Tipping, is it expected????

T

The Big Kahuna

New member
You pro's out there give me your opinion.

You are a one man outfit, you determin price, you keep all the money.

The client knows all this, so is it an insult if they do not tip??
 
I'm not a professional, but let me explain things to you from my (a consumer's) point of view. BTW I've never had my car professionally detailed.



Start rant.

However, my work requires me to go to various hotels, spas, shoe stores, bars, restaurants, etc. where I may be personally served by someone. Often it is difficult to know when and when not to tip, or when it is expected. For example, obviously tips are expected in food related business. Shoe store employees personally tie your shoes, etc, but they work on commission, so it's not expected for the most part. Valets sometimes take tips and sometimes they don't. What if I only parked my car there for 2 minutes, but he opened my door and took car of my car? I don't tip the landscapers or anyone who does work for me around the house. Are they expecting one? I often tip the hairstylist.

End rant.



I guess the rule is that tips are required when the servicer is doing something very personal and custom, and therefore the quality of work can vary greatly according to your idea of satisfaction. Once in a while I'll tip a valet, but I really don't know how they drove the car before it came into my sight. LOL.



Therefore someone may assume the price agreed on is the end of the story. They pay up and send the detailer off. So I wouldn't say it is rude if they didn't know a tip was expected. Now if they KNOW the detailer is expecting a tip, but they don't feel he deserves one, then that's another story. Interpret it as you may, according to the particular situation. Maybe they don't want to spend any more money, so they give no tip or a small one. Maybe they didn't like the service.



I understand tips are consumer's ways of expressing how much they liked your service, but sometimes they are a hassle. It can be embarassing to not know a tip is expected, and then the servicer stands there and lets you know with body language. I think that's unprofessional, and the servicer should just walk away, most of the time. Depends on the situation I guess.



- J
 
charlesu said:
You are a one man outfit, you determin price, you keep all the money.
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Just to clarify this . Even a one man show doesn't get to keep all the money . Let's not forget business expenses ( Supplies, Insurances, Rent / Mortgages ,Utilities , you get the idea ) After that there's not much left :hairpull So tipping is fine . :2thumbs:
 
I'll be interested to hear the forum's Pros chime in on this.



I'm a generous good tipper if I get good service, but that's in situations where I know the "rules". I figure tips are for special, personal services and also for situations where the person doesn't earn all that much from the "company" and relies on the tips. I dunno if it would've occurred to me to tip a detailer; I don't tip mechanics, though I've been known to give gifts from time to time. But if the price was easily rounded up (like a bill for $46 can be almost a hint to make it an even $50) I'd probably do that.



I remember ScottWax saying how well some of his regulars tip him, and how much he appreciates it. Guess that plays into the "personal service" angle, since Scott (and sometimes his sons) are truly providing personal services (and IIRC, occasionally throwing in a free coat of wax).



But honestly, if I could find somebody good enough to do my cars, I'd treat them very, very well ;)
 
They have to EARN the tip. Even in food service, if I didn't feel I was served with respect or care then you can bet they won't get a tip. I understand some servers have bad days, but they still have to earn it. If they get that type of job and expect a tip each time no matter how they treat the customers, they have something coming to them when I sit down. Now don't get me wrong, I love to tip if it is EARNED! Generally what I will do is only leave a very small amount if I felt the waiter just didn't care (no water, didn't ask how things were, etc) and let him/her think about why so little was left. There has only been a couple times where I left no tip at all. Sometimes the service is just so bad that I would feel guilty leaving a buck or two. I would rather have the waiter think I was a stingy person than to give him the satisfaction of receiving a little free cash for his lack of service.



With that said, I never expect a tip when I detail. My price includes my time, my work, my supplies, and my transportation. I always try to make my customers feel like I went beyond what was expected and that is usually why they throw in extra money. It's just like a repairman that comes to fix an appliance in the house. You don't tip them, you just pay the amount. If you feel he came on such short notice and drove a long ways then sure you may throw in money for a nice lunch or what not.



Tow truck drivers are usually the only guys I always tip extremely well because most of the time they are very pleasant and sympathetic of the situation. If they got to my location quickly they just earned even more money. If I was left out in the heat for a couple hours, they would probably only get a smile.
 
