How to deal with poor service

[DisneyWannabee]

This year we will be mostly dining as a party of 7 (we have free DDP for our first week) - now I know gratuity of 18% will be automatically added to every table service, but (as we have on occassion experienced) what if the service is poor? What action should we take? and at what point? - I really dislike making a fuss, but I also do not want to leave (as we have previously) feeling like we have been mugged because we felt compelled to leave 18% tip.

What would you all consider a standard service and a sub standard?

For me, I feel that the minimum service to warrant the tip should be:

to be greeted pleasantly and swiftly, offered drinks immediately, our order to be taken and to be given undivided attention when doing so, to have our food all brought at the same time, and any issues dealt with quickly, drinks to be refilled without asking (unless they are charged extra, when being asked is needed), to be left to enjoy our meal without having the plates whipped away or constantly being badgered, table cleared swiftly when finished, and bill brought when requested.

Do I expect too much?

 

[Laurafoster]

This year we will be mostly dining as a party of 7 (we have free DDP for our first week) - now I know gratuity of 18% will be automatically added to every table service, but (as we have on occassion experienced) what if the service is poor? What action should we take? and at what point? - I really dislike making a fuss, but I also do not want to leave (as we have previously) feeling like we have been mugged because we felt compelled to leave 18% tip.

What would you all consider a standard service and a sub standard?

For me, I feel that the minimum service to warrant the tip should be:

to be greeted pleasantly and swiftly, offered drinks immediately, our order to be taken and to be given undivided attention when doing so, to have our food all brought at the same time, and any issues dealt with quickly, drinks to be refilled without asking (unless they are charged extra, when being asked is needed), to be left to enjoy our meal without having the plates whipped away or constantly being badgered, table cleared swiftly when finished, and bill brought when requested.

Do I expect too much?

IMO you just know if service has been good or not. I also wouldnt always assume they will automatically refill your drink without asking first. Free refills or not i find they normally check that you actually want it first.

If your not happy with your level with service you should speak with either the server or the manager and ask them to reduce the tip - or remove completely if it was really poor.

 

[scoobydooby]

Expecting the undivided attention of the server is a bit unreasonable. They are serving more than one table at once. I wouldn't stress about it. I've eaten about 100 table service meals at Disney now and only once had to speak to a manger about poor service where I was not prepared to leave 20% tip. Chances are all your meals will warrant the standard 18% tip, which is standard at all TS places that are not buffets in or outside of Disney. 18% is the standard minimum tip whether added automatically to your bill or not.

 

[DisneyWannabee]

Sorry I maybe was not clear, I only meant undivided attention when taking our order - we had an occasion in applebees where the server was talking to another table whilst "trying" to take our order - no guesses that what we got was not what we requested.

 

[DisneyWannabee]

IMO you just know if service has been good or not. I also wouldnt always assume they will automatically refill your drink without asking first. Free refills or not i find they normally check that you actually want it first.

If your not happy with your level with service you should speak with either the server or the manager and ask them to reduce the tip - or remove completely if it was really poor.

I don't mind being asked if we wanted refills, but would you consider that a basic service?

The bit about speaking with the server, is the bit I will struggle with (DH doesn't join us til a week later, and normally he would speak up), because we had such a bad experience in Applebees, it kind of puts me off, as after explaining to the server we were not happy, she threw a strop, throwing our food on the table, muttering about "us Brits" - DH ended up speaking with the Manager, but not before the whole restaurant was staring in our direction - this is where I will have a problem you see.

I know its not "done", but I would prefer to leave quietly leaving, say $1 tip to show my dissatisfaction. However, I have read that some servers have been known to follow you out :

I feel quite confident that in WDW I will be ok, but just wondered if there was a way of dealing with these things without a big hoo haa iyswim?

 

[wilma-bride]

If you don't feel able to speak up then there is probably not much you can do as the gratuity will be included automatically so you would need to speak to a manager to have it removed (otherwise, technically, you are not paying the check) - if you are a party of 7 would somebody else not be able to say something?

Don't take this the wrong way but you are speaking as if you are expecting to get poor service and I think that going in with a negative attitude will probably mean you are more sensitive to things anyway. We have always had pretty good service most places at WDW (Kona Café is the only place where we had sub-par service and that was more to do with long waits for placing the order, getting the check etc.). Unless a server was either rude to me, completely ignored me for the duration of my meal or got pretty much everything wrong, I would not be reducing the gratuity anyway. If we get the kind of attentive service you are talking about - drinks refilled without asking, checking back on us, little extras - that would earn an additional tip over and above the included 18%.

