was I a jerk? Do you tip the locksmith?

So we lost the key to my wife's Fist.  I called a locksmith who I didn't realize was mobile only.  I was trying to keep my costs down as the key to the fiesta st is pricey.  I told him I would get back to him, and then played phone tag until he left me a message that he was throwing the sticky with my name on it away.  I am laying the groundwork on his personality.  I waited to have him come out, so he could make keys for two other cars.  It was hard to corral my two kids and my wife.

I corralled them and had him come out on my day off.  He wouldn't stop talking about the Donut Media "donut" sticker on my son's car and told me he had to have a ford SHO because he had kids.  He told me on the phone he would not charge me for my son's subaru because it was just a key to cut, no chip or anything.  Told me to expect a bill between $250 and $300.

The young man comes out, talking a mile a minute. I honestly couldn't keep up with him.   He had to program the key to fiesta, and made a comment that a fiesta was a "weird" choice for a car guy. I pointed out that it was an st, and they were great cars, he had never heard of an st.   He promptly puts two pieces of electrical equipment on the roof of the fiesta, I very promptly take them off.  I ask him not to put that on because it will scratch the paint.  He acts shocked and tells me that the cases are plastic, I point out that the car is 5 years old and the paint is in great shape and I take care of my paint so it stays that way.  He is miffed.

So he works at least forty minutes on the cars.  Gives me the subaru keys for free,  he says I could have just gone to a hardware store for them.  I thank him for doing it for free.  The bill is between $250 and $300.  He apologizes for putting stuff on the car and said he never worries about scratching pain. He talks to me about his SHO, trying to establish his car guy credentials to me. He hands me the credit card terminal and it asks me if I would like to give him a $42 tip.  I'm taken aback and decline it.  I wasn't having a good experience with him, but later thought that I could have given him a tip of what the "free" keys would cost.  I think the whole bill was $278, (I'm too lazy to go find the receipt).  He then tells me the key fob to my daughters car is falling apart and he can fix it for me, "sometime".  I am confused as to why he didn't offer to fix it while he was there, as this is the fob with the door opener, etc.

So would you have tipped him?  Would you have tipped him had the interaction been better.  I tip the tow drivers for giving me a ride home, and for getting to me quickly and jumping a car I thought would be towed.  We are tipping extra in times of covid, as I realize the restaurants are half full. I tip at ice cream and other stands with a jar, I know it ads up for the kids working. I was just shocked that he would hand me something asking for a tip.  I have never thought of tipping a locksmith and the mobile locksmith was new to me.  I would actually much preferred to do it at his place of business, which he didn't have.  I'm just chewing over this and maybe should have put it in random thoughts or rants.

What say you?

Generally I don't tip people unless they are working for subpar wages, such as waitstaff.  When I do tip, I try to tip generously as that's what their liveliehood is based on.

Pretty much all remote card readers ask for a tip now no matter what the industry.  Its weird.

My brother-in-law never tips, I can tell by his haircut.

ShawnG said:

My brother-in-law never tips, I can tell by his haircut.

It sounds like, even if you would have normally tipped for this type of work, that this particular individual did enough things from the beginning to bother you that he lost his tip. I would consider tipping a locksmith for good service since he came to your location, but judging from the way you describe the service and attitude received then I wouldn't have tipped either.

A lot of portable credit card terminal devices ask if you'd like to give a tip. If you were operating a mobile business - would you leave the total charge + optional tip on the payment screen or not? I think I would. [Why not? Making more money for the same work is a good business decision honestly].
 

Sounds like it calculated a tip around about 15%... seems like NBD to decline based on your perception of the service.
 

Some people aren't really gifted at customer service interactions, others are. The marketplace usually has a way of rewarding those who are and eliminating those who are not. 

I only tip haircutters, waitstaff, and bartenders.  I did tip my dude who did my drywall because he did a real nice job for not much money, but thats the exception not the rule.  Other service industry no tip no way.  Mobile key cutting bro should be paid decent and if not there are plenty of other high paying jobs in the trades.  