I have some people who truely do appreciate the work and what it takes and they tip well, but some just see it as a more convient way for them to get their car washed and waxed then taking it to a Car Wash and they normally dont tip.
 
I just don't see the point in tipping a detailer. It's like tipping a dry cleaners for cleaning your shirt or tipping a body shop for doing a good job. I don't mind tipping the mininum wage people like waiters, car wash, hotel maid because these are severly underpaid people that expect a tip as part of their income. A person charging me $150 to detail my car is not in this catagory. I guess the equivalent was when I tuned pianos, I never expected a tip, I charged well for my time and repeat business and gratitude such as recognition of a job well done was all I expect but I did get tips occasionally, but maybe one in a hundred. To me I felt awkward accepting a tip. What's funny is that tipping at all for any reason is a U.S. thing, go to Europe, Australia or Asian countries and they love Americans at restaurants because they are the only ones that tip.
 
Interesting.... Travelling internationally, as buellwinkle mentioned, the tips are "included" in the bill. When I travel internationally, I never tip unless it's stated on the menu that tips are NOT included.



When I lived in NYC, I tipped everyone. It was "expected".. Door man, newspaper delivery person, coat check, valet, garage attendants, any car related service/repair, everything (well, I never tipped the dry cleaner though)!



When I moved to SoCal a few years ago, its the exact opposite, people don't tip for anything, except for restaurants, and even then the % is different. NYC, for the most part the min was 20%, out here, it appears that the max is 15%. I remember getting an oil change for the first time in SoCal, when I tipped the mech, he thought I was nuts... That's when I started noticing the difference .. :) Let's just say over the past few years, I have saved $$$$$$!! :)
 
I never expect tips but I appreciate them as George said. I have a lot of regulars who tip me mostly $5-10 each week (one even tips my boys $5 each also when they help me) and a few who tip more. One pays me $100 a week to wash his Suburban and Cadillac DTS. I charge him $60. He used to pay me $75, then after a stretch of bad weather, he started paying me $100. I've often told him he pays me too much but he says he likes my work. I toss on a spray sealant every few months on his vehicles as a thank-you.



Christmas time is when your regulars tend to really take care of you. However, not all do. Not a problem at all. I know I am not nearly as inexpensive as the local tunnel wash and I am well aware that people are already paying me good money.
 
I also never expect a tip. I feel that my prices are above average for my area and I make a pretty decent profit off of each service. But, if a customer does tip me I will more than appreciate it. It tells me that they appreciated and is very satified with the work I perfomed. I do get tipped quite often from some of my regular customer's and some new clients, but with my commercial clients they do not tip, primarily because the service is on a much more professional basis (paying me with printed commercial checks, weekly contracts, etc.). Long story short, it's great to get tipped, but I don't think a detailer (owner) should expect it.
 
I have found that most don't tip unless you "fit them in at the last moment". As stated, i do not expect tipping, though some always do.

One more thing i have found is people that have had their cars cleaned at a large "express detail shop" will appreciate the better work and might tip for it.
 
I find that usually the worse shape the vehicle is in to start with, the less likely they are to tip me.



I have one regular who tips me $20-25 each time, even though the car usually comes in not needing much work (99% of the time she's the only one in the car, so I usually can still see the brushed-in stripes from the last time I detailed it in all but the driver's area). I've also gotten a few other non-regular customers who tip me varying ammounts; most again are driving cars that look like they're well taken care of for the most part, maybe like they keep them washed but don't polish/wax them like they should.



On the other hand, I've gotten a few customers who have truly nasty vehicles and won't tip. One even shorted me $5 off the quoted price because she "thought I couldv'e done better on her carpet." I told her that I had scrubbed it by hand, used the steamer, and extractor on it and there was nothing more that would come out; I even offered to re-do that spot right in front of her so she could see it was permanently stained, but she refused that.



Oh well. I'll eventually learn how to identify the customers not to take. Too bad for the one lady since they also have a really nasty Ford Expedition and an older Jag in ragged-out shape.
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
I find that usually the worse shape the vehicle is in to start with, the less likely they are to tip me.
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I've found the same, the biggest tips that I've gotten lately have been on a creampuff '94 Lexus that only needed about 4 hours of work to get perfect, and a 2004 Altima. I've only gotten one good tip from the owner of a roughed up car, and that was a $50 tip on a $300 job. On the Altima, I got a $90 tip on a $110 job,and it only took me 3 hours :).



