Tipping....how much do you tip?

[InkDiver]

I normally tip $20-$30 bucks per day, depending on how many dives, cost of trip, etc. I also tip my instructors for training, normally 20% of the cost of the class.

Interesting experience this past weekend. I did my Cavern certification this past weekend. I had a different instructor than the one who did my AOW and some of my other specialties because that instructor was not Cave certified and could not teach Cavern. My AOW instructor, went to my new Cavern instructor and made special mention to take really good care of me, and to not steal me away, as I am planning a Deep Specialty coming up soon.

Whenever I dive with these guys, I'm treated like gold. I'm into U/W photog, and they always make a point to point out good photo ops, help me with setting up a shot, etc.

They provide excellent customer service as a rule, but I'm sure it also has something to do with the fact that I take care of them. You know what, that is fine with me. I can aford it, and having worked in the service industry for about 17 years (got out of it about 10 years ago, thank god!!), I know what it is like to depend on tips. I also know what it is like to deal with some of the world's biggest boneheads. I see how some people treat these guys and it really steams me. DM's and Captians are not indentured servants, and not whipping posts.

Anyhow, I'll continue to tip what I feel is a decent amount, and hope that I can offset some of the others who walk off the boat and don't even say thanks.

 

[firstdive2005]

I normally tip $20-$30 bucks per day, depending on how many dives, cost of trip, etc. I also tip my instructors for training, normally 20% of the cost of the class.Interesting experience this past weekend. I did my Cavern certification this past weekend. I had a different instructor than the one who did my AOW and some of my other specialties because that instructor was not Cave certified and could not teach Cavern. My AOW instructor, went to my new Cavern instructor and made special mention to take really good care of me, and to not steal me away, as I am planning a Deep Specialty coming up soon. Whenever I dive with these guys, I'm treated like gold. I'm into U/W photog, and they always make a point to point out good photo ops, help me with setting up a shot, etc. They provide excellent customer service as a rule, but I'm sure it also has something to do with the fact that I take care of them. You know what, that is fine with me. I can aford it, and having worked in the service industry for about 17 years (got out of it about 10 years ago, thank god!!), I know what it is like to depend on tips. I also know what it is like to deal with some of the world's biggest boneheads. I see how some people treat these guys and it really steams me. DM's and Captians are not indentured servants, and not whipping posts. Anyhow, I'll continue to tip what I feel is a decent amount, and hope that I can offset some of the others who walk off the boat and don't even say thanks.

Hey Ink-Love your attitude, I cant quite tip that much but, I do tip at least 5$tank and tip my instructors also.

 

[RJP]

First, RJP, a question. Does New Jersey law still require that ALL gas purchased at gas stations be pumped by an employed attendant and NOT the person driving the car (i.e., no "self serve" - it was like this last summer)?

If it does, do you TIP the guy who in the freezing cold, pouring rain or sweltering heat suffers through pumping gas into your car? If NOT, why NOT? And, if you do, is it 10 to 20% of your fuel cost, or just a couple of bucks?

I don't tip the guys that pump the gas. Why not? Never thought about it, but I guess that's reflective of the fact it's not a position where tipping is customary. (Again, forget for the moment whether tipping is right or wrong.) In some positions it's customary. If it were known that the guys pumping gas were paid $1/hr and worked for tips I would tip commensurate with the level of service I received. (Note, I said "worked" for tips not "expected" tips.)

This question leads to my second point: I would HOPE that the captain of a vessel who RELIES on the "dive crew" to do stuff would show a little more loyalty to such individuals because he SHOULD not because he HAS to.

I'm not sure where the idea of "loyalty" comes into play in general, or the idea that the captains of any specific boat are somehow enslaving crew. In any business loyalty is great, but it really has nothing to do with compensation. Paying your employees more than you can afford to is not an indicator of "loyalty" but rather "stupidity." I worked for a guy that was so loyal to his employees that he didn't trim salaries and lay a few folks off when we lost a major client. The result of his "loyalty" to his employees was that EVERYONE lost their jobs - payroll cost was more than revenue and bankruptcy didn't take long.

So that's loyalty from the employer perspective. What about employee loyalty? How loyal is an employee that expects a level of salary and benefits that is likely to prove "fatal" to the organization? (Think airlines and auto manufacturers.)

Maybe the better question here is if the captain of the boat you are "working" on doesn't help you out, why are you putting up with it?

Don't take my involvement - or volume - in this conversation to indicate any particular dissatisfaction with the folks I'm associated with. In fact, your assumption is the furthest thing from the truth.

Please note that through this thread I've never said that I want the boat to pay me and I've certainly never said I think I receive an insufficient amount of tips. (Anyone who knows me understands that would be ridiculous.) Consider the fact that on the weekends I'm not working on the boat for free as crew, I'm pretty likely to be paying $85 to get on the boat as a passenger.