I would consider tipping a furnace guy or a plumber if they make a good recommendation or do some fairly expensive service "on the arm" while they are in there, but thats never happened to me.  

If he's mobile only, him coming to you is not over and above his normal scope of business. I wouldn't tip. What's the tip for, doing his regular job, and doing it while insulting you?

93gsxturbo said:

I only tip haircutters, waitstaff, and bartenders.  

And movers, after the delivery is made, and you're confident that you have all your stuff that they left your last house with.

You were not a jerk.

I am going to assume that the Locksmith being mobile only is the owner operator of the buisness. 

Etiquette dictates the owner of a business should not expect a tip. 

If he was an employee of a buisness; asking for a tip is poor etiquette. 

I was really surprised, especially since he had rubbed me the wrong way, and seemed to know it.  I didn't expect the ask, and I usually tip service guys $20.  It may have been just the way his account was set up, that it asked for a tip, but he for sure asked.  I can't say I blame him for asking.  I also can't imagine I'm the only car person who doesn't put tools etc on the roof of their car.

Thanks for your comments

Nope. For what it costs to have service people come out, I'm not tipping them on top of it. 

I wouldn't have tipped him under those circumstances. $278 for roughly 40 minutes of work, he is already well compensated.  Forget about him and move on.

Indy "Nub" Guy said:

I wouldn't have tipped him under those circumstances. $278 for roughly 40 minutes of work, he is already well compensated.  Forget about him and move on.

That's a E36 M3 attitude, you're not paying him for his time, you're also paying for his expertise and tools. 

The part about the dude "putting something on the car" and "not worrying about scratching the paint" is confusing.  Like he just don't care about scratching cars when he's working on the locks?  Did he lay down something on the car to protect the paint to make sure scratches don't happen?

I wouldn't tip a locksmith unless it was some real above & beyond the normal job situation and you felt like he wasn't going to be compensated otherwise.

I tip wait-staff, begrudgingly. I say begrudgingly because they should simply be paid properly. 
that being said, I tip well. 
I would have probably called the owner to express my irritation at having anything put on my car, and the tip comment. Neither one would have warranted a call, but depending on my mood, the two together may have prompted a call. 

Steve_Jones said:

Indy "Nub" Guy said:

I wouldn't have tipped him under those circumstances. $278 for roughly 40 minutes of work, he is already well compensated.  Forget about him and move on.

That's a E36 M3 attitude, you're not paying him for his time, you're also paying for his expertise and tools. 

Do you tip your doctor or dentist?  I don't.  

They have tools and expertise too.

The OP described a subpar interaction.  One that I doubt he would recommend this guy to a family member or friends.  It didn't justify a tip.

In reply to Steve_Jones :

Your name calling is not going to suck me into a fight with a troll.

He was just doing his job , 

 but if it was raining , snowing , midnight , down a dark alley , that he had to crawl on the mud or anything like that which is not normal  everyday work than  probably I would give him a tip.....

but not 15% on a $278 bill , I would probably give him $20-$25 cash....

Steve_Jones said:

In reply to Indy "Nub" Guy :

If you look up, I said I wouldn't tip him, but deciding someone is "well compensated" because they can do something in a short period, is being a dick. It's like me saying any college drop out can at least get a job as a design engineer....

No, you didn't call me a name.

I think a lot of those just get programed in to see if people will pay. I'm happy to tip folks and my father in law is actually a locksmith who owns his company, this would be $20 in cash situation if anything, if you weren't happy nothing is also an option.

I am just here to say that those card readers with the tip screen you have to figure out how to get past really burn me. If I want to tip I will.  It seems though that every transaction now seems to be begging for extra money from me over and above the cost of the service. I never dreamed of asking for a tip (because that is what they are doing-asking) in thirty years of providing services to customers.