Why do they forget Rule 1?

And I know that you know exactly what Rule 1 is… take the money!

Recently I wrote about the problems I had in Canberra in getting a restaurant to split the bill… charge half to each of two credit cards… and I didn’t win!

Well, the same thing happened in Nhulunbuy… the remote, laid back town on the Gulf of Carpentaria where my daughter, partner and family reside. We went to the pub with them and some friends for a farewell dinner. When it came time for payment we simply tossed in 3 credit cards and said, “Just split the bill three ways please.”

We were thunderstruck when they responded, “No can do!”

“But you did it for us just last week” my daughter protested.

“Sorry, no can do… and no discussion will be entered into” was the gob smacking reply!

Outraged, we tried to protest the error of their ways. Relying on a microscopic notice announcing their no split bill policy attached to the front of the cash register where nobody would ever see it they stuck to their guns.

In the time they debated it they could have processed the credit cards umpteen times. But no they were going to win come hell or high water.

Although there are not too many eateries in Nhulunbuy none of us who were there will ever go back… they’ve lost that business too.

But, for the life of me, I can’t understand why they didn’t apply rule 1 and just take the money!