Post your Gripe

[cerelife]

I've run across this in a few online small businesses, usually with a message about how times are hard and tips would be greatly appreciated. This is a little frustrating when buying from a new company - like "I get where you're coming from, but what if I hate your product?" And this has happened; paid full price + shipping + tip for an inferior product. But I would have felt like a troll if I hadn't tipped! I would prefer if they just added the extra cost to the item so I could make a decision if I liked the higher price without guilt involved at checkout.
I kind of have to agree with @linne1gi on the chain restaurants who ask for a tip upfront when there is no wait service. Even Subway does this - I stand in line to order my sandwich to go and am asked for a tip at checkout. The workers in these places are making at least minimum wage (as opposed to server wages) and while they certainly deserve a higher wage I wonder if they actually get a percentage of those 'tips'.
Which leads me to another disturbing tendency I've noticed post-Covid with more 'fine-dining' privately owned restaurants. We've noticed recently that a 20% gratuity is automatically added to the bill even for a party of 2 (myself and my husband) almost everywhere. We don't really check our bill closely, so we were tipping another 25& on top of that for a 45% tip! Yeah, I know we're clueless since it took me complaining at work about how much the prices had gone up and someone telling me about the added gratuity. When we went back and checked out receipts, yep...that was the problem!

 

[Whillow]

Same experience here I have had this on a parrot food store locally for me. The thing is; I order online, pay on line and then pick up. Not sure why it automatically comes up. Parrot food is expensive LOL. I should actually go in and purchase it, I wonder if it would automatically come up on the card reader like it does for restaurants. I do understand he is a small business and it is a little niche-y, so I will tip him so he stays in business and I don't have to go to a big box store, but I do resent it... Thought it was just me that experienced this.

 

[Kiti Williams]

The only problem with that is I wouldn't want to leave a negative review - they are all good companies with excellent products and services. Also very small businesses and I don't think my review would be anonymous to them. I also don't think there is a general review for the company and it would have to go under the product itself - which I am more than happy with. I hate it when I'm looking at something on Amazon and see 'one star' reviews, only to read that the reviewer is rating the Amazon driver that ran over the petunias rather than the product they received. So I wouldn't consider leaving negative comments for any of these vendors. They have made a business decision for reasons of their own. I was just wondering if anyone else has been encountering this and if I am feeling a bit annoyed alone or with company.


You were just charged a tip without your knowlege?

Yes, they did. I was added into the price and didn't show as a tip until I got my order confirmation. I will not be ordering from them again.

 

[earlene]

I hate that when I go to Panera Bread, they literally ask for a tip every time. You go to the counter to order your food, pick it up when it’s ready, and bus your table. How is a tip justified?

Not all Panera's are 100% self serve & self bus. I don't recall which states, exactly, but there is at least one state where I've been to Paneras that bring the food to the table. I was quite surprised. But for the most part, most of them that I visit are always as you describe.

I had that happen on my last mail order, 15% tip, listed after the amount charged for the brackets!

Why would purchasing brackets be a tippable purchase!?! I would have complained, possibly contacted the company via phone or online chat, whatever was available. I would probably look more closely at their website for any statement that tips are automatically added, and if there is not such statement on the site, I'd probably challenge the charge with my credit card company, too.

ETA: I also meant to say that tipping is a unique practice more common in the US that in some other countries. If the employers pay a livable wage, which is rare in restaurants in the US in many states, then tips would not be necessary for those employees to live above poverty level.

I learned long ago that tipping is supposed to be a reward for good service, not a right by virtue of being employed in a service industry. That is still the way I look at what tipping is meant to do, and I really hate it when tips are automatically suggested at percentages higher than I believe is warranted by the service I received. I also hate it when tips are calculated based on the entire bill, taxes included. That is just wrong! I was taught the tip is calculated based on the price of the food pre-taxes, but so many restaurants are now figuring those percentages based on the after taxes bill. I won't pay tips based on anything other than the service I received and the base price of the food.

And to tip an employee who works at a retail store and goes and gets the product I requested (say for example when I go to an auto parts store & need something that they keep in the back and not out on the shelves) there is absolutely no justification for expecting a tip for that service. That is part of their job; it is one of the duties expected of them by their employer and is most likely written into their job description (I used to participate in writing or updating job descriptions, so I know a bit about them).

