Khon Kaen customer overpays at eatery by accident
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many Thai eateries have been accepting electronic payments through banking apps. Many of these apps will let you key in the amount to pay directly, which could lead to some extra zeroes.
This is what happened when a Khon Kaen customer paid 10x the price of his congee on 17th September 2022. The eatery is currently searching for the unlucky customer in order to refund him via social media, garnering netizens’ support.
Find out what happened so you can avoid a similar fate.
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Extra zero in banking app leads to customer overpaying by 10x
Last Saturday, a customer at an eatery in Khon Kaen reportedly enjoyed his congee, but upon payment, keyed in an extra zero when footing the bill. As a result, the customer ended up paying 10 times the OG price for his food. The staff at the congee shop “KaoTom PaeTee” AKA “Uncle Tee’s Congee” found out about the errant bill belatedly.
Image credit: KaoTomPaeTeeKhonKaen
The check shown here says the man owed ฿442 (~USD12) but actually paid 10x the amount in his transfer at ฿4,420 (~USD120). The eatery says that the man is a regular but hasn’t shown up in the past few days. They are worried that he may be in need of the money.
Image credit: KaoTomPaeTeeKhonKaen
To rectify the overpayment, they decided to make a post on Facebook to find the man involved. The picture above is supposedly the table he sat at, and they are still in the midst of locating the customer at the time of writing. Understandably, netizens appreciated the eatery’s integrity and their Facebook post garnered loads of public attention and support.
Khon Kaen eatery praised for integrity
After the post was widely shared on social media, many locals praised the eatery for their integrity. The public has also been helping the the congee shop look for the man, while netizens have chimed in with their thoughts on the matter.
Screenshot: KaoTomPaeTeeKhonKaen
Translation: Amazing integrity by the shop. I frequently make the same mistake when paying as well. Though my transfers usually bounce because I don’t have enough money.
This particular commenter pointed out that it’s not the first time something similar has occurred.
Screenshot: KaoTomPaeTeeKhonKaen
Translation: You can contact the bank. They will get in touch with the customer but they won’t immediately refund him. They’ll let you sort things out yourselves. I have also had customers transfer an extra ฿5,000 (~USD134) as well.
One netizen advised the shop to contact the bank, which could help them get in touch with the customer.
We think that though this shop has responded with amazing integrity, it is still a cautionary tale for digital payments.
Don’t take the conveniences of digital finance for granted
Despite this shop reaching out in goodwill to their customer, it can be extremely difficult to get refunded for this kind of mistake.
With how convenient it has gotten to pay for goods and services, mistakes like these are becoming more commonplace. It’s good to take a little extra time to check if you’re making the right payment to the right vendor before pressing the big transfer button.
Cover images adapted from (Clockwise from Top Left): KaoTomPaeTeeKhonKaen, KaoTomPaeTeeKhonKaen
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