Mortified at DME driver

[ironz]

I wasn't embarrassed about not tipping. I felt bad at first, because I like to tip. But that feeling went away when he chimed in with his snide comment.

But.....had you had small bills, knowing full well you were riding on DME, and had been in the process of tipping the guy when you got your stroller, there is quite a strong possibility the snide comment would not have been uttered at all, and your rant would be nonexistent. So, I still think the OP brought this situation upon himself.

 

[Lewisc]

I just read a Frommers article (maybe travel & leisure) on tipping. The title was something like who you don't tip but should and who shouldn't tip (or over tip) and shouldn't. One of the shoulda was housekeeping (and daily). One shouldn't was those that touch your luggage. They did make a big distinction between bell services that take your luggage to your room (definite tip there) and everyone who simply touches your bag. Basically they said if someone takes your bag from curb to car or vice versa, skip the tip. The article basically was saying if people move around/carry your luggage, tip. If it is a handoff, like ME, no need. And, it's not like you have a choice to carry your bags on the bus.

http://www.budgettravel.com/feature/budget-travel-advice-tipping-guide,9030/

Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel I suspect the article was reprinted in several Frommer publications.

Kay...is right. The poster described the situation when you check in at a hotel.

The next section talks about tipping shuttle drivers:

Those courtesy shuttles you take from the airport to the car rental parking lot and from your hotel into town shouldn't be viewed as a completely free ride. Whether there's a jar for tips or not, you should hand off a dollar or two to the driver as you're getting dropped off.

Misrepresented the context of the section he mentioned and omitted the section which is on point.

I understand why the poster didn't want to offer a link or offer the name (or date) of the publication. Any tipping guide I've seen either says it's appropriate to give a courtesy van driver a couple of bucks or is silent on the issue.

edited to add:

I wouldn't call this a "primary" or a "definitive" source.

 

[ilovemk76]

Answered that earlier. Just a plain old brain fart I had.

Maybe the drivers look was also a brain fart.

You can screw up and all is well but that bus driver had better not screw up it you will post about it.

 

[sonofanarchy]

But.....had you had small bills, knowing full well you were riding on DME, and had been in the process of tipping the guy when you got your stroller, there is quite a strong possibility the snide comment would not have been uttered at all, and your rant would be nonexistent. So, I still think the OP brought this situation upon himself.

So, what you're saying is, 2 wrongs make a right?

Sorry, I admit to being in the wrong for not having the small bills on me, but that is no excuse for insulting a customer.

 

[sonofanarchy]

Maybe the drivers look was also a brain fart.

You can screw up and all is well but that bus driver had better not screw up it you will post about it.

Um, yes. I just laid out thousands of dollars on a vacation. The driver, working for Mears or not, represents the Disney company who I spend a hell of a lot of money with.

And it wasn't just a look. Re-read the original post. It's what he said that ticked me off and what was unprofessional.

 

[Lewisc]

Um, yes. I just laid out thousands of dollars on a vacation. The driver, working for Mears or not, represents the Disney company who I spend a hell of a lot of money with.

And it wasn't just a look. Re-read the original post. It's what he said that ticked me off and what was unprofessional.

The amount of money you spent on your vacation is irrelevant to this discussion. That logic could be used to justify not tipping a single employee during your entire stay. I know you're not taking that position but your logic would allow you to take such a position.

He said: "Thank you sir. You're very kind." Sounds like the comment a person who tipped might receive. Said in a sarcastic tone of voice. Maybe a person who knows he should have tipped understood the reference. My guess is the comment would have gone over the head of anyone who didn't know a tip was appropriate.

An interesting question is what happens if you ask for change. Does the driver give you 2 tens? 4 fives? Some combination which includes at least 5 singles? 2 tens I might chuckle and say I'm not that generous.

 

[ilovemk76]

Um, yes. I just laid out thousands of dollars on a vacation. The driver, working for Mears or not, represents the Disney company who I spend a hell of a lot of money with.

And it wasn't just a look. Re-read the original post. It's what he said that ticked me off and what was unprofessional.

You spend thousands, big deal. I tip the dME driver and he does not store anything for me. It has nothing to do with how much money I spent.

Much of that money went to the airlines.

 

[sam_gordon]

Um, yes. I just laid out thousands of dollars on a vacation. The driver, working for Mears or not, represents the Disney company who I spend a hell of a lot of money with.

And it wasn't just a look. Re-read the original post. It's what he said that ticked me off and what was unprofessional.

No, it's how he said it (we're guessing) that ticked you off. Either that, or you're upset with someone thanking you and saying you're kind.

 

[sonofanarchy]

The amount of money you spent on your vacation is irrelevant to this discussion. That logic could be used to justify not tipping a single employee during your entire stay. I know you're not taking that position but your logic would allow you to take such a position.

