Family shopping for hotdogs at Christmas market mortified after vendor’s £618 mistake
Laura Brumpton, 34, and her husband Alan, 37, were enjoying a festive outing to a Christmas market when they decided to treat their children to two hotdogs – but they got a shock when they checked their bank balance
A family were left gobsmacked after they were charged a whopping £600 for what they’ve labelled as ‘the UK’s most expensive hotdogs’ at a Christmas market.
Laura Brumpton, 34, and her husband Alan, 37, were enjoying a festive day out in Nottingham when they decided to treat their kids to two hotdogs.
However, the couple got the shock of their lives when Alan, without checking the amount, tapped his phone on the card reader, and was debited an eye-watering £618 instead of the expected £18. The stallholder quickly realised the mistake and promised them a £600 refund, but Laura reveals that they’re still waiting for the accidental charge to be reversed.
The frustrated mum from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, took to TikTok to share her outrage, posting a video of the hotdog vendor processing the refund which has since gone viral with over four million views. In the clip, the viewer hears the regretful vendor announcing the £600 refund, with Laura showing off the shocking receipt.
TikTok users had a field day with the incident, with some demanding a full refund due to the inconvenience caused, while another joker commented it was still a ‘bargain’ for Christmas market food.
A TikTok video has sparked a viral reminder to ‘always check’ your bill after a North Lincolnshire woman got the shock of her life paying for hotdogs. She said: “They were the most expensive hotdogs ever. I was very shocked. I just couldn’t believe it. £18 just for two hotdogs is a lot of money as well.”
The unsuspecting shopper’s husband had tapped to pay without glancing at the total, resulting in a whopping £618 debit from their account instead of £18.
Laura explained: “My husband just got his phone on Apple Pay and just tapped it. I don’t even know if he looked at it. Just a habit of tap and she was like ‘oh my god, I’m sorry’. It was £618. He checked his bank and it went straight away. I thought it would bounce straight away. I did think there was a £100 limit. I jokingly said ‘does that mean we get free sausages for the rest of the year’.
“I thought ‘if I don’t laugh about it…'”, she recounted. The mum-of-two, Laura, who runs Isle Clean, revealed they are still awaiting the promised refund.
Laura said: “The vendor was very apologetic. It was an honest mistake. She said ‘I can give you a refund. It should take about an hour’. But it’s still not there now. It’s a lot of money to be missing just before Christmas as well.”
Meanwhile, Ryley, 14, and Florence, 10, thoroughly enjoyed the hotdogs anyway.
The mum fumed: “It’s just typical of our family. We have a lot of bad luck. And around this time of year. It’s a bit of a thing – don’t go out the house because anything could happen around Christmas.”
She added: “We were still charged for the sausages. I thought, especially because it was for the kids, I thought they’d at least get a free sausage. It was just a very expensive family day out. The kids actually said they tasted good.”
