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Posted

Had a dinner out, a couple of nights ago.  Highly touted restaurant.

Decent food but nothing exceptional   

Service was mediocre, nothing special either way (good or bad). Just average, although not very attentive.

With the substantial bill, printed on the ticket was a list of pre-calculated 'tips.' All you had to do was check which 'tip' you wanted to reward the server with. Not uncommon.

However, what ticked me off was that the pre-calculated tips ranged from 18% up to 25%, then a "Custom Tip" line if the 18-20-22-25 percentages weren't enough from which to select.

Sidebar:  Now, I am not stingy, and I generally tip 15% for good service, 10% for less than good with notable faults. I've been known to tip more for great service, and once in a while, I'll tip 5-10% for outrageous stinkers. Once, I think, a server was so abusive to customers (others as well as my party) I used the server's 'secret code' by leaving two pennies as a tip. 

But the temerity, cheekiness, of suggesting only above-average tips on the ticket just plain ticked me off. (As it has on other occasions.)  So I wrote in a "custom tip" that I calculated at 15%. Average, but generous in this instance. 

The server swooped as soon as I finished the ticket but while I was still seated, finishing my iced tea. He stood at the table and 'accidentally' opened the ticket booklet and saw the tip I had added. He scowled and made a production of trying to silently express his displeasure with me.

Apparently he recognized my displeasure with the service I had received.

 

Bottom line, what irked me is the new practice of suggesting only higher than customary or average tips on pre-printed credit card tickets. 

I'm sure some people are 'trained' or intimated to just pick a pre-calculated selection which might not reflect their experience as a customer, but I'm not one.

 

PS:  The experience (service and even the food) was not sufficient to motivate me to return. 

 

 

  

Posted

I agree with your statement and don't blame you one bit. I'm happy to give a nice tip when the waiter/waitress never had us wanting anything. They would always bring something because they noticed we were down on a drink or whatever or ask what we might need.

Unfortunately, some servers expect they're entitled to a fat tip just for going through the motions.

Posted
12 hours ago, NYLIBUD said:

Pain that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy?.This actually happed to me a couple of days ago.I was simply walking around my house in my socks.I walk into my bedroom.I go to turn the light on,but the light bulb blew.Ok well i have another light on the other side of my room.So i’m like ok just go turn that light on.However as soon as i took my third step in the darkness,I slipped on something,causing my left foot to get completely twisted,and twisted my ankle so bad.My body just gave out,and i went down like a sack of dirt,and saw stars..Ok sorry,I’m rambling.Well after I headed to the doctor,he took an X-Ray.Welp the result is a bunch of torn small ligaments,a couple of chipped bones in my foot,and a horrible twisted ankle.Now it’s completely swollen and is throbbing.Just for slipping on a piece of paper in the dark.Arrrrrrggggg??

 

I did the same thing to my ankle...drunk playing basketball when I was 20. Tried to "walk it off" and when I went to the doctor 3 days later my leg, half way up my calf, was swollen and had turned black. Took a while but it finally got better. It was the same as yours, torn ligaments that pulled pieces of bone off when they broke away. Doctor said it would have been better to have a clean break. My ankle still "clicks" when i walk, 35 years later.

Posted
3 hours ago, Danno said:

Had a dinner out, a couple of nights ago.  Highly touted restaurant.

Decent food but nothing exceptional   

Service was mediocre, nothing special either way (good or bad). Just average, although not very attentive.

With the substantial bill, printed on the ticket was a list of pre-calculated 'tips.' All you had to do was check which 'tip' you wanted to reward the server with. Not uncommon.

However, what ticked me off was that the pre-calculated tips ranged from 18% up to 25%, then a "Custom Tip" line if the 18-20-22-25 percentages weren't enough from which to select.

Sidebar:  Now, I am not stingy, and I generally tip 15% for good service, 10% for less than good with notable faults. I've been known to tip more for great service, and once in a while, I'll tip 5-10% for outrageous stinkers. Once, I think, a server was so abusive to customers (others as well as my party) I used the server's 'secret code' by leaving two pennies as a tip. 

But the temerity, cheekiness, of suggesting only above-average tips on the ticket just plain ticked me off. (As it has on other occasions.)  So I wrote in a "custom tip" that I calculated at 15%. Average, but generous in this instance. 

The server swooped as soon as I finished the ticket but while I was still seated, finishing my iced tea. He stood at the table and 'accidentally' opened the ticket booklet and saw the tip I had added. He scowled and made a production of trying to silently express his displeasure with me.

Apparently he recognized my displeasure with the service I had received.

 

Bottom line, what irked me is the new practice of suggesting only higher than customary or average tips on pre-printed credit card tickets. 

