International House Of Pancakes poor college student cheated out of a discount Norfolk Virginia

On Tuesday February 7th I visited the I-hop on 21st Street in Norfolk Virginia with my roomie. Since we are both in college and earn minimum wage because our main focus right now is to get an education we took advantage of a discount this I-Hop offers.

On Tuesdays, between 5 am and 10 pm if you buy one entree you will receive another entree of equal or lesser value free. We have eaten here before and what we both order is about $7.00 each.

So I asked my roomate to call it in and I would go out and pick it up. It was about 8 pm and I was about to get off from work. She called them and I-hop told her it was a dine in only thing.

We said no biggy, we could still make it there by 9:30 at the latest because I work a couple of blocks away.

We arrive at about 9:30 p.m and we waited to be seated. The employees goofed off and played around while we stood at the podium watching them.

The manager came up to the register and paid out an elderly couple. I remember hearing their total which was like $7.00 and thinking they must have gotten the same discount.

We were seated and because we already knew what we wanted we told our server and he put in in and brought us drinks.

I always eat breakfast at I-hop but this time, the eggs seemed to be old. (Like they had been scrambled on a previous day). I ate another bite and quit.

I joked with my roomie guessing the total to be about $ 7.00 or $8.00 because we got drinks and that this was probably going to be the cheapest meal we had ever eaten.

Our server was nice and he brought us bill at 10:27 pm because that is what the receipt said. And here is the problem.

We got to the register and this location also gives 10% off when you show your student id card. (It's called a Monarch Card and on campus you can pay for things if you have money on the card).

The manager, Lania, told me that I couldn't get 10% off unless I swiped my card there. I didn't have nay money on my card because I had cash in my pocket. I did mental math and decided $0.70 is not worth fighting over.

Lania told me the total $21.00. I'm like ok, we got the discount didn't we. She said because it was after 10 p.m. She could not honor the discount. I told her we were here before 10 p.m. and that was what the sign said. Lania told me that her computer cuts off at 10 p.m. and won't allow her to give anyone discounts afterwards.

I can smell bullshyt a mile a way. As raggedy as this I-hop is there is no way they can afford technology that automatically shuts down discounts on a register. That didn't even register as commone sense to me.

I signaled for out server and he came up and I had asked him about how long he thought we had been there. He said at least an hour. Lania told me that I had to pay $21.00. Neither I nor my roommate were prepared to pay this amount. If this was the case, I could have went to the groery store and scrambled some hot eggs myself.

I told her that as soon as I got home I was going to report her to her corporate office. She kept saying, "I'm sorry ma'am this is my policy". So I am thining I am not going to use my credit card which my parents and I discussed as being for emergencies only. I-hop is not an emergency.

I had a twenty dollar bill in my car which I went to go an get and when I paid I asked for my receipt ticket. Lania told me that I didn't need it that she had to keep it in her register for a sale.

Never have I ever paid for something and not gotten a receipt back. Even when you pay for gas you get a receipt. I said, you can't make me a copy? She kept saying, I'm sorry ma'am.

So I got home and I got on the I-hop website and complained about my service. I remembered my total as being $21.00 and some change and I even gave them the name of my server who I believe was Xavier or something.

Some guy named Don e-mailed me that he had received my complaint and that a manager from that store would be returning my call. I waited a week and replied back to Don.

It has now been a month. I was cheated out of a discount! I was lied to refused a receipt and no one from this company has responded to me regarding this situation. I have yet to eat at any I-hop and I have told everyone in my dorm unit not to eat at that location.

They false-advertised a discount and I feel that in a place where you pay for your meal after you eat it special consideration should be given. If it were like McDonald's or something where you prepay for your food then I would not have had a problem because I would have paid for my food well before 10p.m.

I want to worn other ODU and NSU students about this I-hop and the manager Lania. So that they are never cheated out of their hard earned money.

Natoria
Norfolk, Virginia
U.S.A.