Spinoff-Withholding A Tip

[ronandannette]

I used to be a server so I absolutely will tip when I know something wasn't the servers fault (i.e., food not cooked properly, kitchen running slow, etc.)

There have been a couple of time over the years where the service was so poor I haven't tipped. In both cases I did speak to the manager before I left. They can't fix a problem they don't know about.

I also didn't tip a limo driver once. He was late coming to get us (we found out he forgot he had a pickup when we called the main office) and when he finally arrived he made us wait another 45 min so he would be on time to pick someone else up (after we have already paid for private limo service). I called the company and the ended up completely refunding our roundtrip cost. We also found out that he wasn't driving for them anymore when we called to book for another trip and said we didn't want him as our driver again.

This makes perfect sense.

If I receive bad service, I speak to the manger... during my stay, not after it.

I still tip, though if it were as bad as some I'm reading here, it would be 10-15% instead of my normal 20+

This doesn't.

 

[Aliceacc]

I'm OK with that.

I would prefer to leave a bad tip and speak to a manager than to leave no tip and have management unaware of the problem.

Your approach can certainly differ.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

Bad service = no tip. I don't pay for bad performance.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Only one time in my life have I/we never left a tip, and that was back in college. (so yea this was like 25 years ago sot he details are a bit fuzzy, but I remember the one thing CLEARLY)

My BF and I were at some kind of chain restaurant. We needed our drinks refilled, we asked the server for a refill. I know we waited a really long time and when she showed up again, she actually said to us "sorry I didn't have room on the tray for your drinks".

One of us, I don't remember which of us for sure, left a note saying "sorry we didn't have room on the table for a tip".

I guess that was mean and tacky, but we were really mad.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Food (sandwiches) took so long we had to have them box it up (I get an hour for lunch) and the server disappeared for most of our ridiculous wait. Place wasn't even that busy & appeared to have plenty of help - when you could find them.

 

[MIGrandma]

I'm a former server myself so I am very lenient to other servers, when I can plainly see that they are super busy and trying very hard to take good care of all their customers but sometimes it can just be overwhelming and a server can definitely be "in the weeds" and often its through no fault of their own. I am patient with them, and even if we didn't get stellar service, or something was forgotten (and apologized for later) I can overlook a lot and still give a decent tip. But, if I can see the server is too busy chatting it up with her/his co-workers, or flirting with people at the bar, etc. and doesn't properly take care of their customers then I have no patience for that. I won't stiff them entirely, as that can send a message that we just "forgot" to tip. But will leave them coins so they KNOW we weren't happy with their service. Thankfully the latter doesn't happen very often. I will also leave a smaller tip if the server never comes back to the table (if they're not busy). If they walk by 2 or 3 times never stopping to ask how our food is, or if we need drink refills, that is just not acceptable service.

 

[Mizzoufan]

I'm always going to leave a tip unless it something horrible like the server hits me or cuss at me. None of us know what kinda a day this people have had before you see them. You don't know what their last table put them through or what struggles they are facing in their home lives. Try to show them a little compassion you might just change their whole day. None us of have the right to judge a server on the small amount of time we see them.

 

[mjkacmom]

Servers here pretty much get 100% of their salary from tips, so I might leave a lower one for poor service, but if they take my order and bring me food, I'm not going to leave nothing, because they did something.

 

[bellebud]

Buffalo Bills Wings place, server bring our wings, I mention the blue cheese is missing. He says he'll get it. He passes by our table several times within the next 20 minutes, I mention the blue cheese several times, he keeps saying ok then blowing us off. (I can't eat the wings without the blue cheese). After about 30 minutes, he does a walk-by and tosses a tiny blue cheese thing on our table without breaking stride (it slides across the table because he kind of threw it). I had been annoyed and cranky because I was hungry, but we all just burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of his behavior. Didn't leave a tip of course and have never gone back.

 

[Hikergirl]

I'm always going to leave a tip unless it something horrible like the server hits me or cuss at me. None of us know what kinda a day this people have had before you see them. You don't know what their last table put them through or what struggles they are facing in their home lives. Try to show them a little compassion you might just change their whole day. None us of have the right to judge a server on the small amount of time we see them.

We have the right to judge the service we receive that we are expected to pay for with our tips.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

About 20 years ago I was at a restaurant with my mother, brother, and sister-in-law. The server was kind of perfunctory, but not bad enough to stiff her. When the check arrived, SIL asked the server some innocuous question and received a snotty sarcastic reply. SIL then insisted we leave no tip and we agreed. It was at a restaurant we'd been patronizing for years and SIL was so upset she spoke to the manager. We continued to visit that place but never saw that server there again.

Yeah, yeah, maybe the server was just having an off day, maybe an earlier table put her through hell, maybe her mother was on her deathbed, but still, there was no legitimate reason to respond to a question the way she did. And of course it's fair to judge her based on an hour's performance.

 

[AlohaNow]

The scene started off with a few servers clearly arguing over which tables belonged to whom, seems like someone called out sick, and a huffy young lady finally came over to our table, rolled her eyes and said, "I guess you're mine." Yeah. And it all went downhill from there as you can imagine. We should have left right then, but we were hungry! No tip for you my dear.