I'm sure some people are 'trained' or intimated to just pick a pre-calculated selection which might not reflect their experience as a customer, but I'm not one.

 

PS:  The experience (service and even the food) was not sufficient to motivate me to return. 

 

 

  

Unfortunately, your experience is more common than not lately. Many of the "servers" in our area conduct themselves in much the same manor. I call them "servers" since they aren't really Waiters or Waitress'. People who are professional wait persons would realize that they hadn't done a good job in waiting your table. So many that we see lately seem to expect some big gratuity for bringing you your plate and extra if they somehow got your order correctly. Just this last weekend we went to our favorite breakfast restaurant and when the server showed up, he had a new trainee in tow. I don't have a problem with the presents of the trainee as long as the teacher is showing him the correct way to wait on a table. This teacher was trying to do everything as fast as possible with little or no attention to details. He seemed to be confusing speed with efficiency.  He was halfway to the next table without asking what we wanted to drink. The trainee realized the error without any mention being made and was actually covering for the so-called trainer at the other tables as well. This isn't an expensive high-end restaurant, but a place that offers great food at a reasonable price and the wait staff are normally friendly and very attentive. My coffee cup never gets below half full and the same for my wife's iced tea. They always offer us a cup of each to go if we want and are very pleasant to deal with. The type of place we normally would leave at least a 20% tip, not this day. 

Posted
4 hours ago, Danno said:

Had a dinner out, a couple of nights ago.  Highly touted restaurant.

Decent food but nothing exceptional   

Service was mediocre, nothing special either way (good or bad). Just average, although not very attentive.

With the substantial bill, printed on the ticket was a list of pre-calculated 'tips.' All you had to do was check which 'tip' you wanted to reward the server with. Not uncommon.

However, what ticked me off was that the pre-calculated tips ranged from 18% up to 25%, then a "Custom Tip" line if the 18-20-22-25 percentages weren't enough from which to select.

Sidebar:  Now, I am not stingy, and I generally tip 15% for good service, 10% for less than good with notable faults. I've been known to tip more for great service, and once in a while, I'll tip 5-10% for outrageous stinkers. Once, I think, a server was so abusive to customers (others as well as my party) I used the server's 'secret code' by leaving two pennies as a tip. 

But the temerity, cheekiness, of suggesting only above-average tips on the ticket just plain ticked me off. (As it has on other occasions.)  So I wrote in a "custom tip" that I calculated at 15%. Average, but generous in this instance. 

The server swooped as soon as I finished the ticket but while I was still seated, finishing my iced tea. He stood at the table and 'accidentally' opened the ticket booklet and saw the tip I had added. He scowled and made a production of trying to silently express his displeasure with me.

Apparently he recognized my displeasure with the service I had received.

 

Bottom line, what irked me is the new practice of suggesting only higher than customary or average tips on pre-printed credit card tickets. 

I'm sure some people are 'trained' or intimated to just pick a pre-calculated selection which might not reflect their experience as a customer, but I'm not one.

 

PS:  The experience (service and even the food) was not sufficient to motivate me to return. 

 

 

  

I prefer to leave my tips on the table as cash.  Old fashion I guess. 

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)

What irked me today? My job... I'm seriously thinking of dropping it and take up truck driving... seriously.

I've not gotten a real/actual/beneficial/serious raise in 6 years. They keep piling more and more stuff on and never gotten more than... well less than, a buck an hour in five years.

Schneider trucking has some serious work for serious pay... SERIOUSLY!

No, seriously

lol

Edited by Raoul Ross
serious stuff
  • Like 3
Posted

 Vehicle obsolesce, combined with wacko inflationary prices.

Took my daily driver 300k+ miles '86 VW GTI to the same mechanics' place I've been going to since '97-ish, my CV boots on one axle split from old age, and I don't like fixing that sort of thing myself. The longtime employee I've known there since 2002 bought the shop from his boss, and told me the basic reality today was that from jacked up building rental and other rising costs, he was going to have drop most of the time-consuming, barely profitable work on old VWs (taking no new customers of old ones, but courteously doing work for legacy customers like me). To keep viable, he can only take work on newer technowonder VWs. My bill was $309 parts & labor for a new axle with new boots on either end, cheaper than replacing only the grease-spitting outer boot and cracking apart inner boot. Other car there was an '09 2009 diesel Jetta Wagon with a blown turbo and other decaying bits, looking at a $4 grand repair estimate .....

  • Like 1
Posted
15 hours ago, cobraman said:

I prefer to leave my tips on the table as cash.  Old fashion I guess. 

I'm the same way myself. Nothing wrong with being old school.

  • Like 1
Posted
16 hours ago, cobraman said:

I prefer to leave my tips on the table as cash.  Old fashion I guess. 

Most of the time we also pay cash (including the tip).  Sometimes we get a surprised look from the wait staff. "You're paying cash?!"

