Simon Calder, also known as The Man Who Pays His Way, has been writing about travel for The Independent since 1994. In his weekly opinion column, he explores a key travel issue – and what it means for you.
Occasionally, I am offered the odd £1 by way of thanks for assistance granted.
The circumstances are generally these: part of my duty is to cover chaos at railway stations, airports and ferry terminals, from bad weather to strikes; I wear a high-visibility jacket to cycle to the appropriate location; and on arrival, I am sometimes taken to be a member of station staff.
Should an older or less able lady or gentleman ask for help with awkward luggage, I naturally oblige. Once the errand is completed, sometimes the passenger may thrust a pound coin into my hand. I politely decline and suggest they drop the money into a charity box.
My earnings are not (yet) calculated to take into account gratuities – unlike those of many restaurant staff.
On Wednesday evening, I took my appetite to what turned out to be a disappointing restaurant for the first and last time. I won’t name it, because the principle is what counts. The venue had been highly recommended in a travel guidebook. As it was fairly late I ordered a starter and salad and settled back in the expectation of a gastronomic treat.
There comes a point when anticipation is displaced by annoyance. On this occasion, in what was only a lightly populated restaurant, that point was about half an hour after I had ordered.
“It’s next up,” I was assured. “Should be ready in a minute.”
Almost an hour after I had ordered, the dishes finally appeared. As it was late in the evening, I asked for the bill before I had tasted a mouthful, which is never an indicator of a great evening out.
Very tasty: the guidebook was right about that. I noted the bill added a 15 per cent service charge. As the delay indicated some failure of management rather than the waiter being at fault, I would not ask for it to be deducted. But I was certainly surprised when the waiter asked: “Would you like to leave a tip?”
After I related the experience in Thursday’s travel podcast, the response was swift: “Always ask for the service charge to be removed, regardless of the service,” urged Grahame. “If it’s been exceptionally good, then I tip them. I work on the basis that no one tips me for doing a…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Independent Travel…