
I owe about £23.
Sometimes things go wrong in transactions:
What is the right thing to do when there has been an error?
The restaurant and I did what we could – and we are both out of pocket until the refund appears in my account, at which point I have tried to assure them that I will return to pay what I owe.
Trust is EVERYTHING in business and in transactions with customers. I trusted the original bill was correct (it wasn’t), and now they must trust that I will return when I have received their near immediately-issued refund.
Both myself and the staff were distracted by the excitement of filming outside, and now we’re both waiting to be paid!
As a new business owner in South Yorkshire, this situation is less than ideal. I do not want to be accused of not settling debts, but equally, I cannot reasonably be criticised for refusing to pay a bill twice before receiving the initial refund.
I share this incident with you for the sake of transparency –
- I am owed a refund for an incorrect bill by a small business in central Sheffield, and when it is paid, I will pay the correct amount for the meal I shared on June 2nd 2022 with my father.
Phew – I’m glad to share that.
As I have indicated so many times in this blog and on this website, I am here to BUILD TRUST.
I love Italian food and I am eager to pay for it!
Now, I will keep an eye on my account – Bank Holiday weekend probably means it will take longer than 3-5 days for a refund, but what can I do about that?
I’m going have a coffee and upload the images from my camera (I was very nosily and delightedly taking pictures of the filming!)
In other more related news –
I’m digging for Sheffield talent today, and more people to contact!
Pip pip
Dumbledore
UPDATE 7.6.22 – Refund has come through and so I’m settling up tomorrow 🙂