Even though there are more and more hints about it, hopefully we will not become a cashless society during my lifetime.  Cash is *KING*.

Posted
21 hours ago, cobraman said:

That looks terrible !  I hope you get better soon. 

Oh,well thank you very much,seriously.I really appreciate it.It sucks,but I’m sort of getting use to walking on my heel.But if i put all my pressure on it accidentally,that is where the pain comes from.I have set of crutches,from when did this same stupid stunt a few years back,with similar results?.Jeeze,u think i would’ve learned by now.Anyway,thanks again.And I’ll be sure to watch my step from now on.

Posted (edited)

One word….INSOMNIA,I haven’t slept a wink all night long.?????? ..It’s now 20 after 9AM Est time.

Edited by NYLIBUD
  • Like 1
Posted

Word... It's my day off and I've been up for 5 hrs and it's not even 8:30 yet.

?

Posted
On 6/22/2023 at 9:54 PM, NYLIBUD said:

Pain that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy?.This actually happed to me a couple of days ago.I was simply walking around my house in my socks.I walk into my bedroom.I go to turn the light on,but the light bulb blew.Ok well i have another light on the other side of my room.So i’m like ok just go turn that light on.However as soon as i took my third step in the darkness,I slipped on something,causing my left foot to get completely twisted,and twisted my ankle so bad.My body just gave out,and i went down like a sack of dirt,and saw stars..Ok sorry,I’m rambling.Well after I headed to the doctor,he took an X-Ray.Welp the result is a bunch of torn small ligaments,a couple of chipped bones in my foot,and a horrible twisted ankle.Now it’s completely swollen and is throbbing.Just for slipping on a piece of paper in the dark.Arrrrrrggggg??

IMG_5420.jpeg

How Horrible! I've not done that, but moving around in the dark has hurt me too, in the past.

Get better soon.

  • Thanks 1
Posted (edited)

First time I've seen this one from USPS tracking:

Jun 27, 2023
1:45pm
A train derailment has delayed delivery. We're adjusting plans to deliver your package as quickly as possible.
 
I expect the next update to be "the dog ate it".
Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Posted
2 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

First time I've seen this one from USPS tracking:

Jun 27, 2023
1:45pm
A train derailment has delayed delivery. We're adjusting plans to deliver your package as quickly as possible.
 
I expect the next update to be "the dog ate it".

I've had this suspicion that USPS was using hobos to deliver the mail. Hand them a sack and ask them to drop off the mail as they pass through on their travels. Hobos travel by rail, this is practically confirmation.

  • Haha 2
Posted

Electromotive looks like they may be down for the count.

Annoying because an old client's car is equipped with one of their engine management systems, it's failed, it looks like he's going to have to switch to something else, and I don't have time to get involved in another project if I'm going to get on with my own life.

Ten years back when the car was built, there were several fairly local shops that could have dealt with reengineering the electronics for his twin-turbo setup, but today I don't know of one.

  • Like 1
Posted

Had to return with my new glasses to Walmart Vision because they were so bad after a few hours they actually would make me ill.

The first time they found they got the measurements wrong at the lab.

This time the measurements look good but the left eye is affected bad so now have to go back tomorrow and a different dr will redo the exam.

I suffer hypoglycemia and if my sugar was low at the time of the first exam it could have made a difference according to them.

Told the lady that if the exam comes out the same I want a refund and I'll go elsewhaere!

The wifes glasses worked great for her!

Posted

Well here we go again,,,It’s SCIATICA time again.!!!!?God this is painful.I swear,I’m slowly falling apart.?Anybody else have bad Sciatica?I describe as like having a bad tooth ache,but in your leg and back.?

Posted
1 hour ago, NYLIBUD said:

Well here we go again,,,It’s SCIATICA time again.!!!!?God this is painful.I swear,I’m slowly falling apart.?Anybody else have bad Sciatica?I describe as like having a bad tooth ache,but in your leg and back.?

I feel your pain.

Been dealing with it since 1997 after herniating 3 disc in my back slipping off the step of my truck.

Got worse after my lumbar fusion surgery that left me worse.

Was on opiods for a long time for it and finally took myself off them several years ago and now just use tylenol and an anti inflamitory.

Posted

The upper radiator hose in my Accord sprung a nasty leak yesterday as I was heading home from running some errands. Thankfully I wasn't that far from my mechanic's shop and was able to limp the car to it. The upper hose is getting replaced  right now and the same for the lower hose as a precaution. Another repair bill to pay but I need the car.

Posted (edited)

Plastic toothpaste tubes.? Surely they can’t be that much cheaper to produce than the good old aluminum ones that you could fold up as you use the contents.?

Edited by NOBLNG
  • Like 1

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