Please don't worry, I am sure it will be fine. However, if you do have a problem, speak up as soon as you are unhappy, which will give the server time to correct things. If it doesn't improve, then ask to speak to a manager before you pay the check and tell them you would like the gratuity removed/reduced.

 

[DisneyWannabee]

Sorry if I come across negative, I am not really, I doubt that I will have to complain, but wondered if maybe there was a more discreet way of dealing with it if it did happen, that I hadn't considered.

There will only be me and my friend and our children the first week, and we are both of a similar nature lol.

I suppose my anxiety comes from that one horrendous episode, and I was completely mortified, not something I would like to have to deal with alone.

Thank you.

 

[wilma-bride]

Sorry if I come across negative, I am not really, I doubt that I will have to complain, but wondered if maybe there was a more discreet way of dealing with it if it did happen, that I hadn't considered.

There will only be me and my friend and our children the first week, and we are both of a similar nature lol.

I suppose my anxiety comes from that one horrendous episode, and I was completely mortified, not something I would like to have to deal with alone.

Thank you.

You didn't come across negative, I was just trying to say try not to worry about it until (if) it happens. Applebees is very different to WDW restaurants - I really don't think you will have the same issues you've described anywhere on WDW property

 

[Toryn]

There is a totally different attitude towards tipping in the USA compared to the UK It is seen as a right in the US because the employer can. deduct the amount they think the server earns in tips from the servers wages So the server sees tips as a right Which goes against our way of thinking And the situation turns into catch 22 they can be surly towards us because they think we don't tip well and then we DON'T tip well because they don't give us the right service

 

[gavvy]

I know that inside Disney no server will follow you out if you leave a dollar tip- they are not supposed to even tell you how to tip. If you have a problem with the server or service I would go direct to a manager say your unhappy, you probably then find you will get a new server.

I left a dollar tip in the Hard rock in New York many years ago and got followed out by the server, it was a shock and i've never been back there.

Its a shame that some of servers hear the Brit accent and automatically write us off as a non tipper, I don't think we have a great image in restaurants.

One thing to consider is if the food is bad its not really the servers fault, its how they deal with it afterwards that's important. I had a steak in the Yatchmans a few months ago and I hated it, I told the server who sprang into action and got me a new meal in less than 10 min that to me that is v good service and I ended up tipping extra- even though I did not end up eating at the same time as my partner.

 

[Cyrano]

In 5 trips I have only ever had to call out one server for poor service .... at Hollywood and Vine.
I asked for the gratuity to be removed and left $1. The server questioned this and preceded to state the need for the 18% tip.
My family left me to deal with this which was fine I said to get a manager and I would explain what the server had done (nor done) to warrant this tip.

No surprise the server completed the transaction and moved on to the next table.

As a past waiter; who in the UK had a different expectation on tips, I can safely say that waiting staff have fully earned their tips

 

[LeaversOnTour]

I hate the automatic 18% for this very reason.

Dont get me wrong if its warranted then it should and would be duly given. But I also feel that some servers on the basis they know no matter how shoddy the service they will get 18% do NOT go out of their way to provide GOOD service.

On one occasion in Chefs de France as a party of 6 (which by the way included 2 infants another of my bug bears) and having been sat at a table for 4 out waitress was rude, ignorant, got our food wrong and was generally just not very nice to deal with I refused to leave 18% - I explained to her that whilst i would leave a tip her service in no way warranted 18% and therefore she wouldnt be getting it.

I say ALWAYS pay cash ! We never have our room key "chargable" and always pay cash. This way even if they asked for it they cant "cheat" it out of you! But always explain why u feel the service didnt warrant it.

We did a similar thing in Hollywood and Vine where we saw our server once when she asked what drinks we wanted and then 10 mins later when we had to "remind" her we hadnt had them yet!

Only once did we not leave a tip because of bad service but that was in TGI's on I drive was the worst meal - My steak had to be sent back 3 times and them Hubbie found a sticker in his food! Server thought it was funny!! We left without paying for food or the drinks we'd had and the manager was told if he felt her service warranted a tip he should tip her himself - My hubbie doesnt suffer fools gladly !!

