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I did not know that tipping the cable person was a thing. I also did not know this about hair stylists / barbers until my wife chastised me for not tipping. Lot

I did not know that tipping the cable person was a thing. I also did not know this about hair stylists / barbers until my wife chastised me for not tipping. Lots of folks expect tips where I had no clue that was customary (probably because I grew up poor and never received services from anyone - cut our own hair, took care of all repairs, etc). I thought you just tipped wait-staff. As much as I dislike tipping, I do see better service from those who are looking for a tip. If you could tip phone support, I wonder what that would do for customer happiness when interacting with these folk...

jstewartmobile 8y ago
In hindsight, I think tipping is what broke the needle. Never in my life have I heard of tipping the cable guy. If anything, I'd guess that the company strictly forbids accepting tips out of some wage-and-hour legal-bureaucratism.
bobthepanda 8y ago
Probably not much. As someone who has worked phone support, usually people get super jaded not because of the wages, but because some significant percentage of support calls are people being nasty right off the bat. It takes one bad call to kill your mood.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
  Not really surprising, it's the entitled, angry, nasty people who are most likely to call. The rest of us have realized that calling rarely produces results anyway and only bother to do it when there are no alternatives.
jcranmer 8y ago
Tipping repair people is absolutely not customary. See https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/money-etiquette/tipping-etiquette-guide https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/money-etiquette/t... for an example of a tipping guide. In general, you tip restaurant waiters, delivery, taxis, hotel concierges/housekeeping/bellhops, valet parking and coat check, bartenders, and spa/hair services. Things like cable installation or plumbers are not customarily tipped.
NikolaNovak 8y ago
I've tipped cable installers (and I'm not a bluecollar worker) - I assume that anybody in service industry in principle can be tipped for providing excellent service. Painters, movers, furnace people, superintendant, anybody who can provide crappy, basic, or excellent service -- I want to support, reward and encourage excellent service. I cannot tip the phone customer service reps, but if I get a really helpful one, I'll ask to speak to their supervisor and put a good word - for what little it may do. In my mind, it's partly about showing gratitude, partially about encouraging behaviour we want to see (understanding that in terms of natural selection, I can tilt the outcome very little compared to the priorities and prerogatives of the company and management, who are typically at odds with me as a customer)

jstewartmobile 8y ago

In hindsight, I think tipping is what broke the needle. Never in my life have I heard of tipping the cable guy. If anything, I'd guess that the company strictly forbids accepting tips out of some wage-and-hour legal-bureaucratism.

bobthepanda 8y ago

Probably not much. As someone who has worked phone support, usually people get super jaded not because of the wages, but because some significant percentage of support calls are people being nasty right off the bat. It takes one bad call to kill your mood.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
Not really surprising, it's the entitled, angry, nasty people who are most likely to call. The rest of us have realized that calling rarely produces results anyway and only bother to do it when there are no alternatives.

jcranmer 8y ago

Tipping repair people is absolutely not customary. See https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/money-etiquette/tipping-etiquette-guide https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/money-etiquette/t... for an example of a tipping guide. In general, you tip restaurant waiters, delivery, taxis, hotel concierges/housekeeping/bellhops, valet parking and coat check, bartenders, and spa/hair services. Things like cable installation or plumbers are not customarily tipped.

NikolaNovak 8y ago

I've tipped cable installers (and I'm not a bluecollar worker) - I assume that anybody in service industry in principle can be tipped for providing excellent service. Painters, movers, furnace people, superintendant, anybody who can provide crappy, basic, or excellent service -- I want to support, reward and encourage excellent service. I cannot tip the phone customer service reps, but if I get a really helpful one, I'll ask to speak to their supervisor and put a good word - for what little it may do. In my mind, it's partly about showing gratitude, partially about encouraging behaviour we want to see (understanding that in terms of natural selection, I can tilt the outcome very little compared to the priorities and prerogatives of the company and management, who are typically at odds with me as a customer)