A teacher from California mistakenly left a substantial $5,000 tip at a vape shop due to a simple error.
Tipping is a significant aspect of culture in the US, where many in the hospitality industry depend on it for a livable income. This has led to numerous stories about tipping experiences, including one where a worker lost their job over their response to a customer not tipping.
In the US, it is common for customers to tip hospitality workers, and this practice has extended to regular retail stores as well.
Linda Mathiesen, a special education teacher, visited San Bruno Exotic vape shop about a year ago to buy items, such as CBD relief gel for shoulder pain relief.
Impressed by the service, Linda intended to leave a $5 tip, but accidentally entered a $5,000 amount due to not seeing the checkout screen clearly.
“I push what I thought was only two zeros. Ended up being three zeros,” she explained to ABC affiliate KGO. “But, there’s no decimal point… I’m like, ‘WAIT! I want to delete this!'”
Linda noticed her error quickly and attempted to correct it, but the staff claimed they did not know how to reverse the transaction, and the tip had already been processed.
“He said he didn’t know how,” Linda shared with KGO, noting that the clerk mentioned the store never received her money. However, Linda’s bank statements suggested otherwise, leaving her feeling upset.
She stated, “Who would ever? Like, $5,000?! I don’t have that kind of money!”
Linda reached out to her bank, Wells Fargo, to recover her money.
The bank, which offers ‘zero liability protection’ against fraudulent transactions, reportedly received a call from Linda within five minutes of the incident.
After sharing her account with the ABC affiliate, Wells Fargo has promised to reimburse Linda the $5,000 with interest.
Nevertheless, the year-long issue has been distressing for the Californian teacher.
“I busted out in tears… I’m a single mom, I have two grown kids… and I explained to them, ‘I’m sorry,'” she told KGO.
“My son is graduating college next week… and I can’t even buy anything for him because I have $5,000 outstanding… now it’s $5,500!”