He said: "Thank you sir. You're very kind." Sounds like the comment a person who tipped might receive. Said in a sarcastic tone of voice. Maybe a person who knows he should have tipped understood the reference. My guess is the comment would have gone over the head of anyone who didn't know a tip was appropriate.

An interesting question is what happens if you ask for change. Does the driver give you 2 tens? 4 fives? Some combination which includes at least 5 singles? 2 tens I might chuckle and say I'm not that generous.

Yeah, I don't mean to say that because I spent this much money, but more because I'm a customer. Now, the term "the customer is always right" doesn't always apply, as anyone who deals with customers know. However, good sense and professionalism has to win out and you bite your tongue.

When I was younger I used to work at a retail store. Daily, I'd have to carry furniture customers purchased out to their cars. We weren't supposed to accept tips, but if the customer insisted, we took them. I had one customer who bought a TV and VCR. She was an older woman and was afraid she wouldn't be able to hook it up. I volunteered to go to her house to hook everything up for her. I didn't make commission on the sale and she didn't tip me even though I went completely out of my way to help her, but never did the thought of being nasty to her come across my mind. And I assure you, I made a lot less money than a Mears bus driver makes. She was a customer and I was doing what I thought was the right thing.

 

[sonofanarchy]

No, it's how he said it (we're guessing) that ticked you off. Either that, or you're upset with someone thanking you and saying you're kind.

Both. Obviously, he was being extremely sarcastic, so yes, how he said it ticked me off. But the fact that he said what he said ticked me off too.

Really, what difference does it make if it's what he said or how he said it that bothered me?

 

[sonofanarchy]

You spend thousands, big deal. I tip the dME driver and he does not store anything for me. It has nothing to do with how much money I spent.

Much of that money went to the airlines.

The point is, in any circumstance, unless the customer is doing something illegal or berating you, you don't give an attitude to customers. I could have spent $1 million, or $5. As a customer, you should never be insulted by the person doing their job.

 

[ironz]

Because there are two things the OP could have controlled to mitigate this situation:
1) have small bills, tip the guy, then he says 'thank you' hopefully in a less (perceived) sarcastic tone.
or
2) Ask for change or apologize for not having tip money (the whole cashless thing).

True, the bus driver's response was not professional.....but it could have been avoided if the OP was prepared. Looking at it linearly (no tip -->sarcastic comment), that's where the breakdown happened. It did not happen (as far as I can tell from the posts here) as sarcastic comment --> no tip.

 

[sonofanarchy]

I've admitted several times for being wrong for not having small bills on me, but the fact that people are defending the bus drivers actions under any circumstance is very odd to me.

If I ever spoke that way to a customer at my job, I'd be fired on the spot. And rest assured, I take my fair share of grief from customers on a daily basis.

I suppose we're all trained differently.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've admitted several times for being wrong for not having small bills on me, but the fact that people are defending the bus drivers actions under any circumstance is very odd to me.

If I ever spoke that way to a customer at my job, I'd be fired on the spot. And rest assured, I take my fair share of grief from customers on a daily basis.

I suppose we're all trained differently.

Nope, I'm not disagreeing with you!! I don't think the driver was correct in what he said, much less how it was said. There is never any excuse for rudeness, and that comment was rude. Were you wrong? It depends. As I said before, tipping should never be expected!!! That's a bad mentality to have. Tipping is always up to the customer. I expect to be treated with civility with no regard to whether I was tipping or not...period.
Here's the thing....there are going to be many people that wouldn't have given a second thought to that driver's remark. They may have thought the driver was crazy polite and nice. They would not have realized that a tip was expected. So they would have had an entirely different take on that rude comment. You, on the other hand, knew you should have tipped. So you realized what the comment meant. And of course you are peeved.
I don't think there is ever any excuse for that kind of comment/attitude from anyone. I don't care if it's at WDW or in Boston! If I got that kind of remark, I'm sure I would have said something in return...or just possibly just taken out my pen/paper (that I always have with me), looked closely at his name tag, written the info down, then looked at the bus number and written that down, along with the time...then turned to the driver and said 'Thanks for the wonderful attitude.' and walked away. Perhaps that would have been the wake-up call he needed.

So, no, I don't disagree with you on the comment.

 

[sam_gordon]

Both. Obviously, he was being extremely sarcastic, so yes, how he said it ticked me off. But the fact that he said what he said ticked me off too.

Really, what difference does it make if it's what he said or how he said it that bothered me?

It doesn't make a difference to you what he said vs. how he said it? It makes a HUGE difference to me.

If you said you were bothered by someone saying "Thank you sir, you are very kind." in a sincere, non-sarcastic voice, I'd view you as someone trying to find something wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the words, and can even be a compliment.

