Tipping is getting out of control in the US, with now every commerce expecting customers to fill in an additional tip almost every time there is service. While that is bad in and of itself, it is even worse when there is a mistake and the forced tip ends up being a lot more than the customer bargained for. That is exactly what happened to Linda Mathiesen, a special education teacher living in California, who ended up on the hook for a $5,000 tip on a $129.28 product, an obvious mistake that she is still trying to resolve.
This viral story is so for a reason, when Linda went to a popular CBD shop in San Bruno to purchase some pain relief gel, she thought, like everyone else, that it was a normal day, not that it would become almost a pivotal moment in existence. Since carrying cash is no longer norm, gone are the days of the tip jar, where the worst thing that could happen is that you put in the wrong bill and had to fish it out to your great embarrassment. Now, payments and tips are done electronically and there are more mistakes than ever and they have a lot worse consequences for customers.
The story is one that we have heard before, Linda paid for her gel, was asked if she wanted to tip, pressured by the presence of the employee she said yes and she pressed the 5 button and added a couple of ceros after a decimal point that was never registered. This should have been an easy mistake to fix, but the operation went through before she or the store clerk could change the amount.
The tipping mistake that is shocking the country
Most transactions can be reversed almost immediately, and, at the beginning, that was what Linda was told by the store clerk, that it could be fixed, but eventually the story changed and Linda was then told that the store “never received the money” and so there was nothing they could do.
The problem with this narrative is that her Wells Fargo bank statement clearly reflected the full charge and it seems like the store decided to just keep the money. In an interview with ABC 7 News Linda stated “I’m furious because I’m not going to pay $5,000 for something I never wanted to do.”
And talking to her bank was not yielding any results either, and that is despite reporting the error five minutes after the transaction. The bank never reversed the transaction and is not helping her remedy it even thought they promise “zero liability protection” for unauthorized transactions reported in a timely manner.
“I burst into tears,” she said. “My son is graduating from college next week… and I can’t buy him anything because I have $5,000 owed… now it’s $5,500.”
This is surprisingly a frequent and risky error, as overtipping through digital payment systems is more common than many realize. A survey by Opinium for DailyMail.com found that 1 in 5 Americans has unintentionally tipped more than planned, and considering that many Americans live paycheck to paycheck and cannot cover a $400 emergency, a mistake of this caliber can financially cripple a person.
So, if you find yourself in this situation, here is what to do:
- Act fast: As soon as you notice the overcharge, reach out to your bank. Timing matters.
- Gather proof: Save all relevant documentation, screenshots, receipts, or emails, to help support your claim.
- Understand the fine print: Not every mistake is covered as an unauthorized charge. If you manually entered the amount, reimbursement might depend on whether the business is willing to cooperate.