Tip the cable guy?

[Papa Deuce]

Which respondent are you?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169504,00.html

 

[Nite0wl71]

I wouldn't tip the cable guy, It would be like tipping the gas man who comes out, or the phone company.

 

[Sleepy]

They use the company vehicle and get paid a good wage. They get a thank you and I offer them something to drink.

 

[monkeyboy]

My neighbors wifes does

if ya know what I mean

 

[Tea Please]

I'm a pretty good tipper, but I draw the line at cable guys. Heck, that would be like tipping the mailman everyday for doing the job.

 

[Nancy]

I tipped the cable guy once. We were having new cable and cable internet hooked up. He came over with 2 boxes, 1 for the family room and 1 for the living room. We had already wired the upstairs TV's (3 bedrooms) for cable, when he saw the job my DH did he re-wired everything and got us hooked up.(did not give us digital cable upstairs, it just is basic cable, so no boxes) He did not charge us anything for the extra hookups so I gave him a $20.00.

Now if it was a routine service call, or if it would have been just the hookups that he origannly came out for then no I would not have tipped.

 

[floridafam]

I tip my cable guy

DH is not an installer but he says they get tips occasionally. I'm not sure if they can accept them.

A lot of people would run out of their houses last year after the hurricanes and beg the installers to hook them up if they happened to be on that block for a service call. A lot of those people tipped, I guess.

They do get offered cookies, water, cold soda.

DH went out in the field occasionally in our old town and he would love the appointments at the sorority houses-they would invite the guys to parties and try to give them beer.

I would have no problem tipping.

 

[BunsenH]

If a tradesman or service person did something 'above and beyond' their assigned tasks, I would tip them. If they just performed the job that was assigned to them, no tip.

I actually received a "tip" from a guy I once hired to cut a hole in a concrete pool deck. His machine was unweildy and needed some adjustment. I provided some muscle and tools, and he handed back $10 of the $60 he charged for the job!

 

[kadaten]

Nope. I only tip "personal services" people...waiter, hairdresser, nail tech, etc.

I did think about it once, though. Cable guy was here to do my phone (3 weeks after they did the cable and internet install) and I asked if he had the materials and time to hook up the cable outlet in our guest room while he was here (it wasn't done at the initial install). He said "Yep, but that'll run you another $24.95," and said it in a manner like he didn't want to do it. (Getting another appoinment would have been $29.95, though...their minimum charge....so I agreed to the price.) It took him about 30 seconds and since he wasn't very nice about it, he did not get a tip. Had he been nice about it (and I still paid) or if he had not charged for it since it took 30 seconds and no materials, I would have tipped him since he was going out of his way.

 

[dcgrumpy]

I don't but DH will if he's home. DH is a phone company field tech. He normally doesn't work with customers but he will occasionally be loaned to another department and people do tip, seems weird to me.

 

[dcgrumpy]

They use the company vehicle and get paid a good wage. They get a thank you and I offer them something to drink.

Actually around her a lot of the cable guys are really contractors and use their own vehicle.

 

[jennyl772003]

Frankly, this whole tipping thing is getting out of hand! Just because you work in a service field, does not mean you should get a tip! Make my sandwich, pour my coffee, and put those tip cups away!

For the cable guy, maybe if he did something extra for me, but if he just does what he came to do, then no.

(BTW, I was a waitress for 2 years)

 

[Jeff in BigD]

Frankly, this whole tipping thing is getting out of hand! Just because you work in a service field, does not mean you should get a tip! Make my sandwich, pour my coffee, and put those tip cups away!

(BTW, I was a waitress for 2 years)

ITA. I think tipping someone (or the expectation of a tip) in traditionally non-tipped positions trivializes other positions that depend on tips as the main source of their income. I also think it cuts into the % they get as well.

 

[eclectics]

I was brought up by parents who always tipped tradesmen who came into the house and did work. Plumbers, electricians, oil burner serviceman, glaziers, etc. I have always followed suit. If they do work for me and they don't own the company, they get a tip. Nobody has ever looked me like I had two heads, so I'm assuming they are used to getting them from others as well. Growing up, I even remember my Mom getting up at 5:30 am around the holidays so she could run down the driveway and catch the garbagemen and give them their envelope. They were so happy and appreciative every year I think we could have left a bulldozer by the curb for pickup and they would have lifted and taken it!