Vera Conner assumed obtaining a refund from her bankers after unintentionally tipping $7,000 for a Subway sandwich wouldn’t be a big deal. However, her reimbursement request was originally denied, causing her to become concerned.
According to NBC News, the Georgia woman’s financial experience began on October 23 when she ordered her favorite No. 4 Italian Sub for $7.54. Conner, on the other hand, later realized she had provided a $7,105.44 gratuity by mistake.
“When I looked at my receipt, I was like, oh, my God!” she told the news outlet. “I thought this number looks familiar — it was the last six numbers of my phone number. Who would leave a tip like that?”
Conner claimed she accidentally offered the tip when entering her phone information to Subway in order to get loyalty points. She stated that the screen may have altered during the process, and her phone number became the tip.
Conner, who paid for the sandwich with her credit card, said she discovered the transaction while reviewing her receipts on Friday. She then phoned Bank of America and asked for a refund.
“I thought it would be an easy fix. … Then I got the denial from the bank,” Conner said. She also said she “started worrying” as the letter did not provide details on why the bank denied the charge dispute.
Conner also stated that she contacted Subway and the bank, as well as physically going to the restaurant for assistance. According to her, the manager informed her that the chargeback would have to be handled by the bank.
However, Bank of America later stated that the refund was disallowed since Conner still had to pay $7.54 for the sandwich, which meant that the claim had to be submitted again with only the tip in question, according to NBC News.
On Monday, Conner received a “temporary credit” for the charge after going back and forth for a month. “You hear all the time that you should use your credit card instead of your debit card so that these things don’t happen,” said Conner. “I’m even getting mad at the bank, because I’m like, ‘How did they not think $7,000 was suspicious at Subway?’”
She said her ordeal has made her lose interest in reward apps.