My 997 is in the process of getting detailed. How much do you guys tip your detailer, if at all? (Job is in the $500 range) Thanks.

 

What are you getting for $500?

 

I didn't say I was paying $500 - but regardless, I feel like it's a pretty good deal. Does that help?

 

Take this for what you will. I use to get my car washed at an above average local car wash. Hand wash, nice job, usually twenty bucks. I always felt that if the car wasnt super dirty and it was done in 10 minutes it wasnt worth the tip, plus they usually always forgot something. However when I had a dirty car, a few special things going on I always tipped hoping they would just take of them. I brought at least 4 cars there throught the month and referred hundreds of people to this guy as I worked at a car dealership and the detailing sucked there (like always). One day im in there and the owner (who I knew cause I fixed his blackberry while working at Nextel) asks me why I dont tip his guys, saying that its a salon and that I should give something. I say, I usually tip after I see the car and that it looks like I would do it myself (I usually brought it in the winter). He says that if I dont tip when I call and want to stop by they might say their busy and or just not do that of a job cause I dont tip them. I had some cash in my pocket and gave it to them, now I always tip before hand and still get the same results. The straw broke when my sister went with her Miata and she tipped first cause she obviously talked to me about that previous conversation. The top was up and the high speed blowers blew out the back window stiching resulting in us needing to replace the top at a cost of 700 dollars!!! No refund no nothing, just a flat out, sorry here's your keys have a nice day. Ever since then we havent gone back.

Point of the story, if the work was better then expected for any amount you should tip them something, anything, and most will be greatful. Detailing is all about time, it sounds like someone is taking care of you and isnt everyones time with something?

 

Tipping I would say tip the workers but not the owner of the business..

 

As anything in life, you tip when you feel the service met or exceeded your expectation. I have clients that tip me to this day because they feel the work is above their expectations. I know the guys that work for me appreciate the tips because they could use the money and it shows them that the client appreciates their hard work. If I do a car with an employee and we get tipped, I will hand that tip over to the employee if I feel he did a job that was above average.

I'm not one of those that tips no matter what and I don't expect others to do the same. If someone does a job that is below par, I tell them why I felt their service fell short and feel that's the best tip I can leave them. I would much rather someone tell me where my work fell short of their expectation, not tip me, but come again and I meet and exceed their expectation and earn a tip. What good is it to anyone if you get a service, it's below your expectations, you still tip, but never come back again. Maybe it's because we care at my company and take it to heart, but regardless, people need to be genuine about praise and dissatisfaction.

Now...after a long-winded answer, the AMOUNT of the tip..this is simply my humble opinion:

15%-20% - If you got a wash at a car wash and they did a great job
10%-20% - If a professional detailer at a detail shop or mobile service, and the scope of work is more involved than a quick wash

For ways to show your appreciation to a small detailing business, not a car wash, here's another form of tipping that I prefer more than cash. Referral to friends and family. I prefer you tell your friends, post some pictures of your car and praise on the forums, or simply keep your scheduled appointments in the future. If you're willing to share your experience with others, that is the highest form of praise I can ever get as a business owner. I value that more than the monetary aspect of showing your appreciation. Just take a few business cards, look me in the eye and tell me job well done, and have your friends call to get their cars detailed. Simple and sincere. This is a win-win for the business owner and employees. The company gets more work, the employees have more cars to work on, and the owner will give more compensation to his/her staff because of the steady and growing business.

Excellent question

 

TIPS: To Insure Proper Service.
Back in the day it was handed "prior" to the service to be performed.
I will tip because society push me to it. restaurants, beauty parlor (my wife, not me), etc... if your work is salaried, don't expect me to tip you as I do an awesome job at the agency, 200% more than expected and nobody tip me.
I'm paying $300 to get the car detailed, that's the price of the job. period. Those $300 goes to the employee, products and time. Don't expect me to pay for your employees.

 

Joel, I think you'll realize, a quality shop will not expect a tip. The mere fact you're bringing back your business time and time again should be enough. But it is human nature that you'll go the extra mile when you have another carrot. Wall Street does this with bonuses, it's done in sales with bonuses, and it's done in the service industry with tips. There are those that rely on their tips as a form of income. IMHO, there's nothing wrong with showing someone they have exceeded your expectations with service delivery by giving them a monetary reward.

 

I think that people these days are used to tips as being part of the package deal and they don't really go the "extra mile" anymore. A business should be providing excellence, regardless. If you expect a tip to be excellent, there's the problem. I rather pay more from the beginning and expect an excellent result, than paying low and having to add a tip to expect excellence... (sounds complicated, I know.) LOL!

 

In theory, I agree with you 100%. In daily application of this theory, there is a problem. I think that the type of people who do an excellent job, regardless of tips, are not that common. When you find them, they will excel at what they do, and probably not be satisified with being "just the hired employee" who cleans your car, and would rather be a manager or owner and will move onward and upward.

Therefore, even though you shouldn't have to tip to insure great service, due to the nature of the "front line" employees, sometimes that is what it takes for them to do a job up to your level of expectation.


.

 

But that's sort of a catch-22. To get such folks to perform you would need to tip up-front. You don't get to evaluate their service before tipping, and if the result is poor your tip was wasted. If you wait until you see the results before tipping, such employees would not have been provided the incentive to excel and the result would reflect that.

 

If I get my car detailed for $20 I know what I'm gonna get.
Now, if I pay $1000 for a detail job, I better gonna being able to eat from the calipers! and at that price point, I'm not tipping. That's a professional service (at that price point) and as a professional, you don't tip your lawyer, doctor or financial advisor. If you have a company that provides detail work for the $1000 price point, you better get the best detailers that will do excellent work. (without hopping for the tip to up the ante)

 

I concur with a good deal that's been posted. I used to detail for a living, and while I never expected a tip, it was always greatly appreciated when it came. I can count on one hand how many times I received a tip, but like Moe, referrals came from some of those who didn't tip, and that's great too.

I charged the fee I felt appropriate for the service(s) to pay for time, materials, labor, etc. When I think it is warranted and when I'm able, I do like to tip. I agree with Moe again that 10%-20% is appropriate depending on the job and its value.

 

+1....there is a level of expectation at this price point and whomever working on your car is being compensated well enough as to not NEED a tip.

 

Possibly a catch 22, but not for sure. The example in my life where this would apply would be where I can my tires changed. Since this is a semi-frequent occurrence, and the possibility for mishap high, I tip in advance.

The first time I used my tire shop, I went around to the back and found out who the team leader was. I pulled him aside and told him that my car was very valuable to me. I told him that I only wanted him to be the one who drives it and he should keep the keys with him. I wanted him to use my "soft socket" to remove my lug nuts as to not scratch the painted wheels. I also told him to use wood planks to lift my car onto the car lift ramps as to not scratch the front spoiler. I then handed him a $20 bill, in advance. He now expects this $20, but it is well worth it to me for the peace of mind it gives me. This whole deal makes him feel pretty important and he takes VERY good care of my car and basically guards it whenever it is in the tire shop.

I think you CAN tip in advance, as long as you're specific about what you want done. If you don't spell it out, you can't blame them if you're dissappointed. ( i.e. wipe down my brake calipers completely and dry my wheels completely with no water residue.)





Agreed. At the $500 and $1000 price points, the employer should be doing a lot to retain his prize employees so that the employees don't have to depend on a tip as part of their income. These price points are car concierge level services and you would expect perfection without a tip.

A $5 dollar tip at a $20 carwash is a different story.




Dan