Burger King charged $655.00 for a veggie burger on debit machine and didnot credit it out Tucson Arizona

I would have given them one chance to refund the money (credit it back to my account) then I would have taken my a** downtown to the court house and file a small claims case against them.

Thats what small claims is for. I wouldn't have wasted my time with them.

Thank you Melissa from Nebraska you stated what i wanted to say... I never use cash or my son its all direct deposit.. It is easier.... You must be a mother because you understood.... thanks

After reading through this situation, I do not understand why some of you are getting so angry over this. This started out as a woman expressing her anger over something that happened to her son while trying to do something very common in this world. (buy a burger).
Then it turned into a "bash the woman and the way she does things".
Really really immature.
Okay so did ANYONE ever think that it may have been less than a dollar because they were running a special or maybe just maybe he had one of those new inventions called a "COUPON". For whatever reason that she believed that it was less than a dollar doesnt really matter because the point of the story is that she was SCREWED!
I used to work in fast food management and it makes me angry that some of these chains have people working for them that really dont give a flying poop about who they are representing.
SO I now would like to point out how a couple of you got SOOOO angry that this woman defended her son. WOW, you really must of had a rough childhood. I do believe that parents should not stick their noses where they dont belong, but at the same time dont you think that if her son had focused a majority of his time on this situation that OBVIOUSLY needed fixed, that he would have taken time away from more important things such as his education. Either you do not have kids or you treat them like crap. ANY GOOD mother would have done the same thing. Thats why GOD made mothers. TO BE A MOTHER. Now I know that will probably make you mad, but no matter what you say back to me about that or what you try to argue, your point means nothing to me because all you are doing is nitpicking points that dont mean anything.

And lastly I would like to point out that not all banks tack on extra charges to use your debit card. My paycheck goes directly to the bank and I never actually see the money. I use my debit card for every single transaction I make. Whether it is 1 dollar or 500 dollars. I do not carry cash because it is not convenient for me to get cash. So why do you care so much that he used his debit card for an order? Why does it bother you that much?

I would have done the same thing as she did. I would have demanded that Burger King fix the problem or get someone to fix it. The manager should have cancelled the transaction or called the company that they pay for the service and had them cancel it. I would have gone to my bank and let them know what had happened. This lady shouldnt have had to go through that much to get it fixed. Burger King should have been accomodating and at least given her some numbers to call instead of acting like a bunch of ignorant asses. The manager included. The manager should have known the procedures on how to fix the problem and if he/she didnt know they should have called the general manager.
If that were to ever happen again, you should demand to speak with someone who knows what they are doing.

THERE ARE WAYS TO FIX IT INTERNALLY!!!

You finally let us in on the secret that you were able to get the problem fixed. Good for you.

That is what was making me so mad, you surely deserved the money and were getting nowhere. It seemed awfully fishy that BK would just let your son rot.

Call all the fast food joints you want. Here where I live just about every joint has a little hand held DEBIT transaction device at their registers, and at the....DRIVE THRU.

Nowhere did I mention, nor did the OP mention they used an "ATM" machine.

Now on to the next line of drivel....

So what if the OP used the card for a $500 transaction or a .50 transaction. The business offers the service for the customers to use as they wish. If a customer wants to use it for .50 thats their choice. If the amount is to come into question, the any place that uses such devices and offers the service should put up a disclaimer saying something to the effect....

"If you use this for less than $XX, we will not be responsible for any screw ups"

I doubt any business in any field will do that.

So attack away there Peter. They offered the service, they screwed up, they take the hit. Who the hell cares what the amount was for. Sheesh! I would hate to see what kind of screw up they would have made had the OP actually bought something more expensive. Maybe he would be looking at a $6000 bill for a $20 meal eh?

The manager of this BK blew it. Plain and simple. Tout the sillyness of paying by debit card for a $1 item all you want. The business still blew it any way you slice the burger.

Really, what the previous poster said makes all the sense. Why use a debit card when buying a $1 burger? After all, you're getting charged nearly twice the amount of the burger once the company adds in their debit fees, AND you're turning over your electronic information to a bunch of meat-heads. It only makes sense to use cash! It's much more safer and prevents issues later on!

As for the talk about "debit machine" ... I called several fast food restaurants today out of curiousity (and in case I was wrong) and NO ONE has anything called a "debit machine" on their premises. They all told me that when paying for a meal with a debit or credit card, they simply swipe the card on their touch screen monitor and that automatically processes the charge. So ... I ask the OP, what in the heck are you talking about when you go on and on about this "debit machine"?

And, also to the OP ... it is commendable that you, as a mother, will step up for your son when he has trouble. But when is he going to be able to start learning to deal with problems on his own if you step in and handle every one for him? This would have been a prime example of something for him to solve on his own, with a little behind-the-scenes guidance from you if necessary.

why someone needs to use a debit card to pay for a burger that costs less than $1?

