[Aibec-l] alumni club meets Thursday, July 23

[Marian Dent]

Dear Galina, and other AIBEc students,

Your alumni club invitation had very good timing.  Before you go to enjoy your alumni club meeting, I thought I should let you know that I took a group of 7 students and professors to TGI Fridays on Tverskaya Street today for lunch, and when I went to pay I noticed irregularities in the bill.  We were charged for 4 cokes, although 4 students had ordered the business lunch, with which cokes were supposed to be free.  We were also charged 590 rubles for fresh pineapple juice, which was listed on the menu as 295 rubles.  And finally we were charged for 12 capuchinos when we only ordered 6.  When we complained the manager insisted that it was because they provided us with larger cokes, juice and coffee than what was on the menu, so the cokes weren't free with the lunch, the juice cost a lot more (even though there was no larger size juice on the menu) and they had given us double capuchinos, although we had never asked for doubles.  

After about 40 minutes of waiting for and then arguing with the manager, and despite one of our group members being an active student in Professor Lissniak's negotiations course, we only got them to agree to take 4 of the coffees off the bill.  At this point I decided to leave and just take the money that I would otherwise have left for a tip to balance out the additional 500 rubles that we felt they owed us.  

I am making a complaint to TGI Fridays International (Fridays is not a franchise but has a single corporate owner) and most likely one of our students will make a consumer protection complaint.

While we are boycotting Fridays because of this, we wouldn't ask your alumni club to do so, but just want to warn you to be extra careful in checking your bill.  The manager was clearly promoting the waitress's policy of providing larger, unrequested portions and charging extra for them.

They also, by the way, have a new policy of adding an extra 10% to the bill if you reserve a table in advance.  This is not for service but is just an additional charge.

Marian


> -----Original Message-----
> From: aibec-l-bounces+mdent=pericles.ru at lists.ru [mailto:aibec-l-
> bounces+mdent=pericles.ru at lists.ru] On Behalf Of Galina Koroleva
> Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 10:59 AM
> To: AIBEc
> Subject: [Aibec-l] alumni club meets Thursday, July 23
> 
> 
> Dear AIBEc alumni,
> 
> The next meeting of the Alumni Club is scheduled for Thursday, July, 23
> around 8 p.m. at TJ Fridays restaurant on Tverskaya str., (in the
> opposite side of Mexx), near Tverskaya underground station. All alumni
> are welcome to the meeting.
> 
> Sincerely yours,
> Alumni initiative group.
> 
> 
> 
> 
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