Edmontonians: Classy people, or classiest people?

[Asher]

For $6000?

This is why I think you have to be stoned.

Of course you call the cops! Unless, of course, you are the guilty party. Then police not so much.

This is ridiculously stupid. Let me show you how stupid this argument is.

If the Oilers thought they were being ripped off $6000, why didn't THEY call the police? Unless, of course, you are the guilty party. Then police not so much.

[/thread win]

[notyoueither]

If the Oilers did end up leaving the tip they claimed they did, then I expect them to file a slander lawsuit in short order as it would be a slam-dunk case. Somehow I think this will never happen, for obvious reasons.

Yeah, lile every celebrity/athlete sues over these transparent attempts to cash in on free publicity. Or not.

I would laugh my ass off if the NHLPA sues on behalf of the players for defamation though.

But, again, the main point is that the Oilers -- a group with at least 20 multi-millionaires at the table -- were abusive to wait-staff over their unexpectedly high liquor tab. There's absolutely NOTHING to indicate they were being "ripped off" -- the itemized receipts shown to the press show menu prices for every item on the receipt. The restaurant then gave them a discount after the fact, after the Oilers demanded a discount and made a scene. I notice you're not even contesting this last part, instead choosing to focus on attempting to sling mud at Calgary.

Abusive. Only on the words of a self-demonstrated liar.

The fact the bill was written down by $6K shows that they were being scammed. There is no way any pub owner writes that off if a simple call to the constabulary would result in full payment or criminal charges and full restitution through the courts.

[notyoueither]

This is ridiculously stupid. Let me show you how stupid this argument is.

If the Oilers thought they were being ripped off $6000, why didn't THEY call the police? Unless, of course, you are the guilty party. Then police not so much.

[/thread win]

They got the bull reduced to the bill. They did not need to call the cops.

The fact that the players stood their ground when the ****trumpet threatened the poilice tells me a lot.

[Asher]

The fact the bill was written down by $6K shows that they were being scammed.

You can't be serious?

I am not trying to be insulting (in the scope of this one post only ) but it is abundantly clear to me you have not been to many high-end restaurants. Or even many medium-end ones.

You can easily get a lot of stuff written on the bill by contesting it even though it's fair. I've got a couple friends with parents who do this all the time, and it's ****ing embarrassing but they do it. And they almost always get stuff knocked off the bill.

Talk to any waiter who's worked at any reasonably priced restaurant. This kind of stuff happens all the time -- you've got cheap bastards who spend forever trying to squirm their way out of paying for any little thing on the menu. It's often easier to just cave to the customer's demands.

I was at Hy's just the other week with my SO's parents when they got them to charge us for a 1/2 bottle of wine instead of a full one because it was "too bitter". They didn't even really fight it.

[notyoueither]

Actually, if you talk to people who have worked in the industry, they will tell you there are many establishments that will pad bills. This is not uncommon.

What is uncommon is a ******** who decides to try to gain publicity out of a failed attempt to jack up some rich and famous people. All he has done is put up a very large sign in neon letters that says 'stay away, stay far away.'

[Asher]

They got the bull reduced to the bill. They did not need to call the cops.

The fact that the players stood their ground when the ****trumpet threatened the poilice tells me a lot.

It tells you nothing except the owner probably did the math and realized that the NHLPA/Daryl Katz/Oiler organization/multimillionaire players could legally get away with doing whatever the **** they wanted given their money. You act like the police would've done something other than refer the case to a court of law to decide, which no one wants. The Oilers have team lawyers they don't need to pay extra to make this go away, the restaurant would need to spend thousands of dollars retaining a lawyer's service to try to get $6000 out of the Oilers? Come the **** on... That's why the police were not actually called.

This doesn't require deep thinking.

Besides, as my last post indicated, I've already won the thread.

[Asher]

Actually, if you talk to people who have worked in the industry, they will tell you there are many establishments that will pad bills. This is not uncommon.

What is uncommon is a ******** who decides to try to gain publicity out of a failed attempt to jack up some rich and famous people. All he has done is put up a very large sign in neon letters that says 'stay away, stay far away.'

You seem to live in another world tonight. The vast majority of user comments in the news articles around the Canadian newsmedia are highly critical of the Oilers, not the restaurant. It's the Oilers fans who are scoffing and saying "I don't believe it! The Oilers are saints, it must be the restaurant".

Fortunately, this business does not operate in Edmonton.

BTW, are you going to keep ignoring the salient point here? I see you are passively accepting the notion that the Oilers were abusive. You now seem to be defending them for being abusive because you see the restaurant owner as a scammer. This is what this thread is all about: the class of Edmontonians.

