‘It sounded like an AI or robot taking the order’: Checker’s charges customer $5 for adding whipped cream to vanilla milkshake. That’s more than the cost of the milkshake


A Checker’s customer blasted the fast-food restaurant for a $5 upcharge just for adding an additional topping to a dessert.

In a viral TikTok that has over 8,900 views, user Sar Danielle (@quesaradilla) showed viewers a receipt to prove she was charged an exorbitant amount just to add whipped cream to her milkshake.

“SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS!!” she implored in the video’s caption. “Perfect example of why you should keep and review your receipts. $5 for whipped cream.”

@quesaradillla SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS!! Perfect example of why you should keep and review your receipts. $5 for whipped cream 😭 I’ll be back for that. #checkers #fyp #receipt #lifehacks ♬ Point Em Out – Lana

The cost of the whipped cream was more than each of the food items on the bill. The actual milkshake cost $4.79 and a medium fries cost $3.59, so the price of the add on seemed especially suspect.

“Yes, I’m pointing you out Checkers,” text overlaid on the video read. “Count your days.”

According to Checker’s online ordering platform, shake “upgrades” (like added fudge or caramel) cost about $0.49. However, whipped cream was not one the online menu’s selection options. The Daily Dot reached out to the Checker’s media contact via email for further information and to verify the cost of the topping.

In the comments section, TikTok users expressed outrage and tried to make sense of the charge.

“That’s wild,” user Glorious_Momma commented.

“What a scam,” user Steven O’Connor added.

However, some offered up an explanation for the cost of the whipped cream.

“The worker probably input the number wrong,” one user said. “I think it’s supposed to be .50.”

“Now that makes sense!” Sar Danielle responded. “It sounded like an AI or robot taking the order.”

Pinning the apparent mistake on a bot may sound far fetched, but it may actually be a possibility. In recent years, fast-food chains announced artificial intelligence would be tested to take drive-thru orders from customers. Though McDonalds’s CEO claimed the company’s AI-powered system had an accuracy rate of 85%, TikTokers have documented instances where the bots get orders all wrong. One TikToker documented an instance in which a bot got her drink order wrong and struggled to rectify the problem.

The Daily Dot contacted Sar Danielle via TikTok comment.

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Source: https://www.dailydot.com/news/checkers-charges-5-dollars-for-whipped-cream/