DH and I both worked as servers when we were young and we can be extremely generous when presented with excellent service. We understand that it is a 'contract' between server and customer and at least a certain standard is expected. And when one accepts a job that they clearly know the bulk of their income will be made in tips, you step it up if you want to do well!

 

[Vijoge]

Scenario #1 We're sitting at our table, just starting to eat our meal. Our server begins running the carpet sweeper right under our table and under our chairs. The restaurant was about 85% empty and it was nowhere near closing time.

Scenario #2 I ordered a cup of coffee and apparently this was a problem, as the server literally tossed the cup of coffee on the table. Needless to say I did not leave a tip.

 

[tvguy]

Who would even consider this the server's fault and lower their tip because of it?

I wouldn't. That was an example of when I would NOT lower the tip.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I'm always going to leave a tip unless it something horrible like the server hits me or cuss at me. None of us know what kinda a day this people have had before you see them. You don't know what their last table put them through or what struggles they are facing in their home lives. Try to show them a little compassion you might just change their whole day. None us of have the right to judge a server on the small amount of time we see them.

I call baloney on that. It is their JOB to be courteous and serve people. That is like saying it is ok for a doctor to make a mistake on the operating table because his last patient was difficult.

 

[lsyorke]

I'm always going to leave a tip unless it something horrible like the server hits me or cuss at me. None of us know what kinda a day this people have had before you see them. You don't know what their last table put them through or what struggles they are facing in their home lives. Try to show them a little compassion you might just change their whole day. None us of have the right to judge a server on the small amount of time we see them.

Uh. No. This "Oh, they might be having a bad day so I must accept the bad service, kids screaming etc."is ridiculous.

DO your job and get paid to do that job. As a nurse I don't get to treat my patients bad when I'm having a bad day and no one else gets a pass on it either.

 

[sk!mom]

I'll play:
Most recent was earlier this week. My dd's friends were helping with the yard and gutters. So I bought them pizza, Domino's (eww).
The driver comes and barely says how much it is. I give him 40.00 and he asks me how much change do I want back. Wow, suddenly he can acknowledge me, more like my money.The bill was like 26.00. Well, I told him I wanted all the change. I gave him nothing. You don't ask the customer how much of their money they want back.

Really! But he did what he was supposed to do. He delivered your pizza. I also, don't like it when they ask how much change I want but I wouldn't stiff them because of a question that seemed rude to me. He did his job but wasn't friendly enough for you so you withheld his tip. I'm sorry but that seems really harsh.

In answer to the original question, there have been a few times over the years where service was so bad that we reduced the tip and a couple so bad that we withheld it altogether. For instance, last summer, I was with coworkers for lunch. The server took our order and then forgot us completely. A runner brought our drinks. We finally spoke to the manager because we had to leave to get back for a meeting and wanted to pay for our drinks and cancel our food order. The manager came back in maybe 5 minutes with our food in to go boxes, apologized, and told us that it was on the house. We didn't tip in this case.

 

[dotfurio]

There's been maybe a couple times we haven't tipped because the service was so poor. I'm not talking about problems in the kitchen, I'm talking about the server being rude or ignoring us. In California they get a regular minimum wage, not a reduced serving wage, so I didn't feel too bad about it. Normally we tip 20%.

 

[Squirlz]

I don't recall totally stiffing anybody but I do remember a case where a left a largely diminished tip. It was my 40th birthday and we were in Flagstaff AZ. Found a nearby Tex Mex place that turned out to be pretty good, and they had $1 Coronas. Things went great, waitress gave me a free hot fudge sundae, everything was perfect until we were finished.

By then the place was filled up and people were waiting around for tables. We wanted a couple more beers because birthday right? Waitress won't acknowledge me. Finally I got her to stop and I asked for another beer. She says "If you want anything else you'll have to sit at the bar". She wanted us out of the booth. There was no room at the bar even if we wanted to sit there. I found a manager and told him the story. He was NOT happy with her. He got us a couple more beers on the house. I told him her tip was going to be minimal and he said "I don't blame you".

Then, as we were leaving, I got the ultimate revenge. I gave our booth to four college girls.

 

[wilkeliza]

Tipping has gotten out of hand. You make me a overpriced coffee, then have a tip jar out. Here's a tip; stop being tacky and unprofessional.

It isn't tacky and unprofessional. Only one of the biggest chains pays a decent wage. The others pay crap. Please though tell me how putting out a tip jar when someone is performing a service is tacky? Do you not ever tip anyone but wait staff? You aren't obligated to tip at these places but if you want more than just that overpriced coffee (and if you find it overpriced why are you buying it?) and a smile then you tip. If you are ok with just that then don't tip and go about your day. I tip at my regular store and the crew has now gone out of their way to remember my drink, how I like it made, and even what time I'm suppose to be at work so if it is past that they speed up my order. All of those things have been worth the extra 50 cents here and there. Now if you just keep your head down and yell a name no tip. No one is required to tip.


I don't often tip nothing but I've tipped less then 15%. That again is the signal of I'm not just a jerk you did a terrible job. No tip takes a lot but even before no tip level I will speak with management first. Backed up kitchens and short staff I can understand, people aren't robots, and some days people will call out with no back up but it is how the situation is handled that makes the difference. Let me know as you are seating me and apologize with a smile and I am a lot more likely to forgive slow service then just grumbling and disappearing.