Here's a suggestion: The folks working at those places are not exactly brain surgeons. Most of the time you're lucky if your order is accurate. I would not trust them with an electronic transaction. Use cash at these places, and save yourself a lot of grief.

Hi I am the person who wrote in about the$600.oo burger. First I want to thank everybody for their views and information. We did go thru a bunch of "bull". Finally somebody at the bank told my son to fax the copy of the transaction from the debit machine at burger king (the one the manager did not want to give back to us) and the bank credited my son all the fees for overdraft in his account. The bank finally sent my son a letter and it stated the case was closed all the moneys all in his account. They also did tell us that burger king was responsible for all the overfees and they were going to deal with burger king. thank you all so much.. the reason I helped my son deal with "his problem . is because 1. he is my son 2. he wasn't use to dealing with crook business it all takes time and experiences..........If your mother isnt going to help you who will? aedotj evil eiing witl/pto,if your parents weren n and i love him i sve illhis i1, sus. m wihis ai saon and for bobpi uyou the mmf aes halkosocuir and the eaimtrat uonet .nmeot notdcaatorin aetupsend in th eto eian p the bank ;;nnullschpp tcto I atheaktsII0o,,600p whim

If you go back and read the OP report she states he used his debit card in the DRIVE THRU. So when she is stating "debit machine" she means the new card readers a lot of ff restaurants now have where you can swipe your debit or credit card.

So in this case whoever was running the register at the window probably hit some wrong buttons for the total and her son didn't see the amount he was "agreeing to" and just hit enter/accept on the drive thru window machine. So BK IS RESPONSIBLE and should have just helped out in crediting THEIR mistake.

Now you owe BEN an apology!

Let's re-read the OP's FIRST paragraph, shall we?

"On may 1,2006 my son and husband went to the DRIVE THRU at burger king to order one veggie burger. My son used his debit card the DEBIT MACHINE was suppose to charge 69cents or 96cents(it was suppose to be less than a dollar)."

Her son went through the drive-through, folks!

Does burger king now have atm's at the drive-through?

Her son used his card on the DEBIT MACHINE. It doesn't say, "ATM".

Therefore, the fee the OP is referring to must be the debit transaction fee imposed by the terminal owner (bank, or whatever)OR burger king itself.

This is not an ATM issue.

Burger King uses this equipment for its customers and bears some responsibility for this screw-up.

Ben, you give lots of "reasons" to prove the OP's righteousness; however, you are missing a critical piece of information ... BURGER KING DOES NOT OWN THE "DEBIT MACHINE" USED BY THE "VICTIM" WHEN HE WITHDREW THE MONEY. Had he used his debit card as payment when he purchased the burger FROM BURGER KING, then yes he would be correct in blaming Burger King for the problem. But since the error occurred using a machine that has no connection whatsoever with Burger King (except that it is located on the premises for customer's convenience).

Once again I see many here just getting giddy over an odd situation. Since nobody from the company in question shows up, some people just have to throw in their 2 cents and bash the OP.

1. A person made a debit transaction and the business screwed up. That in itself is point ONE. Once that is established it doesnt matter how the person in the OP handled it. The business screwed up, the business should take the hit.

2. The screw up in question is a $600+ burger that was not even remotely supposed to cost that much. This makes any attack on the OP absolutely without merit. Its also outright insulting.

3. Any mention of "you attract more bees with honey...blah blah blah" can go shove it where the sun doesnt shine. I've got another saying for you...."The squeaky wheel gets the oil". So right back at you.

4. Who cares "how old" this persons son is. The business turned a simple thing into a complex, and very damaging one. They have still not resolved it. They will GET, whatever the customer that has been wronged will GIVE them. And they will like it, or else. If you dont like it, or if the business doesnt like it....tough! Get into another business then. You blew it, you take the hit. No matter how the customer handles it.

5. Who cares if the OP said it cost "less than a dollar" when in reality its $1.50, $2, or even $5. Spew all the numbers you want. Its still a far far FAR cry from the $600+ they had to take the hit for in the first place. Not to mention the extra $100+ for the overdraft. To banter and zero in on a meager discrepancey like that as a basis to attack the OP is just that! JUST TO ATTACK THE OP!

6. Had the manager or even the lowly clerk at the register had the training they should have, this whole thing could have been resolved at the momment of the sale. When a transaction is done like that with a debit or credit card, they can immediately turn around and send in (via the debit machine), or call in to the call center of their service and cancel it. That is what those features are there for.....MISTAKES. They didnt do that, thus once again...THEY TAKE TAKE THE HIT! Why didnt the manager do that right away? Why didnt they just cancel out the transaction and redo the entire thing correctly? Hmmmm? I've had zillions of times where the clerk misread a price and punched in the wrong amount. Credit it back immeadiately, then JUST REDO IT!

