Woman alleges Dutch Bros employee added a tip without asking her as she noticed her drink bill shoot up beyond expectation: ‘check your accounts’

A woman is urging anyone who visits Dutch Bros and isn’t shown a tablet displaying their transaction details to check their bank account. In a TikTok video, Honeybabe.90, whose real name has not been publicly disclosed, alleged that an employee at the beverage chain added a tip to her bill when she bought a few drinks, and she had to get it removed after noticing. “So just check your accounts if they’re not giving you that tablet,” she said.

She said she noticed the total was higher than expected when she tried to pay the remaining balance with Apple Pay. She said she had already added the items to her cart in the app at home and planned to use the drive-through.

However, she decided to go inside after seeing that there weren’t many people. Since the items were already in her cart, she had a good idea of how much she would need to pay, which is why she was confused when she later saw the amount. 

She acted swiftly

Honeybabe.90 mentioned that as soon as she noticed the difference between what her bill should have been and what it was, she immediately went to the window to seek answers. While retelling her conversation with the employee, Honeybabe.90 said that they repeatedly apologized and offered reparations.

There’s been a lot of debate about tipping lately, with several people criticizing the practice because of experiences not very different from Honeybabe’s. Notably, a woman named Eve took to TikTok to highlight how a server at El Jardín on Clark Street added a $50 tip to her $16 bill without telling her, then refused to give her name when she tried to complain to the manager.

Unfortunately, complaints about tipping aren’t just limited to the food industry; they happen elsewhere, too. Back in June, a woman shared a video from the scene that appeared to show the person who billed her adding a 15 percent tip to her $25.91 bill without asking, after she received facial waxing services at the business. Like Honeybabe.90, she also contested the charge, asking why they included it without asking.

The action isn’t irreversible

In some cases, customers may not be able to respond immediately when something like this happens. According to US News Money, it may still be possible to get your money back, but you’ll need to meet certain requirements.

In response to a person who said they were charged a $78 tip instead of the $18 they had agreed to, the responder advised to check whether the restaurant adds an automatic gratuity to the bill, which could explain the higher amount. If not, the responder recommended taking the following steps.

First, make sure you have a physical or digital receipt showing that you were charged a tip without agreeing to it, or charged more than you agreed to. Then, contact the restaurant about the issue and provide the receipt as supporting documentation. If the restaurant refuses to help, contact your card issuer and present the evidence to support your case.

Fortunately for Honeybabe.90, she did not have to go through these steps because the other employee was cooperative.

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