70
votes
Accepted
At what point can you walk out of a restaurant if they make you wait to pay the bill?
at what point can you just leave? Is it always technically illegal in the UK to leave without paying the bill?
Probably depends on what you mean with just leaving. If just leaving translates I haven'...
- 1,692
44
votes
Do I have legal obligation to change the payment method at a restaurant, if they refuse to (but have the ability to) accept my credit card?
You have the legal (contractual) obligation to pay the amount that you owe for your meal. The restaurant can refuse to accept a particular kind of payment, such as check, cash, credit cards (generally ...
- 216k
37
votes
At what point can you walk out of a restaurant if they make you wait to pay the bill?
It is illegal for you to take a meal and intend to not pay.
You have a reasonable expectation of using a credit card if they normally take it, The situation of finding out the machine is down isn't, ...
36
votes
Can a university require me to use hardware authentication to pay bills?
There is little prospect for suing over this measure. The university has a legitimate interest in verifying that access to online systems is only granted to authorized users, and simple passwords are ...
- 216k
25
votes
If my roommates use more utilities than me, am I legally allowed to pay less?
If you promised to split the bill equally, that is a contract even if there was not paperwork or signature. The utility company will only come after the person on the contract with them, then that ...
- 216k
21
votes
Is it legal for a store to accept payment by debit card but not be able to refund to it, even in event of staff's mistake?
Based on how the debit clearinghouses work, it's fantastically unlikely that the retailer is unable to reverse/refund a transaction. That is how the banks want you to do it!!!!
The reason is simple: ...
21
votes
What legal basis exists for challenging absurd (but technically-correct) invoices?
What legal basis (if any) might the billed party have for challenging
such cases?
None. Under the conditions stated, the customer owes the full amount of the bill.
Companies often forgive these ...
- 229k
20
votes
At what point can you walk out of a restaurant if they make you wait to pay the bill?
If I fill my car with diesel and suddenly realise I've left my wallet at home, the attendant will take a note of my car registration, which will be all over cctv anyway, along with my face. I'll ...
- 441
20
votes
Do I have legal obligation to change the payment method at a restaurant, if they refuse to (but have the ability to) accept my credit card?
The important thing is, as already stated in @user6727's answer that you still owe the money for the meal, even if you cannot pay. Most courts won't call it bilking though if you were willing to pay ...
- 7,366
19
votes
At what point can you walk out of a restaurant if they make you wait to pay the bill?
They can’t hold you there for any period of time, as that would be false imprisonment. You have a legal obligation to pay the bill; however, there is no contract about when your payment is due.
You ...
- 532
19
votes
If my roommates use more utilities than me, am I legally allowed to pay less?
From a legal standpoint, roommates co-signing a lease are normally jointly liable.
Joint liability means every one of the tenants is responsible for the entire bill. If there is just one primary ...
- 2,938
18
votes
What legal basis exists for challenging absurd (but technically-correct) invoices?
A reasonable person would agree that such a customer would have taken steps to avoid such charges if they had realized the consequences beforehand.
If a practice that leads to this bill comes under ...
- 2,147
15
votes
Can a landlord force all residents to use the landlord's in-house debit card accounts?
Typically the landlord will have a preexisting clause in the lease that says the landlord may choose to amend the lease at a later date.
While that may be in contracts, I don't see that holding up in ...
- 9,215
13
votes
Getting paid by mistake after leaving a company?
That’s up to the company
They might decide it’s not worth the hassle and write it off.
Alternatively, they might sue for recovery. They will almost certainly win that suit.
- 218k
13
votes
Accepted
Billed as a result of automatic renewal, can I, as a EU citizen, get my money back?
In the european-union, under the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU, there is a 'right to withdraw' or 14 day cooling-off period for distance and off-premises contracts (Article 9). There are ...
- 17.9k
13
votes
What legal basis exists for challenging absurd (but technically-correct) invoices?
The contract might be unconscionable because "no reasonable or informed person would otherwise agree to it". The concept of unconscionability is more established in Canadian law, but ...
- 289
9
votes
Accepted
I supposedly owe 91 dollars for a 4 dollar toll from half a decade ago. Can it be disputed and what penalty may I face if I don't pay?
It appears that 91.50 is the correct amount for a $4 toll that went unpaid for more than 42 days. EZ Pass violation notices can be appealed.
Your communication is apparently from a debt collector. You ...
- 114k
7
votes
Is it legal to use a VPN to buy things at a lower price?
I know the OP is asking about America, but its also worth knowing about other countries.
This is legal if both subscriber and subscription are within the EU. There was also a court case about this. In ...
- 13.9k
6
votes
Can a university require me to use hardware authentication to pay bills?
I'm pretty sure any judge is going to give them broad leeway to the business to self-determine the manner in which they secure their electronic systems.
Where your argument disintegrates (or coalesces)...
6
votes
Accepted
Do you owe money to a company who is trying to charge a disabled/expired credit card?
You owe money if there is a contract obliging you to pay. Whether you receive what you pay for (e.g. services) only affects your stance when suing for non-performance/damages; your obligation to pay ...
- 28k
6
votes
Accepted
If a company never invoices me, am I obligated to do anything?
"One day and that day may never come"
If a company never invoices me, am I obligated to do anything?
No (given that they know how to contact you i.e. you are not evading being invoiced).
That ...
- 28k
6
votes
What kind of reward is an "inflationary lump sum"?
Under UK law what kind of payment is it? Is it the same thing as a bonus?
Essentially yes
What rules apply?
Assuming the employee is standard PAYE then the money will be subject to tax and NI the ...
- 4,743
6
votes
If a person borrows something and pay more than its value in loan costs, would that be the same as buying it?
You will not own the item unless the contract says that you will. It will usually be clear if you have such a contract because it will be called something like a "hire purchase" rather than ...
- 9,121
5
votes
Can a medical invoice that was disputed collect interest and be due years later?
Is It Too Late To Collect The Bill?
Probably not.
There is a statute of limitations for collecting unpaid medical bills that varies in length in different jurisdictions, and the age of the bill in the ...
- 229k
5
votes
What principal of law allows the US federal government to demand that people work without pay?
Employees are only required to work in the sense that refusal to report can result in discipline (like reprimand or firing) and forfeit of whatever money you would have earned had you shown up. This ...
- 24.2k
5
votes
Accepted
Relative vs constant salary in US Employee and contract law
In practice this is rarely done in the US. There have been cases of employment contracts with automatic increases tied to the CPI (Consumer Price Index) or some other measure of inflation -- I believe ...
- 114k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible