I beg HJ & the mods' indulgence for this one, as it is not strictly motoring, but it strikes me relevant enough to regular travellers not to be in a IHAQ thread, and I feel sufficient chastened and concerned to flag it up, and it hasn't happened before so it must be a recent change in their procedure
My job required me to spend at least one night a week away from home, and I stay at one of those budget chains - which it is is probably irrelevant. Today has been a busy day, all I want is a meal, a glass of wine and to put my feet up and forget it. Order meal, wine, eat meal, drink wine, go to pay bill. Girl gives me the card machine, slip card in, she looks silently at the other end of the bar, saying nothing, I haven't got my reading glasses on, assume the machine is asking for my pin, which I type in. She says
'that'll be £nn.nn, which is about 3 times what it should be - call manager and the first thing he says is 'I bet I know what your PIN is'. It's obviously not the first time this has happened, but the first prompt is not for your PIN, but how much of a tip you want to leave.
PIN number changed already, and I'll be raising the issue with the hotel chain and my card provider tomorrow, but this is a fundamentally poor procedure
Edited by borasport20 on 04/11/2008 at 21:59
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This is very common in all sorts of restaurants and hotels. The first input is for the 'gratuity'. You need to wear your glasses!
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There is a new etiquette around these things of sales person looking away into the middle distance. I often wonder what goes through their minds at this point.
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There is a new etiquette around these things of sales person looking away into the middle distance. I often wonder what goes through their minds at this point.
They are concentrating intently on the reverse image of the keypad that they can see in the carefully placed mirror on the far wall.
Edited by Robin Reliant on 04/11/2008 at 23:19
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I often wonder what goes through their minds at this point.
Probably very little, judging by normal standards of service :-)
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Yes, I hate this, they usually don't give it to the staff in many of the 'chain' type establishments. In one 50s style New York/Italian style restaurant chain I sometimes go to for lunch, the people taking payment say "Press NO, check the amount then enter your pin and and press enter"! - they probably don't see tips paid this way.
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The advert to the right as I read this.... spec savers :-)
The OP should indeed have the glasses on - entering a PIN and assuming that is what is being requested? Chip and pin eh - another thread perhaps.
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I tend to tip in cash, especially as many unscrupulous restaurants don't pay over the tips to staff members, but pocket them, pool them (I tipped MY waiter for good service, not the scruffy erk in the corner), or use the tips to offset the card machine fees.
Dragging the thread, kicking and screaming, back to motoring...
Our local petrol stations have petrol attendants, who also check the oil/water*, tyre pressure*, scrub the windows with a sponge and squeegee, and in some places even ask if you have any rubbish in the car that needs disposing of.
They get paid very little, but often do well on tips.
* I do my own. Not to be a condescending type, but to ensue my own peace of mind.
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I've been to a number of restaurants where the staff ask you not to add a gratuity to the bill but leave it separately.
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This is very common in all sorts of restaurants and hotels.
I stay in premiertraveldaysinn every week, and always pay by card. I haven't seen it before.
I stayed in this one a fortnight ago, and It certainly didn't do it then
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Its very variable, and depnds on the type of machine they have and how its set up. Always read whats written on the screen carefully before you punch in your pin.
I always tip in cash. That means the person who did the work gets the money (or not if they were rubbish) and not the owner of the establishment and certainly not a proportion to the tax man. The only problem with this is that the chef/washer upper may not get a sniff.
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I am amazed that somebody will type his valuable PIN into a machine without knowing what he is typing in.
Being asked to provide a tip in this fashion is utterly standard.
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