gratuity |grəˈt(y)oōitē|
noun ( pl. -ties)

money given in return for some service or favor
• a tip given to a waiter, taxicab driver, etc.

We are renting the car not the driver. We pay a premium to ride in a luxurious and most times un-needed car. I do not know one person who says they are getting a limo because they like the drivers personality and his driving skills. Enough is enough with fast food restaurants and 7-11's having tip cups. You are paid a salary and if it is not enough to live on find another job.

Realworldfred,

I don't recall ever seeing a tip cup at a 7-11. Are you sure that you're not mistaking the "Leave a Penny/Take A Penny" tray for a tip cup?

What's up, Dan? Why does everybody write to you to complain: the teachers, the limo guy, and I think there was someone else.

Here's my complaint: I'm graduating and I hate the idea of mailing announcements out. However, I recognize if I don't send out announcements, I won't be getting any money. What should I do? I'm leaning toward not sending and risking getting very little in the way of graduation money. Your advice?

MY ADVICE: Sit down tonight and writ out some announcements. Spend the money on stationery and stamps. A good investment of T&M.

RealworldFred - No, you are not renting a car. You do that at Hertz. You are hiring a car with a driver to lug your selfish backside around in luxury.

And why would you rent a "at most times un-needed car." If you are renting and paying for an unneeded car you are wasting your money - some of that money could be used as a gratuity IF you were ever renting a car that you actual need. Your argument doesn't hold any water.

I understand, as tough as times is, if you can tip your baggage person for something as simple as placing your bags on a cart to be carried to your plane, if you can tip your cab driver for getting your there on time, you can tip the limo driver for doing the same job as the cab driver, only the car is much nicer than a cab.

No Fred, I am afraid you are wrong. A rental car is a different. You are paying for "car service". That does include the driver. As such, he or she is entitled to a gratuity, just as a waiter or waitress would be entitled for service provided. Car service is equivalent to fine dining - you tip. Renting a car is equivalent to getting your own soda at 7/11 - no tip. News Flash - you are exactly the type of person that this guy is trying to educate.

The problem I have with this post is that if there is a gratuity paid as part of the contract, then why should the customer be expected to pay more than that. I pay a 20% service charge on all food and beverage at my golf club. No tipping is expected over that (it's even barred by the rules). I think Realworldfred has it right; this is an issue between the driver and his company over adequacy of compensation. I use car services all the time. I use Boston Coach now whenever I can because they include the tip in the contract and I consider that the end of it. I've even asked their drivers whether tip is included and they have uniformly said yes. None of their drivers have ever given me the sense that I am doing something wrong by not tipping them more. As an aside, one of the most offensive tipping situations I've even encountered was with a caddie at an exclusive local golf club. They have a strict no tipping policy, but this guy hit me and my playing partner up so hard (walking down the 18th fairway) with the sob stories about pay that we finally ponied up some cash just to shut the guy up. This post reminds me of that experience.

terpfan - Your assumption is that gratuity is part of the contract. It usually isn't. If gratuity is included in base pay I hope that the service provider deserves it. Some employers do that and if so it should be posted. Most places don't include a service charge. Wait staff are usually paid (in Balt Cty anyway) a little over $2.00 a hour and they rely on tips for income. Not only that, waiters usually share some of their tips among service bartenders and busboys.

Employers shouldn't be expected to compensated wait staff a 15-20% tip because each waiter is different. I don't want to be charged the "tip" if the service is bad. I want to be able to tip good/great service and not tip bad service.

I'm with realworldfred on this one. If the contract clearly states the price includes a "drivers gratuity" then there is no way in hell I'm going to dole out an additional tip for the driver. If limo drivers have a beef with that they need to take it up with the companies that they work for, not the customer. I find it obscene that someone pays hundereds of dollars to rent a limo, then is expected to dole out additional money for a tip--give me a break!