When stores went from open to the public pre-CoVid, to placing online orders & picking up in the parking lot while an employee brought the item out to the customer, the company may have suffered and so, too did some employees. But those employees who were pulling the product and taking it out to the car to the customer were still being paid their regular wage, were they not? Why would a customer have to tip a retail store employee? They aren't paid a sub-standard wage that relies on tips like in the restaurant business. (Speaking of the US only because I know it is not the same all over the world when we talk about how restaurant workers are paid.)

 

[Kiti Williams]

@earlene Why would purchasing brackets be a tippable purchase!?! I would have complained, possibly contacted the company via phone or online chat, whatever was available. I would probably look more closely at their website for any statement that tips are automatically added, and if there is not such statement on the site, I'd probably challenge the charge with my credit card company, too.

I didn't catch it right away, by the time the confirmation came, it was a week after the funds were debited. I will keep an eye out for this next time.

 

[Kiti Williams]

Same experience here I have had this on a parrot food store locally for me. The thing is; I order online, pay on line and then pick up. Not sure why it automatically comes up. Parrot food is expensive LOL. I should actually go in and purchase it, I wonder if it would automatically come up on the card reader like it does for restaurants. I do understand he is a small business and it is a little niche-y, so I will tip him so he stays in business and I don't have to go to a big box store, but I do resent it... Thought it was just me that experienced this.

I use mail order for my parrot's food. I purchase from the Mazuri site. Yes, it is expensive, but worth it to keep them in ultimate health.

 

[TheGecko]

I'm supposed to be on vacation. It's been on the calendar since October. Was planning on visiting my oldest daughter until she texted on Friday that her partner had just tested positive for Covid. $200 for late cancellation on the hotel.

So okay...staycation. NOT! I'm going into work because our receptionist needs to take her dog to the vet so she won't be in. And our office manager was up until 3am helping his girlfriend find her dog so he won't be in. Accountant "K's" husband can't drive her to work so she won't be in. Accountant "B" won't be in because he and his girlfriend are looking at wedding venues in the afternoon. Accountant "Z" won't be in because it's the third week of her vacation that she scheduled a few months ago.

And Accountant "K" is big time on my poop list for texting me at 9:34 last night about dental insurance that we JUST signed her up for on Friday!!! I told her on Friday that it would be a week before we got a number for her and I told her again that it would be a week, but she wants details so she can follow up and schedule an appointment. What the heck?!? What part of I'm on vacation, it's holiday, and it's 9:30pm do you NOT understand?!?

I am so pissed off right now. The receptionist whined back: "My dogs health is very important to me and my son. I don't have anyone to help me out here in Oregon." Really? What about your live-in boyfriend who knocked you up?

Accountant "B" is coming in...he'll just meet his fiancé at the venue.

UPDATE

Accountant "B" apologized for not managing his schedule better. Accountant "Z", who was supposed to be 'working from home' this week since her vacation overlapped mine and mine was scheduled first is still out of state and won't be home until Thursday...they decided to extend their stay. I had a feeling that things weren't going to work out which is why I spent four hours yesterday afternoon doing payroll. If my vacation had gone as planned, there wouldn't have been anyone to do payroll.

Had a closed door meeting with the boss. He is pretty pissed at the situation too, asked me if I wanted him to fire the receptionist over 'oh woe is me'...I said no because I'm on vacation, but we definitely need to make some changes...he'll leave the details to me.

I also told him that I was mad him too, that he needed to start reading my emails. He looked blank until I reminded him that he called me this morning about how I made a mistake on someone's payroll blah blah blah and had he read my email, he would have KNOWN that I hadn't made a mistake, that in fact I hadn't run the payroll because there was some confusion. I told him, if I send you an email there is a **** good reason for it. He apologized.

All my time is to be entered as Overtime. I don't have to come in until next Tuesday and all my time off is covered (I was going to be short on my PTO).

 

[lenarenee]

I just received a delivery from BB, in which the mica jars had opened and the FO bottles had leaked. I wrote them and send pictures of the mess, and they are sending out replacements.
But what I would like to gripe about is, why do FO and EO manufacturing companies not seal bottles under the caps like cooking oil companies do?? I mean even if you wrap up the bottles with electrical tape, if the bottle wants to leak, it’s gonna leak.
Sigh.

I wonder if the type of seal they use on lotions and stuff would disintegrate because of the fragrance oil; fragrances are known to eat through a lot of plastics.

 

[TheGecko]

I wonder if the type of seal they use on lotions and stuff would disintegrate because of the fragrance oil; fragrances are known to eat through a lot of plastics.

BB packages their FOs/EOs in glass and then seal the caps with electrical tape. My guess is that that package was heavily abused. It should be noted that BB now has stoppers in their bottles.