My dad added a few thousand dollars...

[Silverobama]

The following conversation took place between my friend and me.

Hook: You don't look happy. What's wrong?
Silver: Long story.
Hook: Make it short. Perhaps I can give you some suggestions.
Silver: My dad added a few thousand dollars into a buffet restaurant and they disappeared in the thin air with the money.
Hook: Huh? How so?
Silver: Two years ago, my parents and many relatives ate in a buffet restaurant. The restaurant said if paying 3,000 yuan at one go, there would be two people ate for free. Then my dad added 3,000 yuan to the restaurant. A few days ago, my parents wanted to eat there again and found that the restaurant has disappeared!
Hook: Sorry to hear that. Try call the police.

Is the italic sentence okay?

 

[emsr2d2]

My dad added invested a few thousand dollars into in a buffet restaurant and they disappeared in the into thin air with the money.

I'm not sure if it was actually an investment but that's a better verb than "added".

Two years ago, my parents and many a large group of relatives ate in a buffet restaurant. The restaurant said if paying they paid 3,000 yuan at one go there and then/straight away, there would be two people ate would be able to eat for free in future. Then My dad added paid them 3,000 yuan. to the restaurant. A few days ago, my parents wanted to eat there again and found that the restaurant has disappeared!

You needed to make it clear that paying 3,000 yuan didn't mean that two people in that party would get their food for free that day. The restaurant owners were asking for payment against a future visit.

Hook: Sorry to hear that. Try calling the police.

 

[Silverobama]

You needed to make it clear that paying 3,000 yuan didn't mean that two people in that party would get their food for free that day. The restaurant owners were asking for payment against a future visit.

Sorry, I intended to mean that by paying the 3,000 yuan that day, two people in that party would get the food for free because that was the discount of paying 3,000 yuan. Paying 1,000 yuan could get a gift at that time, my dad told me.

My dad invested a few thousand dollars in a buffet restaurant and they disappeared into thin air with the money.

All was done online. They had an account online and then my dad use his credit card to pay 3,000 yuan in the account and then the restaurant disappeared, without giving my dad's money back. Based on this explanation, do I need to change something in the italic sentence? Or I can just use the current version?

 

[5jj]

a few thousand dollars

3,000 yuan to the restaurant.

3000 yuan is closer to $400 than to a few thousand dollars

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm still confused. On the day that your parents ate there with the group of relatives, did anyone get their food for free at the end of the meal?

 

[emsr2d2]

3000 yuan is closer to $400 than to a few thousand dollars

Good point. I missed that. Perhaps it was meant to open with "a few thousand yuan".

 

[Silverobama]

I'm still confused. On the day that your parents ate there with the group of relatives, did anyone get their food for free at the end of the meal?

Hmm, two of them get the buffet for free because my dad "invested" the money. Any customer would get two free tickets if they invested 3,000 or more than 3,000 yuan.

3000 yuan is closer to $400 than to a few thousand dollars

Thanks a lot for pointing this out. I made a mistake there.

Good point. I missed that. Perhaps it was meant to open with "a few thousand yuan".

Thanks a lot.

I changed the "dollars" to "yuan". Is the sentence okay now?

My dad invested a few thousand yuan in a buffet restaurant and they disappeared into thin air with the money.

 

[Tarheel]

@Silverobama In my humble opinion you need to stop using the word "free". Clearly, nothing was free. They didn't give anything away. Indeed, it was more like the opposite.

 

[Skrej]

@Tarheel I think that's exactly the point of this scam. The scammers are trying to make it seem like you're getting some kind of deal or "free" meal, when all you've actually done is pay an exorbitant price for a meal you'll never even receive.

While I agree it wasn't 'free', since he's relaying the story and sales pitch as it was presented to his dad, I don't think there's anything wrong with using 'free'. If I were typing the story, I'd put quotes around free, or maybe use air quotes if telling the story in person.

@Silverobama While 'invested' works here, since this was a scam or at the very least a bad investment, you could use some other words with negative connotations like 'dumped', 'poured','sank', or 'blew (followed by the proposition 'on' instead of 'into'). There are some other verbs you could use as well, but those are some that come to mind.