 

[sam_gordon]

Nope, I'm not disagreeing with you!! I don't think the driver was correct in what he said, much less how it was said. There is never any excuse for rudeness, and that comment was rude. Were you wrong? It depends. As I said before, tipping should never be expected!!! That's a bad mentality to have. Tipping is always up to the customer. I expect to be treated with civility with no regard to whether I was tipping or not...period.
Here's the thing....there are going to be many people that wouldn't have given a second thought to that driver's remark. They may have thought the driver was crazy polite and nice. They would not have realized that a tip was expected. So they would have had an entirely different take on that rude comment. You, on the other hand, knew you should have tipped. So you realized what the comment meant. And of course you are peeved.
I don't think there is ever any excuse for that kind of comment/attitude from anyone. I don't care if it's at WDW or in Boston! If I got that kind of remark, I'm sure I would have said something in return...or just possibly just taken out my pen/paper (that I always have with me), looked closely at his name tag, written the info down, then looked at the bus number and written that down, along with the time...then turned to the driver and said 'Thanks for the wonderful attitude.' and walked away. Perhaps that would have been the wake-up call he needed.

So, no, I don't disagree with you on the comment.

I disagree. The comment itself is NOT rude. The timing and tone, maybe. But I don't see how anyone can say "Thank you, you are very kind" is a rude comment.

 

[pinoke]

It seems sarcastic, that's how. And isn't the driver's job to drive the bus AND put the strollers and luggage underneath? We certainly aren't allowed to do it.
Personally, I tip. And the OP meant to- but things happen. And IMO expecting a tip is out of line.
Tip
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tip may refer to:
Tip (gratuity), a voluntary additional payment made for services rendered

 

[mamabear0222]

IMO if anyone made a comment like that to me I'd be glad I didn't tip.
I would've just went on with my day and not felt bad after that interaction.

And I probably would've thrown in "You're welcome Sir" just because ...

 

[Lewisc]

The point is, in any circumstance, unless the customer is doing something illegal or berating you, you don't give an attitude to customers. I could have spent $1 million, or $5. As a customer, you should never be insulted by the person doing their job.

The customer isn't always right. A customer who doesn't tip, when a tip is expected for services rendered is wrong.

The drivers statement is neither rude nor berating. He could use the exact same phrase to thank a customer who tipped. We weren't there. We can't base on opinion on your interpretation of the tone of his voice. I'd see your point if the driver called you cheap. Asked if you spent all your money on souvenirs. Asked you if you thought he should be working for free. He said none of those things.

He said in a way which made you feel bad for not tipping. I'll agree with PP. Had you not realized a tip was appropriate you probably wouldn't have even remembered his comment.

Not the end of the world.

It seems sarcastic, that's how. And isn't the driver's job to drive the bus AND put the strollers and luggage underneath? We certainly aren't allowed to do it.
Personally, I tip. And the OP meant to- but things happen. And IMO expecting a tip is out of line.
Tip
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tip may refer to:
Tip (gratuity), a voluntary additional payment made for services rendered

The driver isn't paid to stow strollers and luggage under the bus. DCL drivers are paid to stow luggage under the bus. They're paid a little more then DME drivers. Disney makes a point of saying tips are included for DME guests but doesn't clearly spell out which tips aren't included. I'll give Disney a lot of the blame. Either pay the drivers the extra money or clearly tell guests a tip is appropriate if the driver assists you by placing luggage under the bus.

The fact that you're not allowed to stow your own luggage isn't relevant. You can't get your own food from the kitchen, go behind the bar and pour your own drink or go into a coat check room and put your coat on a hanger.

From dictionary.com

a small present of money given directly to someone for performing a service or menial task; gratuity: He gave the waiter a dollar as a tip.

We generally tip as compensation for a service which we ask to have performed for us under circumstances where those tips are typically part of the compensation of the employee performing the service. You're not required to use DME. You're not required to bring luggage which has to go under the bus.

Words like voluntary or present are used since there is rarely a legally enforceable requirement to tip.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

The customer isn't always right. A customer who doesn't tip, when a tip is expected for services rendered is wrong.

The drivers statement is neither rude nor berating. He could use the exact same phrase to thank a customer who tipped. We weren't there. We can't base on opinion on your interpretation of the tone of his voice. I'd see your point if the driver called you cheap. Asked if you spent all your money on souvenirs. Asked you if you thought he should be working for free. He said none of those things.

He said in a way which made you feel bad for not tipping. I'll agree with PP. Had you not realized a tip was appropriate you probably wouldn't have even remembered his comment.

Not the end of the world.



Well Lewisc, we have disagreed in the past, but on this one, I totally agree.

Seems this is a big deal over a minor issue.

In the past I did believe the customer is always right, but not anymore. With the elitist and rude manner I have seen some customers use when dealing with a customer service person, its just plain wrong! they think they can say or do anything, just because they are the customer.

AKK