Philly Today: PLCB Double Charges Many Customers Due to Glitch

One of the PLCB wine stores reportedly affected by the double-charging glitch (File photo)

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When That $20 Box of Wine Becomes $40 at the PLCB Store

I heard from a few readers this week that they were double charged for purchases at Pennsylvania wine and spirits stores in the Philadelphia area. Reports came in from PLCB stores in Flourtown, Roxborough and Lower Merion.

“I called PLCB customer service and they weren’t much help,” one told me, adding that her relative had the same problem at a different state store. “They did admit to a very big problem with overcharging customers late last week and this week.”

So I visited my local state store, which is different than those PLCB locations mentioned, to learn more. An employee at the state store told me that they too had some issues where customers using credit cards were charged twice (and in some cases three times) for purchases.

Shawn Kelly, spokesperson for the PLCB, confirmed the problem on Wednesday night.

“On Monday, we became aware of a payment processing malfunction where some credit card transactions would time out,” he explained. “And occasionally, a double charge would result for the customer.”

Kelly, who said the PLCB quickly resolved the glitch, didn’t tell us exactly how widespread the problem was, though he did offer that the PLCB had received about 50 calls from customers who were charged multiple times for the same purchase. Of course, due to the nature of the issue (your state store receipt itself wouldn’t show that anything was amiss), the only way you would know if you were double charged would be to check your credit card account, which is exactly what I suggest you do.

Kelly said that customers who experienced this problem should contact the PLCB customer service department at 800-332-7522 or via email at ra-lbconsumer@pa.gov so the PLCB can issue a refund. But when I called that same customer service department just before he told me that, the agent told me to dispute the charge with my credit card company. So who knows?

Stop It With the Pumpkin Spice. We Still Have One Week of Summer

I was alarmed to see huge animatronic Halloween decorations at Home Depot a month ago. Then there are all of you who have been mmmm’ing on social media about your pumpkin spice this and that.

Listen. Today is Thursday, September 15th. I know my math skills aren’t the best, but I’m pretty sure that means we have one week of summer left. And the forecast, in addition to the calendar, backs me up on this. We’re in for several glorious days of highs in the 80s. No rain. And the ocean water temperature at the Jersey Shore is still around 74 degrees.

So keep your gaudy Halloween decor and pumpkin spice lattes to yourself for seven more days and enjoy the last bits of Summer 2023 while you can. Before long, you’ll undoubtedly be complaining about how cold it is and freaking out when Cecily Tynan tells you there’s a chance for a whopping three inches of snow.

Delco’s Empire Diner Slammed with $1.3 Million Labor Ruling

On Wednesday, the United States Department of Labor announced that a federal court had ordered the people who run Delco’s Empire Diner to pay more than $1.3 million in back wages and damages to more than 100 employees. That’s because the diner had been illegally taking money from the servers’ tip pool and using the cash to pay the bussers’ wages. (An attorney representing Empire Diner did not immediately return a call seeking comment.)

“Tipped workers in the food services industry rely on their hard-earned tips to make ends meet,” said a Department of Labor official in a statement. “By diverting a portion of these tips, restaurant employers violate federal labor laws and harm workers and their families.”

$1.3 million? That’s a lot of pancakes.

You can read all about the decision here.

City Chops Down Philadelphia Brewing Company’s Hops

Every year, Philadelphia Brewing Company grows its own hops in a local garden for a popular seasonal beer. Alas, fans of that beer will have to wait until 2023 for the next batch. You can blame the city.

The hops garden initially received a violation from the city for overgrown weeds. But when an inspector came out and learned that these weeds were actually hops for use by the small business (there’s a sign there saying as much), he reportedly gave them the OK. Unfortunately, the city still cut the non-weeds down due to what the city chalks up to a “miscommunication and staff error.”

Philadelphia Brewing Company says it’s out more than $10,000 in lost revenue. The city says it’s trying to figure out how to make the matter right.

Jimmy Kimmel Apologizes to Quinta Brunson for Emmys Stunt

In case you missed the Emmys on Monday night (most people did), not only did you miss Sheryl Lee Ralph’s incredible acceptance song-speech. You also missed Quinta Brunson accepting the Emmy for her writing on the Philly-set hit Abbott Elementary. And you also missed Jimmy Kimmel’s antics during her acceptance speech. He laid down on the stage in front of her. And he just stayed there. Kimmel received lots of criticism for this.

Well, on Wednesday night, Brunson appeared on Kimmel’s late-night show. And she got the apology everybody thought she deserved. You can watch it below:

And from the Sports Desk…

It was more good news/bad news for the Phils last night.

Bad news first. The game started out sluggish as the Marlins (the Phils only play the Marlins anymore, apparently) scored a run in the first. The most excitement in the early going for the Phils came when Rhys Hoskins was hit in the hand by a pitch from Edward Cabrera in the third. Hoskins initially stayed in the game but left to have x-rays taken an inning later, with the prospect of a third straight late-season injury looming for him. (They were negative, thank heaven.)

That was about it for the Phils until the sixth, when Bryce Harper smacked an opposite-field homer to tie the game. That was immediately followed by another homer, this one by J.T. Realmuto, putting us up by one. And the inning just kept giving, as Jean Segura doubled with two outs to score Bryson Stott, who’d singled, to make it 3-1. The seventh proved generous as well, with the Phils scoring three more, though the number of pitching changes for the Marlins was numbing.

And speaking of pitching changes, Zach Eflin took the mound in the eighth for the first time since late June, wearing a knee brace, and got three outs on 11 pitches. Yay! Kyle Gibson pitched six strong innings, and Hand, Brogdon and Eflin held the line for him in the 6-1 win.

This could really happen, people. Maybe. Kind of. Please. Let’s not jinx it, though. — Sandy Hingston