Most on these boards know what I do primarily.
Customer Service is very Very Important to me.
I give it, and I expect to recieve it.
Often times, I'm a waiter with a steering wheel.
Good service gets good results.
Driving trucks I rarely tip, but coming from local delivery work into longer distance delivery work, I know tipping is nice.
To give and to receive is nice.
Driving tour busses as I do primarily, tipping is an important issue. Generally, and most will agree with me... one will find that those who you'd least expect to get a tip from will tip you well.
Those that you think you'd get a tip from don't.
Lower class and middle class generally tip better than upper class.
Why is that??? My opinion: because harder working people realize and appreciate hard work. I'm not saying that upper class people don't know what hard work is... but, when's the last time you saw a banker break a sweat at his desk? Sure it's mentally hard work, however, When's the last time you saw a mechanic break a sweat?
And Who's generally gettin' paid more?
There you have it.
I rarely tip the shower attendants, but will leave a tip for an exceptionally clean shower and friendly service if they're friendly... More often however, I've left a quick note to say thank you for a clean shower room on a napkin or toilet tissue where they can see it clearly - by the sink vanity. Why? Because thank you notes mean alot, it tells somebody that some person thought enough to take the time to pause and write a note of appreciation.
I'll fill out suggestion cards too, I do that alot. It's not a note to a manager as so many believe, it's a way of doing research. Those cards tell the companies what could be done more, what isn't being done enough, and how some think improvements could/should be made.
I'll write to corporate in a heartbeat for bad service, and with the internet today it's gotten so much easier to do that too. There's always 800 numbers you can call as well. Wendy's, Burger Kings, and McDonalds have all sent me gift certificates in the past for bad experiences with them.
Wendy's has twice, once because they refused to serve a private bus in the drive-thru at 11pm. I had 9 people onboard, 4 were ordering. The place was not busy. We had ordered and I drove a 45 foot Prevost pulling a 10 foot trailer around and they informed us they could not serve a bus in the drive thru! I could understand if it was 20 to 50 people, but 4 people!?!
That's a fully loaded honda civic! What difference did it make?!
Wendy's sent me 25 dollars in gift certificates and assured me that it would be taken out of that establishments revenue as a loss.
They went on to thank me for the note, and did ask/beg that I did not refuse to attend their eateries in the future.
I've since gone to many Wendy's.
I will tip a Truck Wash Bay... if I can afford to at the time.
If not, I personally go to each attendant and thank them personally for their work. They appreciate that. That tells them you were watching them work, and you appreciate their work. When you ask a wash bay attendant to go over an area again... and they do, but not much... I don't think twice about bringing it to the lead mans attention. Often times, they'll either fix it themselves, or tell you it needs to be polished out by a pro. They wash trucks, vans, trailers of all kinds, and tour busses of all kinds ALL day, and ALL nite long... so I'd like to think that "most" of these establishments (truck wash co.'s) know what they're talkin' about when they tell me it has to be buffed out or polished out. You know what, "most times", when they tell me that... they are correct.
Truck wash bays are different, some will go the extra distance, some will simply do the service you've paid them to do.
They used comet to wash my ride?! They're not gettin' a tip!
They used brightner on the back of the sleeper and got rid of that road grime? Tip. They used brushes on the steps? cleaned my wheels well. Even got both sides of the mud flaps? if I can afford it, they'll get a tip.
Some have even gone and brought out a shop vac and gotten the drivers area's... asking me 1st of course.
With Tour Busses, esp. the private ones, bands and groups are used to the routines... some are more than others I should say.
If I can spare a couple CD's and/or shirts, I will.
I rarely do though, simply because I don't like to intrude... and
That's the bands way of making money.
I'll tip on a tour bus if they clean it awesome enough that I don't have to ask anything else. Most of the crew in those truck wash bays know about tour busses, because a private coach goes in once a week for a wash while on tour. Generally you want to wash it good on a Thurs./Fri. before the big weekend shows - it makes everybody look sharper and more professional.
That's where truckin' is different, I'd wash Sundays before the week starts, to show off at the shipper/recievers. and/or Weds. before Thurs./Fri. p/u and/or drops.
Weekends are runnin' or sitting. Drive, or Rest.
if I'm resting, I'm generally at some point hittin' the chrome and stainless steel with a rag. I'm also checkin' the entire rig real good for wear and tear.
Do I tip a mechanic? No, most of those guys are makin' in upwards of 20 to 30 bucks an hour, and can make as much as 80+ an hour. Do I leave without thanking him... No.
That's more than a waitress will see even at a fancy eatery.
Because some waitress share their tips with the table cleaning crew. Wait staff I always tip, even if it's bad service. Because I've dated waitress's in the past and know what they have to go thru on a daily basis. Nobody's perfect. You're gonna have your "off" days where you're gonna slip some.
Getting work done on the side of the road, I won't tip... because those bandits are already darn near takin' your right arm!... Instead I'll offer a water and/or somethin' to eat.
it's not tipping, it's appreciation of the work.
Well, that's my 8 pages of 2 cents. Smile!