A lot of companies (the majority) in Baltimore do state that "gratuity is included", but when the driver sees the paycheck, it is more often an hourly wage, with no gratuity (kept by the company). I know of 1 company that does not include gratuity in it's prices reflected to the client, and the client is expected (made aware of this when booking), that the gratuity is to be paid directly to the driver, usually 20%, but not less than 15%. I worked for 3 different companies and know many drivers working for other companies that practically "keep" the gratuity when charging the clients at time vehicle is booked. Yes, it is true, many argue, that as drivers, we are sitting most of the time, but, they also fail to notice the extras most drivers put into the assurance that our client is taken care of properly. Yes, there are a select few that do not go above and beyond the call of duty, but those are few and far between. Many times, especially during prom season, the companies change their practice to "keep the gratuity", and then pay the driver an hourly wage. As an example, the one company I spoke about that does leave the tipping up to the client, and follows this practice as well, it is their time of the year to "catch up on profits", you will usually hear about prom season being the bread and butter for the companies. On hourly wages,you don't get paid from the time you leave the garage, you get paid the start to end time the client is in the vehicle. Let me break it down for you... Not to name names, one company, the one I first worked for, whose practices are horrible in the treatment of drivers, and they do have a high turnover, pays $12/hour. Let's say you are doing an 8 hour night out, the driver would make $96 for those eight hours. Now, try to figure in the driving time, the prep time, etc. before the event, adding another hour, and the time it takes to clean afterwards, fuel up, and driving time back to garage, adding another hour. So that's 10 hours at $96, or $9.60/hour, which is considerably less after taxes. This company does tell the client that gratuities are "included", but the driver never sees it.

During prom season, some companies do bump up the hourly wage, as much as $25/hour for the driver, but still, gratuity is never seen. Not a lot of drivers wish to say anything to their employer because they don't want their workload decreased, or worse, lose their job entirely. Some companies don't provide water, and it is up to the driver to supply the water, soda, or anything else to help get a gratuity, more cost coming out of a driver's pocket. What also makes it bad is that companies reimburse for fuel, the driver has to pay upfront, and today that could bring the cost to over $300 for a week's work. Yes, they do get it back, but not until the paycheck is received, every two weeks. And to top it off, more money is still being used for fuel. So, a driver never "breaks even" when supplying fuel for the company/then getting reimbursed. Many of our clients do not know the inside workings between a limo driver and the company he works for. Some do 2-3 airport runs on a Saturday, then a long prom, most of the airport runs are only paid for 1 hour, regardless of travel time. I could be picking up a client at Dulles at 4pm and transporting them to Bel Air and only get paid for 1 hour. A lot of drivers do not get a day off, especially holidays, there is usually a "work or get fired" policy with the company. I know some of these practices are illegal, but,who is going to say anything? Definitely not the driver if he values his job.

Since the client might not know that you've been up since 4am, to do a 6am run, drivers still perform the requested services, without a "thank you", a job well done, or even monetary "thank you's", just to please the client. I have many stories about horrible clients, prom kids sneaking alcohol in, then turning into "demon-spawn" when they are caught, to the great clients that actually treat you like human beings and are at least nice and sociable with you. I am in agreement, with all the B.S. a driver puts up with, gratuity should never be a "dismissed" thought.

I also forgot to add, sometimes it takes more than an hour to clean the inside of the limousine. All the glasses need to be washed (sometimes by hand), the interior wiped down, any spills cleaned up, and vacuumed thoroughly. Some companies charge the drivers at least $5 per glass if not cleaned properly (if a fingerprint is found on the stem or anywhere else), if streaks are left, and many have been charged more if a spec of dirt,confetti, wrapper is found on the floor and wasn't vacuumed up, or missed when cleaning. Once it took me 4 hours to clean the inside of the limousine (time I didn't get paid and was dead tired after a long night out), I washed all 20 glasses (rock and stem) by hand, in the winter, with the snow falling at the gas station), wiping the mirror on the ceiling ensuring no fingerprints (could get charged for that too), wiping down the bar (when clients get drunk, they get a little clumsy and tend to spill their alcoholic substance all over the bar, making it extremely difficult to get up with just windex, and then vacuuming the endless supply of peanut shells, leftover chips, you name it, I cleaned it. I cleaned those limo's better than I clean my house (hate to admit), but my checks couldn't afford the decreases due to my missing a fingerprint somewhere, a long hair found on the seat, or worse, confetti stuck blindly to the carpet. It is hard being in this profession, but I really wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I love being a chauffeur, I love seeing the faces as you pull up, I love the good nights from appreciative clients, even the bad ones, because the good nights make it worth my while.

My point is that I think that unlike a restaurant server or a bellman or even a cab driver, there is ambiguity when it comes to tips for limo drivers. Many companies charge a service charge/gratuity as part of the bill. As a result, I would prefer to do business with a company that includes the gratuity in the bill and thereby takes the ambiguity out of the tipping process. Among other things, I don't want to worry about whether I need to go find an ATM the night before my trip so I have cash to give the driver in the morning.

Whether the company keeps the gratuity or a portion of it (or charges the driver $5 for a glass that is not cleaned) is frankly not my problem. I paid a gratuity as part of the bill. I'm not paying a second one. Think about it this way. If you have a large party at a restaurant the restaurant will typically add 15-20% to the bill. Do you tip 15% on top of that? Of course not. It's no different when the limo company charges the customer a service charge/gratuity as party of the bill. You've already paid the gratuity, why would you pay a second one.

