A practice of various food establishments such as restaurants and bars consists in adding a percentage of consumption in its clients’ accounts as part of the tip.
In most cases, the additional cost varies between 10 and 16 percent of the total account.
Given this, the Federal Consumer Prosecutor’s Office (Profeco) came out to clarify through a statement whether it is legal or not for a company to execute this action to provide a service.
Is it illegal to include tip in the account?
In a statement published in January of this year, Profeco clarified that performing an extra position without authorization is an abusive and illegal commercial practice.
Article 10 of the Federal Consumer Protection Law establishes that: “Suppliers may not apply coercive and unfair commercial methods or practices, or abusive or imposed clauses or conditions in the supply of products or services.”
In this way, the tip is a completely voluntary gratification, and usually occurs especially in activities that imply customer service directly.
What to do if they add the tip on the account?
The Federal Consumer Attorney’s Office recommends citizens carefully reviewing their accounts before paying for a service. If in the review it detects an anomaly because the establishment added a percentage to the account as a tip, it is necessary to denounce the action.
For this, numbers are made available to consumers 55 5568 8722 and al 800 468 8722. The complaint can also be made through an email to the address denunciasprofeco@profeco.gob.mx.
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