We were in Cozumel on Saturday February 2nd after a day of shopping, and stopped at Carlos and Charlie’s for lunch on our way back to the Carnival Paradise. I paid our $84 tap with a $100 bill. Our waiter, Carlos, took the tab and my $100 bill back to his cashier, and then returned claiming the bill was not real. I told him that it was real, as I was a banker for 34 years, and I know it was real. He then left the table again. I went to the men’s room, and when I returned to the table, found out that he had come back to the table while I was gone, and gave the $100 bill to my wife, claiming he could not take it. My wife gave him 5-$20 bills in exchange for the $100 bill. When I returned to the table, I noticed that the $100 bill he brought back was not the bill I gave him. Mine was new, and had a single fold where I keep it in my wallet. This bill was old and worn, and folded in quarters. Needless to say, it was counterfeit, so I ended up paying $200 for an $84 lunch. My wife went ballistic, and spoke to the woman claiming to be the manager. She would not listen to our side of the story at all. My wife was insisting on calling the police, but I wasn’t comfortable with the Mexican police being totally fair with an American tourist. Since we were in a foreign country, and needed to get back to the ship, I decided to share my story when I returned to the US.
Carlos and Charlie's or Senor Frogs?
in Cozumel
Posted
We were in Cozumel on Saturday February 2nd after a day of shopping, and stopped at Carlos and Charlie’s for lunch on our way back to the Carnival Paradise. I paid our $84 tap with a $100 bill. Our waiter, Carlos, took the tab and my $100 bill back to his cashier, and then returned claiming the bill was not real. I told him that it was real, as I was a banker for 34 years, and I know it was real. He then left the table again. I went to the men’s room, and when I returned to the table, found out that he had come back to the table while I was gone, and gave the $100 bill to my wife, claiming he could not take it. My wife gave him 5-$20 bills in exchange for the $100 bill. When I returned to the table, I noticed that the $100 bill he brought back was not the bill I gave him. Mine was new, and had a single fold where I keep it in my wallet. This bill was old and worn, and folded in quarters. Needless to say, it was counterfeit, so I ended up paying $200 for an $84 lunch. My wife went ballistic, and spoke to the woman claiming to be the manager. She would not listen to our side of the story at all. My wife was insisting on calling the police, but I wasn’t comfortable with the Mexican police being totally fair with an American tourist. Since we were in a foreign country, and needed to get back to the ship, I decided to share my story when I returned to the US.