Puzzle....Math...Head hurts...please help me solve this puzzle

[masmdu]

a puzzler for you:
 


Three guys rent a hotel room. Charge: $30.
Later, the proprietor decides that they were overcharged.
They should have paid only $25.
So he asks a bellboy to give them $5.
The bellboy gives each of the guys $1, and keeps $2 for himself.

OK, so each guy paid $10-$1 for the room--$9.
Three times 9 is $27.
The bellhop kept $2.
$27 plus $2 is $29.

Here's the question: WHERE'S THE MISSING $1?

[LearnedHand]

1. Account for it a different way:

$30 - $3 = $27 (refund to guys)

$27 - $2 = $25 (what the bellhop kept)

Everything adds up!

On edit: OR...

$25 (room) + $2 (bellhop's tip) + $3 (refund) = $30

[Wonk]

2. The room was $25, the "tip" was $2, that equals $27. Simple. nt

[Kenneth ken]

3. it isn't missing

paid $30
refunded $3
stolen by bellhop $2.

$30 - $3 - $2 = $25.

If they had been charged properly at the first, they each would have paid $8.3333333 not $9.00

[Catch22Dem]

4. Odd way of asking the question

It's a trick question. You said:
Three times 9 is $27.
The bellhop kept $2.
But the problem is, the $2 the bellhop kept is included in the $27. It's all good.