Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

iquantny.tumblr.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

161–170 of 226 posts

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#161

Post by dantheman »

ma2rten wrote: post #157
pmoriarty wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's even worse in Europe, where a "mandatory tip" is already included in your bill by the time you get it. The service in Europe tends to be of a much lower quality than in the US as well. In general, the US is a consumer paradise compared to Europe. In the US, it's better to be a consumer than an employee. In Europe it's the opposite.

It's even worse in Europe, where a "mandatory tip" is already included in your bill by the time you get it. There is no "mandatory tip" in Europe. It's actually very simple: you pay for a service, the business pays it's employees. How much the employees get payed is not your concern as a customer. You can tip if you received excellent service, but that is totally optional as it should be. In general, the US is a cons…

Europe is not consumer friendly at all.

Service is terrible, many places only accept cash, more accept debit cards, most don't accept credit cards.

Store hours are terrible.

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#162

Post by jacalata »

darkarmani wrote: post #87
bunderbunder wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tipping in the USA goes something beyond just being culture. We've even got it ingrained into our laws. Minimum wage for servers is barely nominal, and much less than what anyone else in the restaurant is making. It's expected that customer tips will form the bulk of their earnings. So if you believe that people deserve to be paid a living wage for their time even when they're not at their best, the status quo places…

> We've even got it ingrained into our laws. Minimum wage for servers is barely nominal, and much less than what anyone else in the restaurant is making. That's only if the tips don't make up the difference to get to minimum wage.

That's the "ingrained in law" he was talking about. The law assumes tipping, else it wouldn't make sense to have that exception at all.

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#163

Post by lucaspiller »

pmoriarty wrote: post #136
parennoob wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. I come from a culture where tipping implies "reward for good service". But in the US, I always feel that if I tip less than the expected 20%, practically I may be cutting into someone's wages. If they demand the difference, they may end up getting fired by their boss. Does anyone know if these workers are that helpless in practice? Or can they make a single call and get the restaurant owner in trouble if he/she…

It's even worse in Europe, where a "mandatory tip" is already included in your bill by the time you get it. The service in Europe tends to be of a much lower quality than in the US as well. In general, the US is a consumer paradise compared to Europe. In the US, it's better to be a consumer than an employee. In Europe it's the opposite.

> It's even worse in Europe, where a "mandatory tip" is already included in your bill by the time you get it.

Recently a lot of restaurants in London have started adding this, however the "service charge" is completely optional (UK advertising laws state that the advertised price, in the menu, should include all fees and taxes). I think they've only done this as European tourists are used to it, so they can get more £££.

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#164

Post by rhino369 »

kalleboo wrote: post #127
johngalt wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> He had no gps and took a wrong freeway change getting home. Yeah that was planned. He's trying to run up the meter. About 30-40% of cabbies will take you on the scenic route if you don't give them specific directions. You don't have to be painfully specific. Just give them a curt overview of the route you wish to take when you get into the cab. Be ready to pay with cash. I'm ready to tip 25% for a no bullshit drive…

And people wonder why Uber is so popular...

Uber will take a scenic route because they don't know what the area and/or their GPS gives them a shitty route.

But at least they take credit without an epic battle.

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#165

Post by rhino369 »

monksy wrote: post #152
pmoriarty wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't have to wait for the results to come in. Just go to Europe, where this has been standard practice for decades if not longer. For what it's worth, in my own personal experience and that of others I've talked with, the service in Europe is markedly worse than what you usually get in the US. But anecdotes like mine are too little to go on. I'd be interested to hear if there's been any cross-cultural research o…

Are you kidding me? I've had only a handful of bad service experiences in Europe compared to the numerous great ones. The Europeans tend not to keep coming back to your table to ask how you're doing, or if something is wrong. If there is something wrong with the meal they'll come because they're watching/paying attention.

Most people want a waiter to come by because its rude to wave a waiter over.

European service sucks.

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#166

Post by nodata »

nickstefan12 wrote: post #86

I just ran into this last night: I took a cab home from the airport. One: he had no gps and took a wrong freeway change getting home. Two he barely spoke English. Three I basically had to navigate him back on track and painfully turn by turn. End of the trip I go pay, and he's sad that I want to pay with a credit card. Then the tip meter only has 20% or other. I hit other with a much lower tip. He cancels the transac…

and if Uber does something bad, you'd complain.

You should also complain now.

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#167

Post by rhino369 »

madeofpalk wrote: post #43
bunderbunder wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tipping in the USA goes something beyond just being culture. We've even got it ingrained into our laws. Minimum wage for servers is barely nominal, and much less than what anyone else in the restaurant is making. It's expected that customer tips will form the bulk of their earnings. So if you believe that people deserve to be paid a living wage for their time even when they're not at their best, the status quo places…

The circular reasoning is what gets me - they get less than minimal wage because they earn tips because they get a poor wage because they earn tips because...

Tipping predates minimum wage law in America. When they were written the laws just took into account the fact that some people get paid in tips.

Americans got the tipping culture from Europe before it faded away in Europe.

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#168

Post by rhino369 »

untog wrote: post #7
biot wrote: post #2

I find tipping culture really confusing. How is it that when your plumber saves the day and gets your leak fixed (saving you expensive flood restoration costs) you pay the price on the invoice, yet for a car ride from A to B it's worth paying 20% to 30% over the invoice price? Compare that to buying a new vehicle where, regardless of how knowledgeable and spectacular the salesperson is, you are considered to be getti…

In the US particularly, tipping is basically just making up for the fact that the person is underpaid. Plumbers are typically very well rewarded for the work they do - restaurant waiters, less so.

You've got the cause and effect backwards. They get paid so little because they are already getting tipped.

Otherwise you'd tip the poor son of a bitch at McDs who makes 7 an hour.

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#169

Post by jamespo »

rhino369 wrote: post #165
monksy wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you kidding me? I've had only a handful of bad service experiences in Europe compared to the numerous great ones. The Europeans tend not to keep coming back to your table to ask how you're doing, or if something is wrong. If there is something wrong with the meal they'll come because they're watching/paying attention.

Most people want a waiter to come by because its rude to wave a waiter over. European service sucks.

It's not rude at all to catch their eye, or are you using the finger clicking method?

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#170

Post by eterm »

lucaspiller wrote: post #163
pmoriarty wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's even worse in Europe, where a "mandatory tip" is already included in your bill by the time you get it. The service in Europe tends to be of a much lower quality than in the US as well. In general, the US is a consumer paradise compared to Europe. In the US, it's better to be a consumer than an employee. In Europe it's the opposite.

> It's even worse in Europe, where a "mandatory tip" is already included in your bill by the time you get it. Recently a lot of restaurants in London have started adding this, however the "service charge" is completely optional (UK advertising laws state that the advertised price, in the menu, should include all fees and taxes). I think they've only done this as European tourists are used to it, so they can get more…

This has been standard practice in the UK for a while now, but it's completely legal to cross through the service charge and tip cash (or not at all).
Post reply on HN