A Virginia mother was shocked to find an $88 charge on her bank statement after buying four plain vanilla ice creams from a National Mall food truck in Washington, D.C. 

Melissa Hayes,  who was visiting the nation’s capital with her two daughters on Sunday, recounted how the vendor at the truck with a surprisingly short line avoided stating the price before charging her. 

She ordered four vanilla ice cream cones and immediately asked for the price.

‘I said, “Can I get 4 ice cream cones vanilla?” and I said, “How much is that?” and he just turned around and started doing, you know, getting it together,’ she told 9News.

As he handed her the ice cream, Hayes repeated her question about the price. 

However, the vendor took her card and swiped it without responding, seemingly overwhelmed by the crowd. 

He returned the card, and Hayes, assuming he was simply busy and frustrated, took the cups (as they had no cones) and left. 

Hayes only realized the exorbitant cost of $22 per cup later, expressing her outrage at the unexpected expense for such unremarkable ice cream.

A Virginia mother was shocked to find an $88 charge on her bank statement after buying four plain vanilla ice creams from a National Mall food truck in Washington, D.C.

Melissa Hayes, visiting with her family on Sunday, recounted how the vendor at the truck with a surprisingly short line avoided stating the price before charging her card

‘I was pissed. I, you know, was thinking maybe it was a mistake. I got my receipt and started Googling like the invoice name trying to find him,’ she explained.

Her daughter, Ace Denton, was equally shocked.

‘My jaw dropped,’ Denton said. ‘It would have to have a lot of fancy stuff on it to be $22.’

‘I wish it was the best ice cream ever. It wasn’t, or it would have made me feel a little bit better,’ Hayes added.

Sam, a food truck vendor near the National Mall, expressed his disappointment upon learning of Hayes’ experience. 

He stated his own price for ice cream is $7, labeling anything higher as ‘robbing people’ and detrimental to honest businesses. 

The D.C. Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) also weighed in on the issue.

‘That is an exorbitant fee, even in a high-demand time, even on the National Mall,’ said Tiffany Crowe, the department’s director.

The D.C. Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) also weighed in, with Director Tiffany Crowe calling the $88 charge “an exorbitant fee,” even for the National Mall’s environment. Pictured: A stock photo of an ice cream truck, not the one that served Hayes, giving ice cream to serving customers

Pictured: Food trucks lined up along the National Mall

Crowe emphasized that food truck vendors are required to clearly display their prices to avoid misleading customers.

‘Going to the National Mall and visiting a food truck has been part of the culture for a lot of families for many years,’ Crowe said. ‘We absolutely want people to recognize that there’s a difference between a vendor who is operating within the law and one who is not.’  

Since the incident, Hayes has been sharing her experience as a warning to others. Meanwhile, Sam urged fellow vendors to be transparent about their prices.

‘Don’t make it difficult for us. Don’t rob people. Don’t scam people,’ Sam said.

Hayes also offered a word of caution.

‘I just wanted to make people aware…make sure you’re asking the price up front, get it, even if they’re busy, make sure you’re getting that price, make sure you’re getting a receipt.,’ she said. ‘I failed to do that, so I kind of, you know, took it as shame on me — lesson learned.’

In a positive turn of events, Hayes’s social media post about the incident led to an act of kindness from Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream in Arlington, who gifted her family free ice cream vouchers. 

The D.C. government is also taking the issue seriously, encouraging those with similar experiences to submit an official complaint.