Tipping the Plumber

px_eliezer_

Do you folks tip plumbers?

How much might be appropriate for removing an old toilet and installing the new one, taking about 1-1.5 hours?

Kathy_9

px_eliezer_ No, never have and don’t intend to.

Stembolt

I wouldn’t tip plumbers or electricians. They are a skilled trade. They make good money. It’s the service workers that need tip money.

takeahike

px_eliezer_

You’ve really got to be kidding. Next time I will call a Wall Street lawyer to do the job because their rates are more reasonable. Example: last time we had a job done it was less than half a day (about three hours, some of which was just travel to get a part) and the charge came to $1,200.00 (labor only, $1400.00 with the part). This was just the last time, with the time before that it cost me $3,700.00 and was told that I was being treated “nice” because the usual charge was $500.00 more! This compared to my lawyer who for a half day including two hours travel would charge me $300 (was my law school buddy so maybe a discount but still), and this is after his four years of college, three years of law school, not to mention breaking your as to pass the bar exam. If I had known what they seem to command for no good reason IMO, instead of getting the same education and passing the bar exam as my buddy I would have just dropped out of high school and became a plumber! Another thing I’ll consider next time is hiring an open heart surgeon instead because in addition to probably lower rates they close the wounds they make before the job is done, something plumbers do not do, just leaving the open drywall for you to finish patching yourself.

I told my sis about this and she told me of her experience of a half hour job with a part worth about a dollar and a $400 charge! When she asked for an itemized receipt they said “sorry, flat rate.”

OzarkEdge

px_eliezer_ Do you folks tip plumbers?

Generally speaking, not required and I don’t think you want to established a tip precedent in that relationship, but…

Good trades people can be in short supply these days…

I tipped a plumber who showed up when others would not to repair a leaking service line at the foundation wall, 4 plus feet underground and under a sidewalk. He sawed out the concrete walk and moved it by himself, dug down and ran new copper through the wall to a new shutoff valve inside, and then sealed everything up properly… good skill with copper and packing and sealing the foundation wall. He used good materials, did good work, and got us back in service at a fair price. I tipped him because he did good and hard work on demand and I will want him to consider showing up the next time I might need him fast… we have a shortage of plumbers around here.

px_eliezer_

takeahike

I appreciate all the opinions.

I’ve been using a good plumbing firm, locally owned, very prompt, decent prices discussed in advance, always do a good job.

So yes, I do tip them.

Again, was curious as to how others feel so thanks for the feedback.

Lawyers and doctors (I’m the latter) are different from plumbers or electricians somehow in my view.

Some of my regular patients give nice cookies at the holidays, one guy always gave me a nice book, these were always just nice gestures.

broknsymetry

NSFW

Somewhat-Reticent

broknsymetry “Video unavailable”

Video title: “You Call the Handyman - SOUTH PARK”

Rich221976

I personally never tipped a plumber. However, We had one that running late to his other jobs that he got to us very late. We were not charge the overtime fees because he was running late, and didn’t want to cancel us since we been waiting.

However, what we ended up doing is feeding him since he never got a chance to get dinner. He was super appreciative of it, since he was trying to get to everyone without stopping. He was the only one that was able to fix the toilet.

HooRU

I did residential electric, I crawled a lot of attics ,for me, a tip would have brought me to tears.

egeezer

Rich221976

Your situation is reasonable, I’d do similar in that situation.

But then, if tipping plumbers is a thing, How about tipping IT analysts? I’d like that. 😉

HooRU

I would say it would have to be an above and beyond.

InternetJeff

px_eliezer_ Do you folks tip plumbers?

Plumbers are typically not a tipped industry. Much the same as HVAC service, home renovators, and electricians. These are usually well compensated trades and don’t require tips. Many years ago the wife said she attempted to “tip” the pest control service guy when he came by to do the quarterly contract service (I was not home at the time), and he gave her a little side-eye and said “No, that’s okay ma’am”. Compensated trades people are usually not tipped.

vaxvms

Do people tip nurses after a stay in a hospital? What would be an appropriate amount tip each nurse?

ugly95

px_eliezer_ Do you folks tip plumbers?

It’s a well-known common courtesy to slide a bill into their exposed butt-crack.

telcodad

ugly95 Do you folks tip plumbers?

It’s a well-known common courtesy to slide a bill into their exposed butt-crack.

Actually, it’s more like a coin slot. 🙂

Bombtrad

InternetJeff Compensated trades people are usually not tipped.

We Aussies, in general, find your Tipping practice unusual. I will note that in fancy restaurants it ,ight be done, but not having ben to such establishments, I can’t say for sure.

But in general I can say that in my years of both business and in service, I’ve never tipped nor been offered a tip. You do your job, you get your pay. Whether you offer a little extra, in terms of service that’s up to you. It will surely have that customer come back, which in itself is recompense.

Mind you our wage rates are predicated on the wage being sufficient to live on and h-ave never been lowered to factor in tips being necessary.

I won’t say that I’ve never left a 6 pack for a tradesman on a really hot day. But I consider that being hospitable, not bribery.

broknsymetry

Bombtrad Mind you our wage rates are predicated on the wage being sufficient to live on and h-ave never been lowered to factor in tips being necessary.

Below is a link to a segment of a Last Week Tonight with John Oliver episode concerning tipping. It is an HBO production and the language is not censored. John Oliver is a comedian whose political stance is decidedly to the left. Some may be offended by the language and the humor. If you feel that you may be offended then do not view the video, but you will be missing out on an informative revelation on tipping in America.

egeezer

I must admit to having received gift baskets and invitations to office parties at Christmas time from clients. I attended a couple of the parties, but declined alcoholic drinks.

takeahike

Tipping is just a subsidy for employers that allows them to legally pay below the minimum wage that even if paid is not a living wage. I say this even though I drove a cab in NYC for over five years while I was in college. That, among other reasons like typically less than 10 deaths by firearms per year, something the U.S. takes maybe an hour to “achieve?,” is one reason to consider moving to Japan. See: What Americans Could Learn From Japan’s No-Tips Work Culture.