I'd like you to show me that policy. People have been fired from our office for accepting tips.
Tip the Installer?
- Thread starter SpringerTigger
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 51
- Views 8K
I have tipped on just over half the service calls. It is hard to articulate any firm rules but if the service is done well and on time I generlly tip. If it is exceptional I tip more. i tend not to tip when the installer is ill prepared or does not seem to understand what needs to be done.
Jeez.... i feel like a total scrooge. I've never tipped the cable guy or my installer yesterday. I never even considered it even though he did a great job. I assumed that since it's their job to install service, they're being paid for it. I tip a server in a restaurant b/c i know they're very low paid and depend on tips. I didn't really consider the cable/dish installer-person to be in that category. I guess i need to re-think things in the future...
-d
-d
i passed a little on to my techs since it was an insane amount of work. new dish, new wiring, wall penetrations, etc. And the fact that they cut zero corners, made sure everything was aesthetically pleasing, and did everything just right.
If it was just dropping off a receiver, i'm not sure i'd tip much if it all since it's 5 minutes.
If it was just dropping off a receiver, i'm not sure i'd tip much if it all since it's 5 minutes.
that policy has changed along with several others. they will not tell you this, and when you are fired they will not provide the policy you signed becuase it has been thrown away. DO NOT tell managers if you get a tip.
who remembers the 80's and early 90's when you could slip your cable guy a few extra bucks for free HBO? those were the days when tipping your installer really was a great give and take relationship.. 
I like that Dish has banned tips. It makes things much simpler in life when the price is the price. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for people in service industries being able to make good money and live good lifestyles, but I'd rather have the companies simply pay them more to compensate for not allowing them to take tips than have tips be expected.
I also feel like we're experiencing a lot of "tip creep". It used to be you tipped the waiter/waitress at a sitdown restaurant and you tipped a pizza/chinese delivery guy, and that was it. I guess the valet, too, if you're the type of person who goes to places where there's a valet (I'm not in that income bracket). But nowadays all of the sudden there are tip cups at the counter at hamburger joints, ice cream stands, and just about everywhere. I even once picked up carry out somewhere where there was a tip line on the receipt that I asked about and it was implied that I should tip for food I personally drove over and picked up. It's aggravating.
Plus, it can lead to awkward social situations. I remember the first few times I went to bars years ago, I didn't know it was customary to tip the bartender, and so of course stiffed the bartender because it had never crossed my mind that one would tip a bartender. After I heard it was customary, I started doing it, but I probably got a few people ticked at me prior because of something I had no way of knowing I was supposed to do and wasn't.
It also used to be that tipping was 15-20%. Now I see people on the beer forum who say they tip $1 a beer even on $3 beers. I draw the line. 20% at the end of the night. Not that I go to bars that often. But I've also even in my own lifetime, and I'm not that old, seen the tipping go from 15-20% to where 15% is considered an insulting tip by some and you are supposed to go 20% or higher. Eventually the tip is going to be more than the meal at this rate! I know it's not mandatory, but you don't really want to be insulting people who prepare your food if you're going back there, you know? No one likes to think about those stories of people spitting in people's food. But I'm not tipping more than 20%, and I'm not tipping at all if I have to go the counter to get the food- you tip waiters/waitress, not people standing at the counter. If I have to walk up and get it, there's no tip involved, or at least that never used to be the expectation, with the expectation of bars.
I don't know, the whole thing just seems unnecessarily complicated. Even if they raise prices (Not you, Dish, your prices are high enough already) because there are no tips or whatever, I'd kind of prefer that. Know upfront what the costs are, you know?
A tip for something like Dish installation is particularly irksome, because television service is so expensive- especially when a certain company wants certain people to pay a $99 install fee and the first month upfront (Yes, this actually happened to me with Dish). I don't mean to sound like Scrooge, but I'll tip the TV guy when hell freezes over. No offense to the TV guy. I wish I could have given the cable company negative tips with some of the "service" they gave me.
I also feel like we're experiencing a lot of "tip creep". It used to be you tipped the waiter/waitress at a sitdown restaurant and you tipped a pizza/chinese delivery guy, and that was it. I guess the valet, too, if you're the type of person who goes to places where there's a valet (I'm not in that income bracket). But nowadays all of the sudden there are tip cups at the counter at hamburger joints, ice cream stands, and just about everywhere. I even once picked up carry out somewhere where there was a tip line on the receipt that I asked about and it was implied that I should tip for food I personally drove over and picked up. It's aggravating.
Plus, it can lead to awkward social situations. I remember the first few times I went to bars years ago, I didn't know it was customary to tip the bartender, and so of course stiffed the bartender because it had never crossed my mind that one would tip a bartender. After I heard it was customary, I started doing it, but I probably got a few people ticked at me prior because of something I had no way of knowing I was supposed to do and wasn't.
