> This actually brings up another question I have:
>
> What happens if the customer has had one or two too many and does the
> math wrong? Say, for instance, his tab at the end of the night is
> $34. He writes $15 in the tip line, and $39 in the total - he only
> added $5, instead of $15 to the total.
>
> Do you close out the tip based on what he wrote in, or based on the
> total? I've always adhered to what was written on the tip line, but
> I've heard arguments going both ways.
Under federal law it is illegal to finalize the credit card transaction for
any more than what is in the "total" line. Sanctions can be levied against
businesses that alter the "total" line, and when your total doesn't equal the
customer's total, that is in fact what you are doing. Also, the business can
lose the right to process credit card transactions from the credit card
company. In the case where the tip becomes more than what the customer
inteded, as long as that 'total' line is not affected, the tip is good.
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Star