Another tipping question

C

chazaroo

New Member
Dec 4, 2006
415
Florida
Boat Info
1996 Sundancer 250
Engines
single 5.7 w Bravo III
Just picked up our 250 from MM after a 100 hour service. Mechanic went over everything that he did, then undid lines at the dock as we cast off. Are we supposed to tip him? If so how much? It seemed like he was expecting something so I gave him $40. Not sure if that was right or not. MM bill was $1895.
 
OMG! I don't tip mechanics...

I've been thinking about this whole tip thing and I'm going to put a stinkin' tip jar on my desk at work. I work for a bunch of stinkin' venture capitalists and at every Board of Directors meeting I go to, I am going to put a tip jar on the table.

What he was waiting for was for you to go "$1800???!!! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME??!!!"

Maybe I'm cheap but I just have this thing about every profession now looking to get tipped.
 
---- and that is tipping as done behind the cheddar curtain!
 
To answer your question, I don't think it is necessary to tip a mechanic unless you really want to show your appreciation for a job well done. Occasionally I try to do something for specifc folks at our marina since they are always helpfull when I ask questions or to just thank them for a job well done. I don't call it tipping but the message is still the same..........you appreciate their help or their work.
 
I agree with Gary. Tipping has gotten out of control for everything. I don't even know why employers pay their employees because customers are expected to tip everywhere. You go to a coffee stand and they have a tip jar in front of you! They are getting paid to get you your coffee already, they didn't do anything out of the ordinary except give you an attitude, and they want a tip! The mechanic's job is to fix your boat and they get paid union wages for it, they really don't need a tip. Now, the gas attendant works for minimum wage and goes to college and needs it, so that is OK, but probably not $40. One more thing, I still don't understand is how restaurants can pay their servers $2.15 an hour because they make the rest up in tips??? How can they get away with that?
 
I used to wait tables in college. They knew how much you were going to make in tips based on sales. A slow night was $500 in gross sales, and a good night was about $1000. It was policy to tip the hostess 1% of gross, each of two bartenders 1%, each of two bus boys .5%, and your cocktail waitress 1%. If you averaged 15%, you took home 10%.

It was a nice restaurant (Harry Starker's, Kansas City - on the Plaza), so I usually averaged about 17 or 18%, which was really good for those days. 18% has almost become the standard now.

I tipped the hostess double - every day. I never was seated with special occasioners (new word). Most people who over-extend for a special occasion save a little on the tip. They're used to tipping a dollar per person for food service. I usually got businessmen. They order app's, cocktails, desert, and tip well. They're usually on an expense account and trying to impress someone. Always tip the hostess well, as a waiter.

Reagan instituted a policy where you had to report actual tips for tax purposes. If you didn't claim about 10%, they knew you were lying. Thing is, we had to give up 5%, so on a bad night, you may not make 10%.

That's all I got to say about that.
 
Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guys just contiue to tip Your servers at the restaurant, oh and remember, they have to share that with the Bus boy and the Bar tender now in most every place of food. It's called Tip share, and it sucks, because some tables don't drink liquor and some waitress's bus their own tables, still having to pay the pot smokin Busboy out at the dumpster wasting the day away.
Yes I have several Daughters that are Servers.......They work hard for their money, and sometimes get burned, it's truely not worth it for them, but they have to because it's they best paying job in their age bracket...
 
I typically tip the servers in restaurants 15-20% and I do tip at docking (but not typically at the fuel dock). I guess I just don't understand a mechanic handing me an $1800 bill and expecting a tip... that's like tipping my lawyer... no freekin' way.
 
jrcinnh said:
Forget tipping, I'm still in shock that the 100 hour service cost $1895. Isn't a 250 is a single engine bow-rider?
Click to expand...

Good question, what did he do?

I know what it is like to be a server, they truely deserve the tip. But it always pissed me off when I waited tables in college, I never understood how the restaurant could get away with below minimum wage pay? When my paycheck came in, it would be for $10-$20 dollars.
 