It also used to be that tipping was 15-20%. Now I see people on the beer forum who say they tip $1 a beer even on $3 beers. I draw the line. 20% at the end of the night. Not that I go to bars that often. But I've also even in my own lifetime, and I'm not that old, seen the tipping go from 15-20% to where 15% is considered an insulting tip by some and you are supposed to go 20% or higher. Eventually the tip is going to be more than the meal at this rate! I know it's not mandatory, but you don't really want to be insulting people who prepare your food if you're going back there, you know? No one likes to think about those stories of people spitting in people's food. But I'm not tipping more than 20%, and I'm not tipping at all if I have to go the counter to get the food- you tip waiters/waitress, not people standing at the counter. If I have to walk up and get it, there's no tip involved, or at least that never used to be the expectation, with the expectation of bars.
I don't know, the whole thing just seems unnecessarily complicated. Even if they raise prices (Not you, Dish, your prices are high enough already) because there are no tips or whatever, I'd kind of prefer that. Know upfront what the costs are, you know?
A tip for something like Dish installation is particularly irksome, because television service is so expensive- especially when a certain company wants certain people to pay a $99 install fee and the first month upfront (Yes, this actually happened to me with Dish). I don't mean to sound like Scrooge, but I'll tip the TV guy when hell freezes over.
No offense to the TV guy. I wish I could have given the cable company negative tips with some of the "service" they gave me.
Last Saturday my 2/H2/J system was installed. The tech replaced the lnb, rewired two rooms. Installed duo node, moca and hic. All was completed, up and running with no problems in just over 3 hrs. The guy busted his ass, and did an outstanding job. I thought that he deserved something extra for his hard work. So i gave him $40.00.
I gave the Comcast installer $50 last week for reconnecting my cable at the pole, as the last lazy installer who installed my neighbor conviently decided that we didn't use our cable internet. (Thank god it was a backup circuit)
I actually felt bad for the guy because I hit him on a repeat trouble call, because we got disconnected at the pole in less than 30 days.
It was nobodys fault, but he gave me his personal number to call in the future
As far as tipping, people are so fricken cheap on their free installs these days they don't even dream of spending a few dollars to tip the installer, and the installers are so tuned out over the issue, they don't expect it.
Heck, I even tipped the Comcast Repo man when he came up to pick up my cable cards after I cancelled. After all he saved me a trip to the local Comcast office and an hour in line.
However if a tip is deserved, go ahead and give it to the technician. I could care less what DISH Network or Directv's rules are.
If you do it, just don't blab off to DISH Network or Directv you tipped the installer as not get them in trouble.
I actually felt bad for the guy because I hit him on a repeat trouble call, because we got disconnected at the pole in less than 30 days.
It was nobodys fault, but he gave me his personal number to call in the future
As far as tipping, people are so fricken cheap on their free installs these days they don't even dream of spending a few dollars to tip the installer, and the installers are so tuned out over the issue, they don't expect it.
Heck, I even tipped the Comcast Repo man when he came up to pick up my cable cards after I cancelled. After all he saved me a trip to the local Comcast office and an hour in line.
However if a tip is deserved, go ahead and give it to the technician. I could care less what DISH Network or Directv's rules are.
If you do it, just don't blab off to DISH Network or Directv you tipped the installer as not get them in trouble.
Most installers do not expect a tip I sure don't, but it is nice.
If you make the choice to tip or not, think about this though your bill has gone up over the last year, the pay scales for the installers has remained stagnenet and in most cases they are required to do more work for the same amount of pay. In the case of some of the subs that pay for there own fuel their overhead has incressed dramaticly, while a 5 minute service call would not warrent a tip remember that if he has to spend more than 2hrs the tech might be making close to min wage.
If you make the choice to tip or not, think about this though your bill has gone up over the last year, the pay scales for the installers has remained stagnenet and in most cases they are required to do more work for the same amount of pay. In the case of some of the subs that pay for there own fuel their overhead has incressed dramaticly, while a 5 minute service call would not warrent a tip remember that if he has to spend more than 2hrs the tech might be making close to min wage.
They still have a better income stream than I do. Maybe they should tip me.
Don't get me wrong, it's entirely possible that Dish should be paying their installers more. A lot of blue collar workers, and even the low-level white collar ones, aren't provided with living wages and appropriate amounts (or any) of paid vacation and personal time, health benefits, pension benefits, etc.. But I can't give them that stuff. The company needs to provide it for them. Or, better yet, the government should enact some union-friendly laws and repeal the union-hostile laws, so they can collectively bargain with their employers (Giving them some leverage to get these things).
Last edited by a moderator:
They still have a better income stream than I do. Maybe they should tip me.
Why am I not surprised!
Last edited by a moderator:
Most installers don't expect tips, however if you hold him/her up by telling them about your divorce, how much money you made or lost, or the whole other list of topics to long to mention whip out your wallet and tip the man. You've held him up long enough & to be honest most installers don't care about your personal endeavors or problems. Not everyone does this, but more than you think do...............
I didn't go into things as personal as the ones you mentioned here but I did talk to my installer about things like this website and sports while he was working on my hopper upgrade last weekend. It wasn't like he ever stopped working to talk to me. It was mostly during times he was waiting for software downloads or while his trainee was doing something. If you don't try to be a little friendly and have some basic conversation it can get a little awkward after 6+ hours of install time.
They still have a better income stream than I do. Maybe they should tip me.
Not many could turn a discussion about a simple tip for being appreciative of good service, into you providing health insurance. Congrats...
