It was last weekend we went to an up-market Restaurant & Lounge in Connaught Place to spend some quality time amid great music, drinks and food. Little did we know that our fun and mood would be marred very soon as we experienced something that was just not acceptable. After a few drinks and snacks, one of my friends wanted to go down for a smoke and we thought to accompany him.

As the three of us got up from our table to walk downstairs, the person at the bar asked us for Rs 4000 as the security amount as the bill was not yet generated and we were just going for a break. Understanding his position and the rules of the place, my friend gave him his debit card as security and informed that we’ll be back in a short while and would settle the bill after our dinner and drinks.

After a 15-minute quick break, we were back and within seconds, my friend received an SMS alert stating that a sum of Rs. 5700 has been deducted from his debit card account. Shocked and angry, he called the manager and asked for a clarification. Surprisingly, the shameless restaurant staff didn’t accept their mistake in the first place and kept arguing. It was only after being retorted that how can they generate the bill in our absence and swipe our debit card without permission, the manager agreed to refund the amount in cash right away and assured to give us due compensation in the final bill.

However, the point is not about getting any discount but the concern that our plastic money is not safe with such irresponsible staff members in restaurants. Using someone’s debit card without seeking prior permission should right away be considered as a case of theft and appropriate actions and charged should be made against such people.

We were lucky that the matter was resolved without much of a hassle but for everyone reading this, be careful next time you hand over your debit / credit card to any restaurant or bar waiter even if it’s for swiping your final bill.