A diner who went for a quick evening meal at Cote Brasserie, in Hampstead, came out with a bill for nearly £270,000
Pretima Champaneri-Phillips, who was out for dinner with son Aaron, 17, said: “I had coq au vin and he had a steak. We only drank tap water...I was in shock. The meal was good, but not that good!”
Ms Champaneri-Phillips told how she was tapping her pin into the machine on Friday evening when she noticed that the figures didn’t look right.
She said: “I was just about to press enter when I noticed there were too many numbers. I got the shock of my life to see that I had actually been charged £268,399.32.”
She alerted the waitress who cancelled the transaction and started again with the correct amount £26.83.
Ms Champaneri-Phillips, 52, who works as a financial consultant, said: “It was surreal. No manager came over to explain or apologise. It left a bad taste and I won’t be going back there!
“It’s a warning to everyone to always check their bill closely!”
A Cote spokesman said: “We do apologise. Luckily the lady noticed so it was cancelled. Even if she had pressed enter, that amount would never have gone through.”
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