I tipped the tec at my service center and tip the mobile service guy too. Is it just because my son in law is a mechanic or is this typical protocol? I figure 10-20 for a tire rotation. Advice?
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Tipping the mobile service ans service center techs?
- Thread starter docdeb27
- Start date
Wow, really? I didn't know tipping a mechanic was a thing (seriously.). I've thrown a guy a couple bucks when they do me a favor (i.e. patch a tire at no cost) -- but not as a routine thing.
I've never tipped the mechanics at my traditional dealership; I usually don't even see the actual technicians - just the service desk.
Now I'm wondering if I should be, or is it not expected because it's a dealership?
I've never heard of tipping a mechanic, and can't say that I ever would unless they are doing something extraordinary to help me.
surfrasch
Member
oh that's different, to tip a mechanic? The reason you tip at a restaurant is because the servers make min wage, and make their money on their service. Same deal with, say, taxi drivers. Not sure that applies to mechanics?
I'm shocked that a tesla tech would take the money from you. They aren't a host living on a tipped wage.
voip-ninja
Give me some sugar baby
Keep that nonsense in NYC please.
Ya know, my wife's a dentist, why not tip her if she drills your teeth and numbs you up good and proper so you don't feel any pain.
FML.
Tipping is something you do for a very low wage person who needs gratuity and has a difficult job working with the public. Tesla tech does not fit this definition at all.
Does bringing donuts to the service center count?
There is really no rule of thumb here; to each their own. We tend to tip around holidays, particular workers (such as delivery, mail and parcel carriers, barbers, food service workers, and even our garbage pickup men) and unique circumstances where someone went above and beyond the call of duty. I will sometimes offer to write a letter of appreciation, and in some cases, I have been told that these letters can go a long way.
As an example: Before I owned my Tesla, we had a car rental which we drove to a rather difficult hiking trail. We somehow lost the key at the top of the trail and did not realize until we came down and the sun was setting. The top of the trail was the only logical place it could have fallen out of our bag. We were just out of water, had no flashlight, and our phone batteries were low. To make matters more complicated, we had to be back in the city within a few hours to pick up our child from the airport (unaccompanied minor), and we were in a tight spot. We managed to get in contact with an off-duty park ranger, who took me up to the top of the trail in an extremely bumpy 15-minute truck ride (it would have taken over 1.5hrs to get there by foot) and spent 20 minutes with a flash-light before finding it. He was not paid for his time and had just gotten home to spend dinner with the family. He refused a tip but welcomed a letter.
I recall reading an NYT article about tipping, and there is no real science to it. With Tesla, I've tried offering writing letters of appreciation, although one person in corporate said there was no need, she was "doing her job."
The point is, there are many ways to show appreciation; money is just one of them. If you are uncomfortable, are in a tight spot, or if the employee refuses, even a simple acknowledgment of their quality of work can be a form of giving. My wife and I commonly make a point of this when we encounter particularly helpful employees in the post-office or government offices.
As they say, the act of giving is often an act of receiving as well..
As an example: Before I owned my Tesla, we had a car rental which we drove to a rather difficult hiking trail. We somehow lost the key at the top of the trail and did not realize until we came down and the sun was setting. The top of the trail was the only logical place it could have fallen out of our bag. We were just out of water, had no flashlight, and our phone batteries were low. To make matters more complicated, we had to be back in the city within a few hours to pick up our child from the airport (unaccompanied minor), and we were in a tight spot. We managed to get in contact with an off-duty park ranger, who took me up to the top of the trail in an extremely bumpy 15-minute truck ride (it would have taken over 1.5hrs to get there by foot) and spent 20 minutes with a flash-light before finding it. He was not paid for his time and had just gotten home to spend dinner with the family. He refused a tip but welcomed a letter.
I recall reading an NYT article about tipping, and there is no real science to it. With Tesla, I've tried offering writing letters of appreciation, although one person in corporate said there was no need, she was "doing her job."
The point is, there are many ways to show appreciation; money is just one of them. If you are uncomfortable, are in a tight spot, or if the employee refuses, even a simple acknowledgment of their quality of work can be a form of giving. My wife and I commonly make a point of this when we encounter particularly helpful employees in the post-office or government offices.
As they say, the act of giving is often an act of receiving as well..
Agreed! never heard of it before. It's not like waiters/waitresses in a restaurant, who are paid sub-standard wages specifically because the law presumes they will get substantial tip income. Technicians get decent wages, i presume. Yikes! Europeans like Americans are crazy with all our tipping....
By coincidence, I had my annual service today, done by a mobile service tech in my condo parking lot. The fee was $650, and I did not tip him (even though he did the work in what to me would have been unpleasantly chilly conditions). Maybe a Dunkin' gift card would have been nice, though -- i do give those to mailman and others at holiday time.
