Overview
- Inspectors visited Miches y Litros Una y Ya after an anonymous complaint and on Monday found a 20% tip added automatically to customers' bills, prompting health and consumer authorities to place two suspension seals that bar the business from operating.
- Profeco reiterated that tips in Mexico are voluntary and said businesses cannot add or demand service charges without consent, warning that violations can bring fines ranging from a few hundred pesos to more than 3 million pesos.
- The verification also uncovered unclear promotion terms and gaps in commercial information along with sanitary compliance failures, all of which must be corrected before the suspension can be lifted.
- Profeco told consumers to check receipts, ask for unauthorized charges to be removed, keep tickets as evidence and file formal complaints through its hotlines or Concilianet, and the agency said it will continue spot inspections of eateries and bars.
- The case follows earlier Profeco operations in Puebla and other states and highlights a persistent practice of suggested or automatic service charges in some restaurants and tourist areas that can expose businesses to sanctions and customers to unfair billing.