Tips & Reviews for Service Given
I recently made a purchase online for an item I couldn’t get from any of my local stores. While completing the payment for my order, I was surprised that an onscreen prompt asked if I wished to “include a tip?”. I sat there for a moment musing about when and why we usually tip and thought of some of the questions on tipping I have been asked recently. Questions like:
“I just picked up my take-out meal and decided not to tip because it was a take-out after all, with no extra service given. Was it too cheap not to tip?”
“Should I tip the driver who drops off my meal delivery?”
“My flight got cancelled due to bad weather and I ended up at a hotel with a $50.00 food voucher. When I went to get something from the restaurant, my food and drinks came to $49.95. I didn’t tip the server because I usually don’t eat out and this wasn’t my idea anyway. What are your thoughts?”
“When staying at a hotel, I don’t leave a tip because I don’t know who is going to get it, the person who cleaned the room before I used it or the one who cleaned up my mess. What do you say?”
I considered the fact that depending on where we are in the world, it has become customary for us to tip those who serve us, be they our hairdresser/barber, a porter who helps us with our luggage at a hotel, a taxi/Uber driver, restaurant servers, and many other service providers, to show appreciation for the quality of their service given - given, being the operative word.
During the Tudor era of England, there was an expectation for a guest staying overnight at a private residence to leave a tip for a servant on their departure. This made so much sense as the servant would have performed extra duties for the comfort and benefit of the guest. This was a time when turning down the bed was common in most homes, and the servant/s suddenly had extra dishes to hand wash after a meal.
Today, those in the hospitality industry rely on our tips to boost their wages, and they will always appreciate a tip, whether they deliver our meal, clean our hotel room before or after our stay, or if we pay for our food using an airline voucher, those extra dollars for services rendered can make a big difference to them.
So, considering further, I thought… if tipping is associated with service rendered and product quality experienced, how can a tip be asked (as in my online purchase) prior to service rendered or product received? When my order is finally delivered, I will then have the opportunity to truthfully tip or not tip. However, my tip will be in the form of a product quality and customer service online review. I hope to positively contribute to the growth of this company if it is warranted.
Most online merchants rely on our reviews for the growth and promotion of their businesses. The last eighteen months or so have seen a rise in home deliveries from online shopping. We have counted on couriers and postal workers to deliver our merchandise in a reasonable and timely manner. These companies recognize the importance of top-notch service to keep and attract additional customers, and usually request a rating for their products and services. One of my friend’s favourite things to do is to write a comment along with a rating, to show appreciation for good service. He says this strengthens the businesses that work hard to perform well.
The kind of reviews we read usually influence the choices we end up making. This also applies to our own experiences and the reviews we later write influencing others. If we have had a negative experience and give a negative review, and a subsequent experience is positive, it would be commendable, and the right thing to do, to write a revised review.