If the company doesn't pay well, the better drivers will go elsewhere. If their service suffers as a result, I'll find another company that includes the tip in the bill and has better service. The free market at work.

Nicole, thanks for the additional explanation. I haven't rented a limo in years and will admit that I was totally unaware of the inner workings of this industry.

I agree with Fred and Steve that the fault is with the companies listing "gratuity" on the contract and then not giving the "gratuity" to the driver! To me, gratuity is a tip and should go to the person (limo driver in this case) providing the service, not the company. Would you please tell us which company does not include the gratuity on the bill and lets the customers know up front that they are expected to tip the driver out of pocket? Since they are being honest about it, I would like to patronize that company in the future.

Mar, there are only a handful of companies that tell the customer upfront that gratuity is not included in the cost, and that it is a seperate charge, payable at booking, or directly to the driver. 97% of the limo companies in Maryland will tell you that the cost of the limousine rental does include gratuity and their drivers are well versed to answer to that same effect, or lose their jobs. There have been a few lawsuits from the drivers' suing their former employers for keeping their tips, in other states, it just hasn't hit Maryland yet. If the company you choose is one of these companies, the select few, that does give the tip correctly to the driver, they are the only ones that will be entirely truthful to you in stating that the gratuity is not included in the cost, and is usually 15-20% on top of the hourly rate. I will not name the wrongful companies as that just seems very wrong on my part, but I will let you know of one company I worked for, was extremely happy with (he started out as a limo driver, so he knows the in's and out's), very good company, long clientele list, and very happy drivers. Lasting Impressions out of Westminster, ask for Ron, the owner. There are good companies that provide outstanding limousine service, but, as a driver, he (Ron),is the one to be working for.

Nicole: That kind of abuse by employers cries out for a crusading lawyer. Or labor organization.

As David Simon said recently, "Collective bargaining is the only meaningful tool available against the unequivocal triumph of capital over labor. It has always been so. When unions die, we all go with them. That we somehow forgot this over the last quarter century is the preamble to a lot of human tragedy yet to come."

A limo driver who doesn't get the tip the company adds to the bill has a problem with his/her company, not with the customer.

Every limo company in the Baltimore area I have ever used adds at least 15% to the fare as a mandatory "tip" or "gratuity". The customer assumes that this amount is going to the driver. The customer balances the outrage of being asked to pay for superior service before in fact receiving ANY service against the convenience of being billed one fixed amount, which makes it easier to pay in many situations.

Let's remember that customers don't pay a cab driver a tip or gratuity in advance--they wait to see what kind of service they have received.

If a driver is not receiving an amount that customers are being told is for the driver, that driver has a labor problem, and the employer may have a legal and tax problem. It is not the customer's problem.

By the way, ordinary people, who are disabled, or who don't know the way around Baltimore, or who don't have time to rent a car, or who need to focus on other things besides driving, take limos also. Limo passengers are not all coke-snorting movie stars dripping $100 bills to whom a $150 limo ride is pocket change.

Thanks, Nicole. I'll remember this since my daughter is entering her teen years and I'm sure we'll have the prom limo thing at some point!

Cashless - I'm not sure where you are coming from with this: "By the way, ordinary people, who are disabled, or who don't know the way around Baltimore, or who don't have time to rent a car, or who need to focus on other things besides driving, take limos also. Limo passengers are not all coke-snorting movie stars dripping $100 bills to whom a $150 limo ride is pocket change."

Less than 1% of all the clients I've driven might have been famous - We usually get "normal" people and retain them as our repeat clients because of outstanding service. I've also had disabled clients (my son is autistic by the way), who I treat no different than "normal" people, nor movie stars, etc. I do believe that it was stated that if a company is withholding a limo driver's gratuity, no, it is not the customers' fault. But, if a driver has gone above and beyond, please show them your appreciation. I've just given examples of what goes into being a limo driver, since most think it is so easy, it's not, it's a hard job, I work hard at it, and I'm good at what I do. I have received awesome tips, and some that are VERY questionable and inappropriate, but, it is the gratitude that's shown make it all worthwhile.

Oh, just to clear something else up, most celebrities don't tip, plain and simple, some do, but most don't. If you feel that a chauffeur has served you well, just try to make sure the gratuity is going where it should go, and to whom it should be given to, it is a gift from you, to us, a gift.

If you simply use Freedom Services instead of a limo, you get fantastic service and tipping is not only not expected, it's not allowed. They show up on time with a clean car, and a courteous, well-trained, and prompt driver.