True story. A couple weeks ago my family was dining at a local restaurant. When the party of 4 adults next to us finished eating, one of the guys stopped by our table to note how well behaved our kids had been. He then palmed me $100 and insisted that I allow him to buy our dinner. Last night (different restaurant) my wife and I were looking around hoping someone might tip us again!

P.S. I don't tip my mechanic unless his kids are particularly well behaved.
 
thunderbird1 said:
True story. A couple weeks ago my family was dining at a local restaurant. When the party of 4 adults next to us finished eating, one of the guys stopped by our table to note how well behaved our kids had been. He then palmed me $100 and insisted that I allow him to buy our dinner. Last night (different restaurant) my wife and I were looking around hoping someone might tip us again!

P.S. I don't tip my mechanic unless his kids are particularly well behaved.
Click to expand...
Holy cow!! Tipping parents for having well behaved children??? Now I've heard everything. :smt101
 
$1800 for 100 hour service. :smt021 Lets see some details there.

As for tipping the mechanic or service writer? I don't think so. I might tip the gas guy every once in a while if he does something extra but that's if he does most of the work. I tie the boat off, I pull the hose across my boat, I fill the tank, I have to put the hose up....so where's my tip? :smt043
 
My opinion is that you can tip anyone, if the person did something extra or treated you special or very friendly.

It has nothing to do with the price of the repair in this example.
If you get yourself good informed and made a deal about what has to be done and how much it will cost than this isn't an issue for not giving a tip....

What I never do is giving a tip to an owner, only to an employee.


Just my personal opinion...

Peter
 
PMvdb395DA said:
My opinion is that you can tip anyone, if the person did something extra or treated you special or very friendly.

It has nothing to do with the price of the repair in this example.
If you get yourself good informed and made a deal about what has to be done and how much it will cost than this isn't an issue for not giving a tip....

What I never do is giving a tip to an owner, only to an employee.


Just my personal opinion...

Peter
Click to expand...

Yes if someone did something special or extraordinary, that is up to you on what you want to do. But in this instance, he just wasn't sure of etiquette, I don't think this mechanic did anything special. Everytime I have taken my boat in for service, I get it back dirty.
 
jrcinnh said:
Forget tipping, I'm still in shock that the 100 hour service cost $1895. Isn't a 250 is a single engine bow-rider?
Click to expand...

It's a Sundancer. 5.7L Bravo 3, fresh water cooled. The 100 hour service was about half the bill. I also had them pull the risers to check them and the manifolds. Turned out they were OK but the bolts were frozen so they had to cut them off and replace them. They also rebuilt the pump in the head, replaced a courtesy light in the cockpit.
Was that too much to pay? And if so, what should it cost? It seems like Marine Max did a good job but if th price is out of line, I won't return there. What do you think?
 
BrentJones said:
Yes if someone did something special or extraordinary, that is up to you on what you want to do. But in this instance, he just wasn't sure of etiquette, I don't think this mechanic did anything special. Everytime I have taken my boat in for service, I get it back dirty.
Click to expand...
Easy... you don't give a tip :wink:



chazaroo said:
It's a Sundancer. 5.7L Bravo 3, fresh water cooled. The 100 hour service was about half the bill. I also had them pull the risers to check them and the manifolds. Turned out they were OK but the bolts were frozen so they had to cut them off and replace them. They also rebuilt the pump in the head, replaced a courtesy light in the cockpit.
Was that too much to pay? And if so, what should it cost? It seems like Marine Max did a good job but if th price is out of line, I won't return there. What do you think?
Click to expand...

I think that you didn't inform enough and forget to make an agreement
about the (total) price.
This has nothing to do with tipping a mechanic.
If he didn't tread you special, or did something extra you just lost $40 for nothing....
Maybe they spent a lot of hours extra.. Didn’t you ask?
If Marine Max did a good job and you didn't communicate with them about what they had done, I think it's unfair if you don't return without a chat with these guy’s.

Peter
 
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