How would you react if a bar treated your beer like a bank treats your money? That was the question asked by currency exchange start-up TransferWise in a hidden camera stunt filmed at a London hostelry.
The prank video shows a bar tender pulling pints for customers and then taking a scoop off the top for himself. The camera tracks the astonished reactions of punters as the barman gets progressively drunk on the surcharge.
"It's all in the terms and conditions," he tells one indignant customer.
The video received a mixed reaction on YouTube, with one viewer asking: "Isn't this what TransferWise does? Except instead of taking a gulp, they take a sip."
The three-year old start-up claims to have handled £1 billion in foreign currency transfers on behalf of users, who side-step bank fees by performing peer-to-peer currency exchanges at the mid-market rate. The new numbers mark an eightfold increase in transfers since last May, when PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel led a $6 million investment round with Valar Ventures.
The firm, which launched an iOS app six months ago, has just released an Android version for on-the-go currency services.