I knew this stuff would start happening when fast food joints started taking credit/debit cards. The moral to this story is obvious: Pay Cash! Or at least use a credit card. Throw the debit card in the trash where it belongs.

4 Burgers At Burger King for $4,334.33 — Takes Days To Resolve

A quick meal at George Beane’s neighborhood Burger King ended up costing a lot more than he expected when he got the $4,334.33 bill.

Beane ordered two Whopper Jr.s and two Rodeo cheeseburgers when he pulled up to the drive-through window last week. The cashier, however, forgot that she’d entered the $4.33 charge on his debit card and punched in the numbers again without erasing the original ones — thus creating a four-figure bill.

The electronic charge went through to George and Pat Beane’s checking account Tuesday and left the couple penniless. Their mortgage payment was due and they worried checks they had written would bounce, Pat Beane said.

“We were thinking, ‘No, not now!'” she said of the overcharge.

Terri Woody, the restaurant manager, said Burger King officials tried to get the charge refunded. But the bank said the funds were on a three-day hold and could not be released, Pat Beane said.