Bad Service - TGIFridays & Visa, it's a 2 for 1. :)

Go to TGIFridays this afternoon for a few beers with a friend of mine. We sit outside on the patio (there are 4 tables) to enjoy the nice night. Everything goes along swimmingly until the bill arrives. I look at it, and tell my friend I've got it, and for her just to leave the tip. It was only $18 and some change. I hand the waitress my card (she never handed me the check in a presenter, just the receipt - but that's not the suck), she brings it back and sets it down. I let it sit there a few minutes before I go to sign it. This is where the sucks starts....

She gave me someone else's credit card!

In all fairness, both cards are from the same bank. The difference is my card is blue and says "Debit/Credit", and the other persons' card was silver and said "Platinum Rewards". Basically, her card is a true Credit card, mine is a debit/credit.

I get up and go inside to flag down our waitress. I find her, hand her the receipts/card, and tell her that it isn't my card. She gets this "Oh, SHIT!" look on her face and runs off, saying she'll be right back. I go back outside to our table, and a few minutes later, she comes out with an older man trailing behind her. I realize that she's brought the manager with her, so this can't be good.

Turns out the people sitting at the table next to us were given my credit, and me theirs. Of course, the couple has left. (If they were still there, I wouldn't posting this). The waitress and the manager apologize profusely and the manager tells me that he's been with Friday's for 7 years, and this is only the second time this has happened. I then asked if THEIR meal was charged to MY card, and she says it was - and it was about $40. She says that they're both in the system and she can switch the tabs.

I can't do anything but laugh at this point. Now, I tell the manager I will just keep the customer's card, since we both have the same bank and will take care of it on Monday morning. I really can't believe they actually let me take the card, but they did. He said that's what happened the last time this occurred, and both people got their right cards back.

As we're sitting at the table, I google the name on my Blackberry and it comes up that this person is a prinicpal at a local elementary school. Which would be fine, if this were a weeknight, and I could call first thing in the morning, but it's a weekend. Apparently the woman has an unlisted phone number. So I left my business card for waitress, in case the person brings MY card back. I took the GM's card, so the bank doesn't think I'm some kind of odd scammer when I go on Monday morning.

I had to flag down the waitress and ask her for a copy of my receipt. She then tells me that mine apparently never got charged, it was still showing open. That only the other persons card got charged for my meal. How the hell that happened, I can't figure out. She keeps apologizing, and I'm really not saying too much at this point.

I get home and try to Google this person some more, but don't find anything else than what I already know. So, then in a flash of genius, I call the number on the back of her card. I used to work in retail, and if someone left their card, we would call the number on the back and have them call the customer, letting them know where they left it. I'm thinking that Visa will do the same.

Nope! The lady says she can't call the customer OR give me a phone number. I get that privacy laws are such that she couldn't give that information out, but I asked her why she couldn't call the customer for me with MY information and let her know that I have her card and she has mine. She tells me all she can do is report the card lost/stolen. I'm not going to do that, as it's not my account to mess with - not to mention I don't exactly plan on using it.

So, now I have to wait until Monday morning to hopefully get in touch with this lady to switch cards. I'm hoping in the meantime that she doesn't use it. If she didn't even realize she didn't get the right card back, I hope she doesn't just pull it out of her purse to make some kind of other purchase without thinking about it.

I guess I now have to call and report my card since the lady probably doesn't even realize it's not hers. I HATE having to wait for a new card. I don't carry cash at all. Luckily I have other cards from different banks I can use, but the one she has is from my main account. GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the long post - I don't post often enough to learn how to cut. I'm usually just a lurker, but felt the need to vent about this one!