Once again I see many here just getting giddy over an odd situation. Since nobody from the company in question shows up, some people just have to throw in their 2 cents and bash the OP.

1. A person made a debit transaction and the business screwed up. That in itself is point ONE. Once that is established it doesnt matter how the person in the OP handled it. The business screwed up, the business should take the hit.

2. The screw up in question is a $600+ burger that was not even remotely supposed to cost that much. This makes any attack on the OP absolutely without merit. Its also outright insulting.

3. Any mention of "you attract more bees with honey...blah blah blah" can go shove it where the sun doesnt shine. I've got another saying for you...."The squeaky wheel gets the oil". So right back at you.

4. Who cares "how old" this persons son is. The business turned a simple thing into a complex, and very damaging one. They have still not resolved it. They will GET, whatever the customer that has been wronged will GIVE them. And they will like it, or else. If you dont like it, or if the business doesnt like it....tough! Get into another business then. You blew it, you take the hit. No matter how the customer handles it.

5. Who cares if the OP said it cost "less than a dollar" when in reality its $1.50, $2, or even $5. Spew all the numbers you want. Its still a far far FAR cry from the $600+ they had to take the hit for in the first place. Not to mention the extra $100+ for the overdraft. To banter and zero in on a meager discrepancey like that as a basis to attack the OP is just that! JUST TO ATTACK THE OP!

6. Had the manager or even the lowly clerk at the register had the training they should have, this whole thing could have been resolved at the momment of the sale. When a transaction is done like that with a debit or credit card, they can immediately turn around and send in (via the debit machine), or call in to the call center of their service and cancel it. That is what those features are there for.....MISTAKES. They didnt do that, thus once again...THEY TAKE TAKE THE HIT! Why didnt the manager do that right away? Why didnt they just cancel out the transaction and redo the entire thing correctly? Hmmmm? I've had zillions of times where the clerk misread a price and punched in the wrong amount. Credit it back immeadiately, then JUST REDO IT!

Once again I see many here just getting giddy over an odd situation. Since nobody from the company in question shows up, some people just have to throw in their 2 cents and bash the OP.

1. A person made a debit transaction and the business screwed up. That in itself is point ONE. Once that is established it doesnt matter how the person in the OP handled it. The business screwed up, the business should take the hit.

2. The screw up in question is a $600+ burger that was not even remotely supposed to cost that much. This makes any attack on the OP absolutely without merit. Its also outright insulting.

3. Any mention of "you attract more bees with honey...blah blah blah" can go shove it where the sun doesnt shine. I've got another saying for you...."The squeaky wheel gets the oil". So right back at you.

4. Who cares "how old" this persons son is. The business turned a simple thing into a complex, and very damaging one. They have still not resolved it. They will GET, whatever the customer that has been wronged will GIVE them. And they will like it, or else. If you dont like it, or if the business doesnt like it....tough! Get into another business then. You blew it, you take the hit. No matter how the customer handles it.

5. Who cares if the OP said it cost "less than a dollar" when in reality its $1.50, $2, or even $5. Spew all the numbers you want. Its still a far far FAR cry from the $600+ they had to take the hit for in the first place. Not to mention the extra $100+ for the overdraft. To banter and zero in on a meager discrepancey like that as a basis to attack the OP is just that! JUST TO ATTACK THE OP!

6. Had the manager or even the lowly clerk at the register had the training they should have, this whole thing could have been resolved at the momment of the sale. When a transaction is done like that with a debit or credit card, they can immediately turn around and send in (via the debit machine), or call in to the call center of their service and cancel it. That is what those features are there for.....MISTAKES. They didnt do that, thus once again...THEY TAKE TAKE THE HIT! Why didnt the manager do that right away? Why didnt they just cancel out the transaction and redo the entire thing correctly? Hmmmm? I've had zillions of times where the clerk misread a price and punched in the wrong amount. Credit it back immeadiately, then JUST REDO IT!

Once again I see many here just getting giddy over an odd situation. Since nobody from the company in question shows up, some people just have to throw in their 2 cents and bash the OP.

1. A person made a debit transaction and the business screwed up. That in itself is point ONE. Once that is established it doesnt matter how the person in the OP handled it. The business screwed up, the business should take the hit.

2. The screw up in question is a $600+ burger that was not even remotely supposed to cost that much. This makes any attack on the OP absolutely without merit. Its also outright insulting.

3. Any mention of "you attract more bees with honey...blah blah blah" can go shove it where the sun doesnt shine. I've got another saying for you...."The squeaky wheel gets the oil". So right back at you.

