18% Automatic Gratuity & Bad Service ?

[mamawanavacation]

We have the DDP for our upcoming trip. We are a family of 7 so we will have the automatic 18% gratuity. I was just reading the Ohana review of so many people having lousy service. So it got me thinking, it doesn't seem fair that we would have to pay a terrible server 18% for barely doing anything and making our meal a miserable experience. Is there a way to have the tip adjusted accordingly in extreme situations at the restaurants at WDW? Most of the restaurants where we live don't charge an automatic gratuity unless you are a party of 8.

Thank you,
Jan

 

[rgf207]

If you have terrible service, you should speak to a manager. They can have the tip reduced or removed

 

[lilsweetpea]

Please take reviews on this website with a grain of salt. It is much more common for people to post complaints than to post good remarks. We were just at Ohana in the beginning of January and it was great! If you have a problem, speak with a manager.

 

[Allensfan]

I would try not to go into a dining experience expecting to get bad service...it may not give the person waiting on you a fair shake. Go and enjoy and if for some reason you are not happy with your service, then I would make it an issue.

 

[beroh2253]

We went last Sept. that was during the free DDP for 9 nights. The wait staff at every restaurant was great. At Ohana they didn't stop bringing us food, we had to say no thanks to some of the items because they were coming around the the food alot. No complaints here.

 

[mamawanavacation]

Oh don't get me wrong. We still have reservations at Ohana and I look forward to them. I was just referencing that other Ohana thread because it reminded me to ask what I could do about the automatic tip if service was bad at any of the restaurants we go to at the World. I've yet to be at a restaurant that had gratuity automatically added on, so I'm unsure of how it's the norm to contest that tip if needed. We're all for tipping and tip very well and very very well when deserved, but also tip less to none when deserved. But if the tip is already there and it's not deserved, what do you do? Thanks!

 

[JennyDrake]

It is my very feeble understanding from another board that unless you speak to a manager and have it reduced, either your credit card or your room key/credit card will be billed for the full 18%.
Specifically O'Hana--we had very, very mediocre service there. I think it can just depend on the server you get and what kind of "night" the place is having. I would not let it stop me from trying it if I were you.

 

[mdoc]

You can always ask for a manager and request that the 18% automatic gratuity be removed. I know that doesn't work for us, though. We were at Boma during T'giving week and had what was without a doubt the worst service I'd ever experienced at a restaurant. We were a party of 8, so an 18% gratuity was added. If I'd been there without DH, I would have asked for a manager - the service was THAT bad. However, it was late, the kids were tired, DH is non-confrontational and he just wanted to get out of there and put the whole miserable experience behind us. He was not willing to invest another minute of our vacation on righting a wrong. So our server got a very undeserved 18% tip. Seriously, she deserved no tip at all. DH is generally a VERY generous tipper (he's tipped more than the check for exceptional service) and even he felt cheated, but not enough to actually do something about it.

 

[mom2my3kids]

Go in with a good attitude and I am sure you will get good service. If you happen to get bad service then talk to a manager and see what he can do. We are arriving in October while we are not on the dining plan we are eating at a few TS spots and there will be a total of 6 of us. I don't have a problem with the 18% added on and if I get horrible service I will complain not much more you can do about it.

 

[mamawanavacation]

Oh don't get me wrong. We still have reservations at Ohana and I look forward to them. I was just referencing that other Ohana thread because it reminded me to ask what I could do about the automatic tip if service was bad at any of the restaurants we go to at the World. I've yet to be at a restaurant that had gratuity automatically added on, so I'm unsure of how it's the norm to contest that tip if needed. We're all for tipping and tip very well and very very well when deserved, but also tip less to none when deserved. But if the tip is already there and it's not deserved, what do you do? Thanks!

 

[Tricia1972]

Oh don't get me wrong. We still have reservations at Ohana and I look forward to them. I was just referencing that other Ohana thread because it reminded me to ask what I could do about the automatic tip if service was bad at any of the restaurants we go to at the World. I've yet to be at a restaurant that had gratuity automatically added on, so I'm unsure of how it's the norm to contest that tip if needed. We're all for tipping and tip very well and very very well when deserved, but also tip less to none when deserved. But if the tip is already there and it's not deserved, what do you do? Thanks!

Just speak to a manager to have it reduced/removed.

 

[GeorgeY]

In the past 10 years we have had to ask for the auto grat removed only once. We eat at Disney alot. we experienced really horrible service and I honestly believed it was because we were a large party and the grat was included.

At Garden grille in the land. We were a group of 10, had to split up 4 and 6, but had different servers, they said it would still be applied. 1 server was great, the other was horrible. I spoke to a manager and told them that one fo the servers earned it and the other did not. He said "Okay we won't give the tip to that one that wad not good". Well when our bill came the tip was still on it, so when I went back to the manager, he said "He will make sure that the tip does not go to the server". I asked where is it going?, and he said the Disney company would just keep it!!!!. I did eventually convince him that was not acceptable.

George

 

[VLee]

Don't stop at the manager--especially if he doesn't reduce or remove the tip.
When you return, write to the Customer Relations Department at WDW, giving them specifics, dates, times, names of server, incident details.

They of course will tell you to be sure you see a manager before leaving the restaurant.

At Spoodles, when we received such rude, bad, and poor service from Sandy on October 6, I asked to see the manager because we were on the DDP and did not want to see the automatic tip go to her. All we got was a free birthday cake for my mom and we were too full anyway to enjoy it.

I complained to Customer Relations, and it took a while, but even without my asking, they credited my card for $101, the "price" of 4 TS meals for them.
Rude service such as we received should not be tolerated...I would have rather seen them fire her!

 

[Pakey]

We just got back this week. We use the DDE as annual passholders and the tip is included now as of 01/08. We did not get bad service at any of our meals, in fact at JIKO and Ca Grill, the service was better than on prior trips.

 

[Tricia1972]

We just got back this week. We use the DDE as annual passholders and the tip is included now as of 01/08. We did not get bad service at any of our meals, in fact at JIKO and Ca Grill, the service was better than on prior trips.

I have a question for you, do you have to present the DDE card prior to the end of the meal? Last year we'd just give it when we got the check - is this still the case?

 

[diesel]

I was wondering the same thing? Hoping some one can answer this?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

My normal sequence is when the bill is present I will look at it and then give the server the bill and the DDE card. When I get the revised bill, either I or someone else in the group will give a credit card for payment.

If I am by myself and in a hurry I will give both cards at one time.