I was in a restaurant. It was a non-chain diner type place. I ordered my meal and asked for a glass of iced tea. The waitress did not ask me any questions about my order.

When my drink arrived, I found out my iced tea was heavily sweetened. I generally don't like sweet tea. When the waitress walked by, I asked her if they had unsweetened tea and she said they did. I asked her is I could have an unsweetened tea instead of sweet tea.

I had only taken one taste of the tea. She took the sweet tea away and brought me an unsweetened tea. The rest of the meal was fine.

Then she brought me my check and I saw that she had charged me for two drinks; the sweet tea and the unsweetened tea.

I didn't think this was right. This was not a region where sweet iced tea is the default drink. The restaurant served both sweet tea and unsweetened tea. I feel the waitress should have asked me at the time I ordered if it was an issue. And I feel that when I sent the first tea back undrank, I shouldn't have been charged for it.

I didn't argue the point. But I'll admit I took the cost of the second tea and subtracted it from the tip I left.

So who was at fault? Me, for not being clear enough about my order? The waitress, for not asking? Nobody, and it was just one of those things?

Should I have been charged for the replacement tea? Should I have argued the point? Or was reducing the tip the appropriate response?

She should have asked sweetened or unsweetened, especially since it's not the south where it's generally assumed. But you shouldn't have been charged for two drinks. Do they do free refills? Because if they do that makes it even more absurd. I think you handled it fine.

When we went to the fair this year it was murder trying to find anything good to drink that didn't cost an arm and a leg, some vendors sold ice tea for $1.50 a cup which I didn't think was bad, but I was so glad that I didn't order it because I found out none of it was sweet tea...now I grew up associating sweet tea as being ice tea, that's what I always think of, so from that perspective I guess I can see why the waitress made the mistake she did but yeah still she should've asked and you shouldn't have been charged for it. But I don't know, I mean did you say that when you said ice tea you meant unsweetened in the first place?

CeCe wrote:

She should have asked sweetened or unsweetened, especially since it's not the south where it's generally assumed. But you shouldn't have been charged for two drinks. Do they do free refills? Because if they do that makes it even more absurd. I think you handled it fine.

Thats what I thought. No free refills either you have to pay everytime they fill your glass again.

Supernova wrote:

When we went to the fair this year it was murder trying to find anything good to drink that didn't cost an arm and a leg, some vendors sold ice tea for $1.50 a cup which I didn't think was bad, but I was so glad that I didn't order it because I found out none of it was sweet tea...now I grew up associating sweet tea as being ice tea, that's what I always think of, so from that perspective I guess I can see why the waitress made the mistake she did but yeah still she should've asked and you shouldn't have been charged for it. But I don't know, I mean did you say that when you said ice tea you meant unsweetened in the first place?

Most to the time it is unsweetened tea I think she should have asked.

You were right. When there's a variety of ways food can be made, it's just common sense that the waiter gives you choices to choose from. More than that, it's part of their job. After seeing the double charge on the bill, I would have said something about it. Furthermore, things like that definitely affect whether or not I'm going to leave a tip, and how much.

Tony Marino wrote:

Thats what I thought. No free refills either you have to pay everytime they fill your glass again.

In that case she actually had a responsibility to ask sweetened or unsweetened.

CeCe wrote:

In that case she actually had a responsibility to ask sweetened or unsweetened.

Thanks I didn't think I was wrong

CeCe wrote:

She should have asked sweetened or unsweetened, especially since it's not the south where it's generally assumed. But you shouldn't have been charged for two drinks. Do they do free refills? Because if they do that makes it even more absurd. I think you handled it fine.

99% of the time, unsweetened iced tea is what my wife and I order out and we always ask if they have it before ordering. You probably have learned the lesson to remember to do that in the future, Tony but IMO it's the server's job to clarify what their customer wants espesially if more than one kind is available. If they only served sweet tea, I probably wouldn't fault her.

From now on I will specify what I want.

cheaps wrote:

So who was at fault? Waitress
Me, for not being clear enough about my order? NO!
The waitress, for not asking? YES
Nobody, and it was just one of those things? It was clearly on the waitress

Should I have been charged for the replacement tea? NOPE!
Should I have argued the point? Yes, I would have
Or was reducing the tip the appropriate response? That seems fair too.

Except I would have mentioned the double charge and if she didn't graciously subtract it, I would have asked to speak to the manager. If they insisted on charging I would not have pressed further, but she would have gotten no tip and that diner would have been bad-mouthed by me forever. Most managers know it is good business to act like the customer is right. (If I had the time I would have told them I was diabetic and they endangered my life by springing sweetened tea on me)

Here's an analogy. So I go into Starbucks or Dunkin and ask for a cup of coffee. Do they give it to me with cream and sugar? They always ask and I tell them black.

Opa Shale wrote:

Except I would have mentioned the double charge and if she didn't graciously subtract it, I would have asked to speak to the manager. If they insisted on charging I would not have pressed further, but she would have gotten no tip and that diner would have been bad-mouthed by me forever. Most managers know it is good business to act like the customer is right. (If I had the time I would have told them I was diabetic and they endangered my life by springing sweetened tea on me)

Here's an analogy. So I go into Starbucks or Dunkin and ask for a cup of coffee. Do they give it to me with cream and sugar? They always ask and I tell them black.

Excellent analogy

She should have clarified if the restaurant offers both, or should not have charged you for both. We only have sweetened tea in most restaurants where I live.

She was at fault.
I like sweet tea, but here "iced tea" means "with sugar & lemon". sometimes even "sugar, lemon, and oranges" and the newly popular "sugar & berry". So I make it a point to order "unsweetened, no lemon" so i can sweeten it myself.

There shouldnt have been a charge for the second, especially when she saw that you didnt drink it--you were polite enough by not saying "hey yo lady, you screwed up my drink, now go get me another". lol

Where's 2xy when you need her?

I would have left zero for a tip! That was terrible that you were charged.