Why? Because I like the boat, I like the owner, I like the captains, I like the crew, and I like the passengers. They're all great people and I consider them all good friends.

We're very lucky on Gypsy Blood in that the hard work that we put into making every trip great is genuinely appreciated by the customers. We know this because they come back over and over again. The fact that their appreciation may be conveyed with a few bucks for us is nice. (The fact that those tips tend to be on the high end of what people on this thread indicate as being "generous" is even more gratifying.) But at least for me it's about the appreciation not the money. If you come on the boat and think that the $85 you paid to the boat is a sufficient amount of money to pay, and you don't wish to pay any more, that's fine. Just be sure to let everyone on the crew know that you had a great time, that you really appreciate the hard work, and that you'll be coming back to dive with us again.

The crew recognizes that the economics of running a dive boat in NJ precludes a "salary" being paid, but the owner and the captains recognize our efforts in any number of ways. This may range from buying a round of beers to having "crew days" every once in a while where we all get together and take the boat wherever we want for the day. As above, it's the expression of appreciation that's important; whether it's a few rounds of $1 drafts or a few hours of run time at $30/hr in diesel doesn't really matter.

PS - all the free Pepsi you can drink is just the icing on the cake!

 

[RJP]

To me, a tip is and should be a reward for service beyond what was contracted. I am an experienced diver an don't need hand holding. I don't want or expect it. If I should go somewhere where I want a guide, for whatever reason, I am willing to pay extra for it.

A charter contract to me lays out exactly what I am paying for. Why should I be expected to pay more than the agreed contract if I get exactly what the contract states?

I particularly like the people who say "I set my gear up and don't need my hand held, so I ain't paying for something I don't want." Though I honestly can't really tell if falling back on "the terms of the contract" or pointing out "what I want or need" or highlighting "what you expect" is rooted in naiveté or arrogance.

I know that if I were to go into a crowded restaurant at dinner time and sit at a table for two hours and have nothing but a cup of coffee I'm likely to leave the waitress a tip commensurate with what she would have gotten if I had eaten a full dinner.

I'm probably not going to stiff her and say "Sorry sweetie, take it up with your boss."

I'm definitely not gonna say "The terms of the de facto contract that I entered into with the proprietor of this establishment upon entry only specified use of a table and consumption of a cup of coffee and I will not be railroaded into paying for services that I didn't need and of which I had no intention to partake."

And if I just plain didn't want to tip someone or couldn't afford to I would have enough common sense - and decency - to go to McDonald's for coffee.

 

[Gombessa]

I don't tip the guys that pump the gas. Why not? Never thought about it, but I guess that's reflective of the fact it's not a position where tipping is customary.

Custom is probably it.

I'm also skewed on this particular example because NJ's a bit of an odd-man-out with the whole "you may not self-service gas in this state" law. It's kind of like not allowing you to handle the silverware as you eat in a restaurant...

 

[RJP]

Custom is probably it.

I'm also skewed on this particular example because NJ's a bit of an odd-man-out with the whole "you may not self-service gas in this state" law. It's kind of like not allowing you to handle the silverware as you eat in a restaurant...

I struggle to find the complaint with "lack of self-serve gas" in NJ...

- I don't have to get out of the car?
- I don't end up stinking like gas?
- You'll clean my front and back windows?
- And the gas is CHEAPER than places with self-serve?

You'll forgive me for being confused, I'm sure.

 

[Gombessa]

I struggle to find the complaint with "lack of self-serve gas" in NJ...

- I don't have to get out of the car?
- I don't end up stinking like gas?
- You'll clean my front and back windows?
- And the gas is CHEAPER than places with self-serve?

You'll forgive me for being confused, I'm sure.

Well I haven't been back there for a number of years, but exactly how hard is it to pump gas without getting it all over yourself?

 

[Kamchatka]

Well I haven't been back there for a number of years, but exactly how hard is it to pump gas without getting it all over yourself?

It's not all that difficult. And, if you do it yourself, you avoid getting the paint chipped by a clumsy attendant. And, you can clean the front and back windows to boot. (I remember seeing that a young boy.) Now you have to go to NYC to get your windows cleaned at a traffic light. I tip well for that. Because it's customary and expected.

 

[Drewski]

Now you have to go to NYC to get your windows cleaned at a traffic light. I tip well for that. Because it's customary and expected.

 

[waynel]

Here's what I can't understand. You book a trip with a dive op for X amount of dollars. Then if you want or need a DM, you get charged anywhere from $10 on up for that DM. Why doesn't the DM get that fee? If a DM takes four divers down at say $15 a head, he or she can make $60 for one-half day of work (2 tank dive). Do the DM's not get this money? If it goes to the dive op, why? I don't mind tipping but I'd rather pay the person doing the work.