[notyoueither]

Seriously. Athletes cause all sorts of mayhem, all the time. The proprietors of said scenes of mayhem contact the club and it gets made right.

If this guy had a leg to stand on, he would have got his $6K by placing a call to the cops, or that and a bit more by calling the Oilers management assuming he had a legitimate complaint.

I don't see him getting anything other than lost business from the way he handled it. Pretty ****ing stupid, if you ask me. But then he is in Calgary.

[notyoueither]

It tells you nothing except the owner probably did the math and realized that the NHLPA/Daryl Katz/Oiler organization/multimillionaire players could legally get away with doing whatever the **** they wanted given their money. You act like the police would've done something other than refer the case to a court of law to decide, which no one wants. The Oilers have team lawyers they don't need to pay extra to make this go away, the restaurant would need to spend thousands of dollars retaining a lawyer's service to try to get $6000 out of the Oilers? Come the **** on... That's why the police were not actually called.

This doesn't require deep thinking.

Besides, as my last post indicated, I've already won the thread.

It's called theft. They charge you. If you are a merchant and you are right, you call the cops.

[Asher]

Seriously. Athletes cause all sorts of mayhem, all the time.

Doesn't make it okay.

If this guy had a leg to stand on, he would have got his $6K by placing a call to the cops

Again, any tiny bit of critical thought here shows you why it was not done. The legal costs to extract any money whatsoever out of very wealthy people and organizations are massive, in excess of $6,000. Calling the cops would've done them nothing but given each a court date. Even if the restaurant won the court case, they'd have to pay legal costs which would more than negate the winnings.

The cops do not have authority to tell one party to pay the other. There's nothing to be gained by calling the cops in this case. If they call the cops, it's going to court anyway and it'll be in the media.

[Asher]

It's called theft. They charge you. If you are a merchant and you are right, you call the cops.

Are you ****ing serious? The vast majority of merchants don't even charge shoplifters. Why? It's more expensive to do so than to just catch them in the act and ban them from entering in the future.

It is NOT theft if it's a "our word against theirs" situation. The Oilers can say "we expected the billing to be done per bottle", the restaurant can claim this was never agreed, then the cops say "a judge can decide" and that's that.

You very clearly have no understanding of how the Canadian legal system works.

[notyoueither]

You seem to live in another world tonight. The vast majority of user comments in the news articles around the Canadian newsmedia are highly critical of the Oilers, not the restaurant. It's the Oilers fans who are scoffing and saying "I don't believe it! The Oilers are saints, it must be the restaurant".

Fortunately, this business does not operate in Edmonton.

BTW, are you going to keep ignoring the salient point here? I see you are passively accepting the notion that the Oilers were abusive. You now seem to be defending them for being abusive because you see the restaurant owner as a scammer. This is what this thread is all about: the class of Edmontonians.

You seem to be having a problem with reading. Here, let me help you.

Abusive. Only on the words of a self-demonstrated liar.

[Asher]

I am clearly no match for your circular logic. It is impenetrable. Congratulations.

For homework, look up the word "demonstrate" in the dictionary (if you can find one in Edmonton?)

Then think about what you'd need to demonstrate that the man was a liar. For starters, you would need to see the original, signed "merchant copy" that whoever paid for the dinner signed and filled a tip out on. Considering no one has seen this in this thread, you have a remarkably weak definition of "demonstrate" in addition to your remarkably week understanding of the Canadian justice system.

[notyoueither]

Doesn't make it okay.


Again, any tiny bit of critical thought here shows you why it was not done. The legal costs to extract any money whatsoever out of very wealthy people and organizations are massive, in excess of $6,000. Calling the cops would've done them nothing but given each a court date. Even if the restaurant won the court case, they'd have to pay legal costs which would more than negate the winnings.

The cops do not have authority to tell one party to pay the other. There's nothing to be gained by calling the cops in this case. If they call the cops, it's going to court anyway and it'll be in the media.

They have the authority to lay charges.

That cuts through the bull**** pretty quick in most cases, especially those involving people who travel back and forth to the US for a living earning millions of dollars.

Think about it for a second.

[Asher]

They have the authority to lay charges.

aka, drag the case out into a lawyer battle in the court system for months on end.

Think about it for a second.

Yes. Let's think why a small, family-owned restaurant may be hesitant to go head-to-head with the combined lawyers of the NHLPA, multi-millionaire players, the Edmonton Oilers, and potentially even a billionaire in Daryl Katz. Why would they not want to go down the legal battle route?

As a sidenote, it's my understanding that this would be a civil/tort issue (and not 'theft' as you keep mumbling). The room was booked by the Oilers in advance and it becomes a civil issue as one side claims the other agreed something, and the other disagrees. They would certainly not be charged with 'theft', particularly if the Oilers never left the premises.