Do you tip your detailer?

[dcjredline]

I have ALWAYS tipped my mechanic/owner of the 1 man shop. Ive gone so far as to arguing with him (with other customers there) and finally putting my money on his bench and saying "then let someone else pick it up, I am leaving" lol we sure got some odd stares outta that "fight".
I think anyone who does great work despite what their hourly wage is. I have done 3 details for people who are not close friends this month and 2 of them tipped, I also did work for 4 friends and I think 3 of them tipped...maybe all 4. Like most here I go above and beyond for allllllllll people whom I do anything for. I would never give someone the short end of the stick on purpose.

[Calendyr]

I usually don't tip professionals with high salary either. So as a detailer charging around 40$/hour I am not expecting tips. On the other hand, when people see you slave over their cars without taking a break for 4, 5, 6 hours I guess that makes them want to do something special for you. Either way I am fine with it. But as Mike mentionned in one of the earlier posts, I would rather have the client recommend me to people they know and bring me more business than tip me. If they want to do both I will be very happy

[Calendyr]

My main job is tip dependant. It's funny how people can be so cheap when they are supposed to tip and some other people can be so generous when a tip is not expected/needed. I am glad to read you guys are receiving tips, will keep my spirit up when business will be low

[slimnib]

I never tip an owner, we agree on a price and that should cover everything. An owner should not expect a tip. He should get his price for the job.

An employee is another matter, some jobs are tip dependent ie waiter etc, this guy must be tipped with a respectable amount. Other employees should be tipped if the provide a great service to you or do you favor etc.

But NEVER tip the boss! His earnings are in the price of the product he sells, if not it is his problem.

[lkotsios]

Never tip the owner always tip the worker, in a restaurant I never tip the owner but I the waiter. Same applies to detailers.

[Marc Hufnagel]

The owner gets part of that too though.

[lkotsios]

The owner gets part of that too though.

Why would the owner get part of the tip?

[DetailKitty]

I am a BIG fan of tipping... especially since I waitressed through college.
All the restaurants my husband and I frequent we tip VERY well. Like Mike said in post #1, it helps ensure future great service. And these people deserve the tip anyway.
I do not tip my car shop. However, sometimes the head mechanic comes out to my house for side jobs, and I always tip him for that.
It really depends on the job. I recently had an electrician come out to fix a wiring issue in one of our bathrooms. I didn't tip... it was his business and he was already charging me $125/hr.
The cleaning lady? You bet she gets a tip.

To reign in my little story here, if I hired someone to detail my car they would definitely get tipped, AND get word of mouth.

My tattoo artist gets business from me all the time... I carry his business cards with me since I get stopped all the time about my artwork. I tip him every time I go as well

[Romans5.8]

I've never used a professional detailer, but I believe strongly in tipping service workers. If you can afford to eat out at a restaurant, you can afford to leave a tip. I am to the point that I'm often embarrassed to be out with friends and watch them order a $50 meal for a couple and leave a $3 tip. All the while being served by someone making well below minimum wage, working hard, shuffling back and forth, bending to our every need!

The flip side of that is I don't believe in a 'minimum tip' either. I rarely ever get bad service but it has happened. I stopped at a little diner one time and the lady was slow to take our order, never refilled drinks (or made any contact after dropping off the meal), and stood in the corner of the restaurant loudly complaining about the management and how "I'm the only one doing anything around here, everyone else is just sitting on their butts and he yells at ME!". Gee, I wonder why someone would have a problem with your work ethic!

Had to flag down another waitress to get our check after waiting a good 10 minutes after finishing our meal. I still left her a tip, but it was very minimal. I'm sure, given her previous attitude with her coworker, she just thought I was a cheap jerk; but I didn't feel she deserved more than what I gave her. I paid her for bringing me my meal. That's all she did, so that's all I paid her for!

That said, for me, if I get the service I asked for, I pay for it!

I never thought to tip my mechanic. Small shop I go to, too. He does great work, and my car never looks like it's been 'worked on'. They don't leave a mess, which I love. I've gone to other places and gotten it back with scratches, grubby fingerprints on the steering wheel; OR, they used plastic steering wheel covers and paper floormats when working on it, but left them in the car for me to dispose of. Maybe I should tip? I definitely do the word of mouth part for those guys though. I routinely tell people to go there! And I guess, I do give them more business than I normally would if I wasn't so happy with them. I usually do my own work, if it's beyond my skills, tools, or motivation I let them do it. But sometimes, it's something I'm more than capable or willing to do (like maintenance or a minor repair), but I just feel like giving them the business.

I am a BIG fan of tipping... especially since I waitressed through college.
All the restaurants my husband and I frequent we tip VERY well. Like Mike said in post #1, it helps ensure future great service. And these people deserve the tip anyway.
I do not tip my car shop. However, sometimes the head mechanic comes out to my house for side jobs, and I always tip him for that.
It really depends on the job. I recently had an electrician come out to fix a wiring issue in one of our bathrooms. I didn't tip... it was his business and he was already charging me $125/hr.
The cleaning lady? You bet she gets a tip.

To reign in my little story here, if I hired someone to detail my car they would definitely get tipped, AND get word of mouth.

My tattoo artist gets business from me all the time... I carry his business cards with me since I get stopped all the time about my artwork. I tip him every time I go as well

I think how much they get paid has a bearing on whether or not I tip, too. But don't underestimate overhead. My mechanic charges an extremely reasonable $65 an hour. Everyone from the owner down to the guy doing the work is only making a fraction of that. There's the shop, and there's the expensive professional tools they use, insurance, training, etc. etc. Though, it's still not 2-something an hour like a waitress. I probably won't be tipping any attorneys though LOL.

My very first "job" was working for tips. As a kid I mowed lawns in the neighborhood. My parents taught me a lot about business and wanted me to learn the value of work AND the value of other peoples work (i.e., overhead). So while it was up to me, they suggested I only charge for my 'expenses' and accepted tips. That's what I did! I figured up the cost of gas, and I 'rented' the mower from my parents for a couple bucks a job (money they just saved for me). That's all I charged! The nice thing though, is when you're a cute little kid the tips come in pretty good

[DetailKitty]

I have been embarrassed with how people have tipped. I've been to the point where I sneak back to the table and leave more money.

My mom is one of those people... in fact I just automatically pay just because of this. She is a nightmare to wait on and doesn't think "she should be paying their salary".
But this is how that profession is set up! And many people do it when they are going to school during the day, or they have small children, and rather than putting them in daycare, they wait until their husband is home and then go out and wait tables.

Back again to tipping your detailer, I think if they are putting their all into the job they definitely deserve a tip. You probably aren't charging them what you really should be anyway!