Customer Furious After Being Asked If They'd Like To Leave A Tip — For A Plumber
Tipping culture is just weird at this point.
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A / Shutterstock It’s no secret that tipping culture has gotten out of hand. Many have been asked to leave tips for services they would never dream of tipping on.
This happened to one customer who was asked to tip for something bizarre.
An angry customer was asked to tip on plumbing services.
An anonymous customer on Reddit shared their experience after having some recent plumbing work done.
“Just got hit with, ‘Would I like to leave a tip?’ from a plumbing invoice,” the customer said.
They explained more. “Went to pay my invoice online after my service and at the tip, ‘Would you like to leave a tip?’ with the standard 10%, 15% or other selections,” they said.
“The invoice was hundreds of dollars,” they stated. “Can’t we just pay for services and goods without this?”
The customer even clarified that they normally have a pretty generous view of tipping. “I am totally for tipping restaurant and waiting industry, but this seems insane,” they insisted.
Other Reddit users were just as shocked as the customer.
“Contractors do not get tips. No way,” one person said.
“You cannot be serious,” added another.
A third person said, “I consider myself a decent tipper, but, no, I’m not tipping the plumber.”
Others said that they had had similar experiences with other companies that provide related services.
“My monthly pest control company has that,” someone said. “Professional services don’t get tips.”
“Our AC company sent an invoice asking for a tip. I left 0%,” said another.
What exactly is the etiquette when it comes to tipping on these kinds of services?
While it may be rare to be asked for a tip on plumbing, or a similar service, is there any kind of etiquette regarding these services?
While it’s not widely discussed, Maryland Sewer and Plumbing Service, Inc. did offer some thoughts.
“Tipping a plumber is not mandatory,” they stated. “However, it is a great way to show your appreciation and gratitude for their hard work, especially if they have gone above and beyond to deliver quality services and they did an exceptional job and they accept tips.”
24/7 Plumbing Co. from Texas offered another important perspective on tipping plumbers.
“One common policy among plumbing companies is to discourage customers from tipping their plumbers,” they said. “This is because many plumbing companies pay their employees a fair and competitive wage, and they don’t want their employees to feel obligated to rely on tips to make ends meet. Additionally, some plumbing companies believe that tipping can create an awkward dynamic between the plumber and the customer, which can ultimately impact the quality of service provided.”
Meanwhile, home improvement website Bob Vila said that tips are not typically given to plumbers, but can be in some circumstances. “If you know that you want to offer a tip but are unsure how much to tip a plumber, consider the amount of work that is being done, the time of day, and the difficulty of the job.”
As tipping culture becomes stranger and stranger, it also becomes more controversial. There are no doubt people who have very passionate opinions about whether or not you should tip for services like plumbing.
However, based on etiquette standards, it’s safe to say leaving a tip on plumbing is not necessary. In many cases, it probably wouldn’t even be accepted. This customer from Reddit was perfectly justified in not leaving a tip for his plumber.
Perhaps it’s time that we returned to a period when tipping was truly based on the quality of services rendered and not automatically expected.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.