OTOH, I did a Subaru Forester that I almost puked getting into, needed 11 tanks through the little green, leather was discolored, and I got it almost showroom. After 9 hours of work, the owner balked at the price! (and on top of that, I quoted it without seeing it, so I undercharged her by at least 45 bucks). Needless to say, she's welcome to take it to one of my competitors next time it needs to be detailed.
 
I don't expect tips but I do get them from some people. Some of my regular guy's always put in a few extra ($5 - 10). I've even had people on the phone pay me the price I quoted on the phone even though I quoted them lower at the beginning of the job once I was able to see the vehicle.



I don't expect a tip though but am thankfull when I get one.
 
I never expect a tip from any of my detailing customers.



Keep in mind that I always try to give my customers much more than they expect. However, there's a fine line between doing more than a customer expects and then expecting them to tip you because you went beyond what they expected. Going beyond what a customer expects should always be the way you normally conduct your business.



The key is to always focus on making sure you deliver more than what the customer expects from your service. And if the customer wants to tip you, that's okay, but it really shouldn't be expected.
 
You do NOT tip the boss--period. His income is in the pricing. If the boss does not price the job correctly it is his problem. Certian jobs have low pay from the employer because income tradationally comes from tipping such as waiters, employees at parking garages, employed shoe shine people. Employees at detailing shop. -- NOT the boss. The boss should not take a tip, if he get one and has employees he should throw into the employee tip tools, if does not he is a cheapstake.
 
themightytimmah said:
OTOH, I did a Subaru Forester that I almost puked getting into, needed 11 tanks through the little green, leather was discolored, and I got it almost showroom. After 9 hours of work, the owner balked at the price! (and on top of that, I quoted it without seeing it, so I undercharged her by at least 45 bucks). Needless to say, she's welcome to take it to one of my competitors next time it needs to be detailed.
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That almost reminds me of the referral my one regular gave me. It was actually her mother's car. This particular client lives in Milford, which is a couple hours away. They set it up for when she would be going with her daughter (my regular) on vacation. Left the car with me for like 3 days ('01 Aztek) to work with.



I quoted her $125 since it wasn't in bad shape at all, and she immediately said "no way." She said "well I had to drive here all the way from Milford just to get this detailed; the dealership could've done it for $125." (at which point I explained the difference between a dealership and my services, to no avail).



I ended up doing the job for $75, and she REALLY liked it when they got back (who wouldn't like three days worth of detailing put into their car?!) and said she was very satisfied. Then she didn't even bother to tip me after she KNEW I was way undercharging her and had lost money on the job.



That's one client I won't work with again unless she's willing to pay the price I quote in the first place.
 
LOL, I read the title of this thread and expected to read something about cows!.......just kidding.



I always tip if it's a good job at a fair price. If I find the price to be too high and/or the job not up to par, I pay what's required and nothing more. That said, there was a particular occassion (a long time ago) where I paid to have my car detailed and the guy did an absolutely awesome job, and I thought his bill was too low so I gave him an extra large tip to meet what I expected the job to cost in the first place. I seriously doubt most customers would do this, but this is just how I am. I appreciate and respect when someone is highly proficient at what they do.
 
tabinha said:
You do NOT tip the boss--period. His income is in the pricing. If the boss does not price the job correctly it is his problem. Certian jobs have low pay from the employer because income tradationally comes from tipping such as waiters, employees at parking garages, employed shoe shine people. Employees at detailing shop. -- NOT the boss. The boss should not take a tip, if he get one and has employees he should throw into the employee tip tools, if does not he is a cheapstake.
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:nixweiss I'm the boss and for most of the year, the only employee and I am grateful to have such generous customers who tip regularly. I'd be nuts to turn down all that extra income because I am the owner of the business.



In the summer, any tips I get go mostly to my kids when they help me because they are making me more money by increasing our customer count.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
I never expect a tip from any of my detailing customers.







The key is to always focus on making sure you deliver more than what the customer expects from your service. And if the customer wants to tip you, that's okay, but it really shouldn't be expected.
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Frank said it perfectly :usa
 
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