Going to a restaurant is one of the most common past-times of ours.
Whether it be with friends, family or even a work related thing, restaurants offer that balanced environment where you can find everything, good food (well… occasionally) , spend time with the other people, and just have a good time in general.
But the frustration and bulging eyes come when you call for the cheque, and see that the total has almost doubled from the initial total, after the addition of all the various taxes and all.
And you then give a cursory glance to the various kinds of taxes that have been added and grumble and murmur, before paying the said amount.
But did you all know that Service Charge is not mandatory and that if you feel like it, you can refuse to pay that?
According to the latest announcement by The Department of Consumer Affairs, the service charge that can vary anywhere from 5 to 20 per cent is completely volutary of the customer themselves and if they are not satisfied with the service, can choose not to pay it.
But Who Has The Time To Look At Service Charge, Right?
By this tweet by the Consumer Affairs official Twitter page, Service Charge is not the same as Service Tax, and where the Tax is compulsory, the Charge… not so much.
Restaruants are billing service charges in addition to taxes. Service charge is optional . Consumer has a discretion to pay or not.
— Consumer Affairs (@jagograhakjago) January 2, 2017
Now, this might seem news to some of you, but others might already be aware of this rule, however exactly how many of you just look at the total instead of also giving a glance to how exactly did that total come about to be?
I have too had the same laziness most of you must have, in just paying the bill and getting on your way.
But as many privileges that the Govt. and our laws give us, it is up to us as citizens to use them properly and to our advantage.
If we ourselves do not use the benefits of our laws then it will only encourage more organizations to dupe us and extort more money out of us.
It Just Take A Couple More Minutes Guys…
That is why always take a couple of minutes to go through the bill, you don’t have to bring out the calculator and specs out and get into full accountant mode.
I have been made fun of by my friends, for taking their time and looking over he bill once before paying.
But over time now, it is increasingly important to even let such businesses know that we as consumers know our stuff and will not be fooled so easily.
Signing off I would just like to stress the importance of going through your bill once and if you truly feel that the service given to you has not been up to the mark, or was actually abhorrent and bad, then feel free to waive off the Service Charge. The restaurant cannot force you to pay it.
Image Credits: Google Images
Other Recommendations:
http://edtimes.in/2013/04/goods-and-services-tax-decoded/
http://edtimes.in/2016/07/file-taxes-online-as-a-first-timer/