4. Who cares "how old" this persons son is. The business turned a simple thing into a complex, and very damaging one. They have still not resolved it. They will GET, whatever the customer that has been wronged will GIVE them. And they will like it, or else. If you dont like it, or if the business doesnt like it....tough! Get into another business then. You blew it, you take the hit. No matter how the customer handles it.

5. Who cares if the OP said it cost "less than a dollar" when in reality its $1.50, $2, or even $5. Spew all the numbers you want. Its still a far far FAR cry from the $600+ they had to take the hit for in the first place. Not to mention the extra $100+ for the overdraft. To banter and zero in on a meager discrepancey like that as a basis to attack the OP is just that! JUST TO ATTACK THE OP!

6. Had the manager or even the lowly clerk at the register had the training they should have, this whole thing could have been resolved at the momment of the sale. When a transaction is done like that with a debit or credit card, they can immediately turn around and send in (via the debit machine), or call in to the call center of their service and cancel it. That is what those features are there for.....MISTAKES. They didnt do that, thus once again...THEY TAKE TAKE THE HIT! Why didnt the manager do that right away? Why didnt they just cancel out the transaction and redo the entire thing correctly? Hmmmm? I've had zillions of times where the clerk misread a price and punched in the wrong amount. Credit it back immeadiately, then JUST REDO IT!

I agree with the others ... why can your son not handle his own issues? If he is old enough to have and use a debit card, he should be old enough to take responsibility for said debit card and the transactions he enters into.

Anyway, I digress. A veggie burger, at Burger King, costs $1.99 nationwide. Since that is supposedly the "only" thing your son purchased, how can you claim he was supposed to be charged only "96 cents or 69 cents.. you can't remember." You may want to re-examine the facts so that when you contact the company about the mistake, you have an accurate set of details to present to them.

Furthermore, the "debit machine" (do you mean ATM?) is NOT owned by Burger King. Look on the side of the "debit machine" and you will find the name of the bank or company who owns the machine. THAT is the person you (or better yet your SON) need to contact about the malfunctioning "debit machine" -- NOT Burger King. May I suggest that when you do make that contact, you take a more rational approach so that you will not burn your last possible bridge?

You handled the situation terribly and even worse, your son should be the one taking care of it. Ughhh.

Now something is wrong if you can't get them to fix it. There I said it. I bet 96 percent of the people with credit cards could have fixed the problem with BK's help. You fall in the 4 percent category and actually got BK to work against you. That is horrible.

Stories with somebody complaining about how they did a horrible job trying to fix the problem make me angry.

Do you know how many lawyers would kill for a case like that. I'm talking no fee. It boggles the mind how bad you botched this.

And as I mentioned before, why is your son letting you do all the work? He is busy? Some excuse. Gimme a break.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, BK was the real turd in this story, but you sure don't know how to flush.

Under Federal Law regarding ACH transfers, including Debit card transactions the Bank must investigate the matter. During the investigation time period they are required to post the money back to the account pending the outcome of the investigation.

It sounds as if you notified the bank by fax, but they are required to have you sign a statement about the transaction as part of the investigation. Any NSF fees that occurred should be reversed as the statute states that if you gave timely notice to the bank:

"b) Limitations on amount of liability. A consumer's liability for an unauthorized electronic fund transfer or a series of related unauthorized transfers shall be determined as follows:
(1) Timely notice given. If the consumer notifies the financial institution within two business days after learning of the loss or theft of the access device, the consumer's liability shall not exceed the lesser of $50 or the amount of unauthorized transfers that occur before notice to the financial institution."

If everything fails with the bank, sue these creeps in small claims court. I also agree with the poster that said this would make a great news story, you should contact your local television station or newspaper. I believe KVOA channel 4 has consumer investigators. They may be interested in your story.

You should contact the corporation itself, not a local DM or store.

This is exactly the kind of deal that a corporation wants to avoid.

Local store or distric mgmt will not ever care and are often told (in most chains) to give a different line.


In addiiton call the local tv stations and report the story.

a hamburger for $655 will definatley be a newsworthy story.

That would be a major thing that corporate would want to avoid.

Especially if lawyers get involved.

Btw, I had a similar deal with a pizza biz 10 years ago, and told them that not resolving my deal (similar to yours) would result in advertising the event in local news).
In my case, I had a family lawyer working the situation for free.

That was very unfortunate the way Burger King has handled the situation. You would think that a national (international) company would have a better way of handling costumer's complaints. I do not know if you or your son had called the bank immediately after you noticed the charge it could have been resolved temporarily. The bank might have given your son a "temporary" credit until the situation was resolved. That way he would not have incurred in NSF chages. Banks are used to those situations and have better customer service departments than merchants.
Hopefully you have received your credit by now and remember my sugestion in the event that something like that happens again.
Good luck.