 

[RDP]

Tipping can be a minefield, we pay whatever is appropriate at the time. It is rarely an issue as on the whole the service is good and generally far above what you experience in the UK. Our only experience of being told ‘How’ to tip in Disney was at V&A’s at the GF, they presented us with a printed card that outlined the suggested rate to tip with the bill (This somewhat took away from the overall experience of this $370 meal for two) However I am prepared to listened to the argument that Disney see lots of people, different cultures, first timers etc that benefit from a little guidance on how to tip. I am very happy to adapt to the tipping culture for my 2 weeks of Disney bliss!

 

[meggiebeth]

In my Brit Guide for 2011, it says that servers are taxed based on receiving 15% tips so I don't think it's fair we were pushed to tip 18%.

Has tipping gone up since then? We are planning to tip 15% with the exception of buffets. I hope this is okay.

If a server isn't good, or is just average, I find it hard to tip them anything. We tipped 10% for mediocre servers last time and felt bad. Does anyone do this?

Meg~ Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[wilma-bride]

In my Brit Guide for 2011

I think this says it all - you do know we're in 2013, don't you? I would say that 15-20% is now the 'going rate' for TS meals. We tend to lean more towards the 20% unless we get basic, polite service with no 'over and above' and then we lean more towards 15%

TBH, we tend to 'round up' the bill to an even amount, purely because I find it easier to keep track of spending on our Fairfx card that way so sometimes we'll be more towards 20% just because it's a 'rounder' number. Disney used to (I don't know if they still do) present a check with a 'suggested' tip amount for both 15% and 18%. Parties of 6 or more (or those using TIW) will have an automatic tip of 18% included. That isn't to say that the included tip can't be reduced or removed if the level of service warrants it.

However, going back to my first point, the Brits Guide for 2011 isn't exactly a good reference point for present day tipping. I'm not sure what Brits Guide 2013 has to say on the subject but, without knowing, I would still say that 18% us a reasonable amount for good service.

 

[DCLMan]

For waiters at sit-down restaurants, bartenders, barbers/hairdressers/attendants at beauty salons, taxi drivers, tour guides, and food delivery folks, the tip should be calculated as a percentage of your total bill as follows: 10% usually means you are very unhappy, 15% usually means all was ok, 20% for excellent, 25% for outstanding. 15% and over is considered "normal".

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g191-s606/United-States:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html




I think 15% is a more realistic figure, I think Disney suggest the extra 3-5% as a bonus for their staff. I always tip 15% in offsite restaurants.

 

[maggs]

I always tip 20% but will leave less (never under 15%) if I feel that the service isn't quite up to scratch. Knowing that the servers are taxed on expected tips, I know that leaving less leaves them out of pocket. I have never found poor service in WDW , except at Coral Reef and Ohana. We have been going to WDW for 14 years
Factoring into our spending what is needed for tips is something everyone needs to do beforehand. Im just so glad to get such great service in Orlando and to see happy smiling servers who really know what good service is.

Mags

 

[joolz1910]

The service we received from every restaurant certainly warranted the 18% tip. Some servers went above and beyond and we tipped more. I estimated how much we would spend on meals and budgeted for tips before we went.
The only problem we had was at Olivia's because the food came so slowly, but that wasn't the server's fault, do she got her 18% tip.

 

[Danauk]

We are planning to tip 15% with the exception of buffets.

I was always told that a tip of $2-5 was expected at buffets (for 2 adults.) We always leave this as the servers there do clear your plates and top drinks up for you so they are providing a service. I believe 20% is the expected standard now in the USA.

 

[scoobydooby]

In my Brit Guide for 2011, it says that servers are taxed based on receiving 15% tips so I don't think it's fair we were pushed to tip 18%.

Has tipping gone up since then? We are planning to tip 15% with the exception of buffets. I hope this is okay.

If a server isn't good, or is just average, I find it hard to tip them anything. We tipped 10% for mediocre servers last time and felt bad. Does anyone do this?

Meg~ Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Why do you find it hard to tip an average server anything? What is a mediocre server? Their basic job is to get your order right, bring it out in a timely manner, answer menu queries and refill your drinks all whilst been polite. I'm not entirely sure what else some people on this board are expecting?!

And no. I would never tip 10%. As is well rehearsed over several threads the tip is part of the salary effectively and 18% is the standard. If service doesn't warrant that based on reasonable expectations you should be speaking to a manager.