Tipping a private driver in London

[Aboat1]

We have booked several trips with a private driver for our 5 days in London. Is it normal to tip our driver? If so is there a certain percentage of the fare that you tip?

 

We don't want to offend anyone. We have never hired a private driver before!

 

Thank you in advance!

[4774Papa]

I am not British, but have read quite a bit on these boards that tipping is not expected in Britain.

You will probably get a Brit to give you a definitive answer.

[orchestrapal]

After 40 trips to London and always using private drivers; yes tip them. We usually tip 10% and slightly more if they do anything special for us.

 

You will find that tipping in London is now much more prevelent. Many restaurants in central London now add 12 q1/2 % to your check.

[pinkpanther52]

If they are just driving you about I would not tip.

 

If they are also acting as a tour guide then a Tip of a maximum of 10% could be appropriate however it is Not compulsory.

 

And yes the driver will know you are American and expect a tip but if the were driving Brits or Aussies they know they would be unlikely to get one.

[4774Papa]

If they are just driving you about I would not tip.

 

If they are also acting as a tour guide then a Tip of a maximum of 10% could be appropriate however it is Not compulsory.

 

And yes the driver will know you are American and expect a tip but if the were driving Brits or Aussies they know they would be unlikely to get one.

 

When we visit Britain next year, I will have to brush up on using an English accent.

[insanemagnet]

And yes the driver will know you are American and expect a tip but if the were driving Brits or Aussies they know they would be unlikely to get one.

 

Absolutely correct.

 

And as for the 12.5% "discretionary" service charge in restaurants, it tends to only be in London and other areas popular with foreign tourists you see this. Go to a branded restaurant in London they add it, one of the chain's restaurants out in the sticks and they won't.

[turnip eater]

When we visit Britain next year, I will have to brush up on using an English accent.

 

.????

Edited June 22, 2016 by turnip eater

[4774Papa]

.????

 

Just trying some bad humor

[turnip eater]

Just trying some bad humor

 

As long as you don't sound like Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins :eek: :D

Edited June 22, 2016 by turnip eater

[Aboat1]

Thanks for all your comments. This driver/company was recommended by a friend we met on a cruise. He has been in constant contact with us and has already gone above and beyond for us. I certainly want to "take care " of him! we are using him for all our transportation needs.

 

Thank you all very much.

[Globaliser]

You will find that tipping in London is now much more prevelent. Many restaurants in central London now add 12 1/2 % to your check.

Tipping in restaurants really hasn't changed that much in the 30 years that I've been living here.

 

There is a higher prevalence of added service charges, though. This has been less to do with changes in tipping habits, and more because of the introduction of chip and PIN for credit cards.

 

When credit card slips were signed, there was usually a space for you to write in the tip or the increased total amount you wanted to pay, with the new total put onto the card. However, with chip and PIN, most people just want to PIN the transaction and go. The process of adding in a tip to the total before you PIN is cumbersome, as demonstrated every time you pay in a restaurant which still gives you the opportunity to do this. IME, the adding of a service charge, so that the machine simply asks you to PIN the final total, became more widespread with chip and PIN.

 

The reason that it's very often stated to be "discretionary" is to do with VAT. If the service charge is compulsory, then the restaurant must account for the VAT. However, if it's a discretionary additional payment by the customer, it is not VATable. So a 15% compulsory service charge added to a £100 bill is £15, but the restaurant must pay £2.50 of that to the government, keeping £12.50. Adding a 12.5% discretionary service charge to a £100 bill means you only pay £12.50 to the restaurant, which does not have to pay anything over to the government.

 

As far as drivers are concerned, my experience is that tip expectations are now very low. Most taxi drivers, for example, expect to give you all the change after taking exactly the metered fare.

 

However, in the OP's case it's not a conventional taxi-type use of a driver, so this observation won't really apply anyway.

[orchestrapal]

Tipping in restaurants really hasn't changed that much in the 30 years that I've been living here.

 

There is a higher prevalence of added service charges, though. This has been less to do with changes in tipping habits, and more because of the introduction of chip and PIN for credit cards.

 

When credit card slips were signed, there was usually a space for you to write in the tip or the increased total amount you wanted to pay, with the new total put onto the card. However, with chip and PIN, most people just want to PIN the transaction and go. The process of adding in a tip to the total before you PIN is cumbersome, as demonstrated every time you pay in a restaurant which still gives you the opportunity to do this. IME, the adding of a service charge, so that the machine simply asks you to PIN the final total, became more widespread with chip and PIN.

 

The reason that it's very often stated to be "discretionary" is to do with VAT. If the service charge is compulsory, then the restaurant must account for the VAT. However, if it's a discretionary additional payment by the customer, it is not VATable. So a 15% compulsory service charge added to a £100 bill is £15, but the restaurant must pay £2.50 of that to the government, keeping £12.50. Adding a 12.5% discretionary service charge to a £100 bill means you only pay £12.50 to the restaurant, which does not have to pay anything over to the government.

 

As far as drivers are concerned, my experience is that tip expectations are now very low. Most taxi drivers, for example, expect to give you all the change after taking exactly the metered fare.

 

However, in the OP's case it's not a conventional taxi-type use of a driver, so this observation won't really apply anyway.

 

Thanks for the great explanation!

[insanemagnet]

The reason that it's very often stated to be "discretionary" is to do with VAT. If the service charge is compulsory, then the restaurant must account for the VAT.

 

The VAT issue is just a byproduct of the real reason.

 

If the service charge was not discretionary, then they would be obliged to show the inflated price of the menu items.

 

As it is, they can advertise an item for £10, even though they plan to charge £11.25 for it.

 

Then you get the really sneaky restaurants who if they are doing a promotion they put through all the items at full menu price, add the service charge and then deduct the promotion.

 

So a promotion of items costing £20, but at half price will be billed at £12.50, not £11.25.

 

And as for the chip and pin argument, go into a big brand restaurant in London and they will add a service charge. Go into the same brand in Peterborough and no service charge, but an option on the machine. Are only Londoners incapable of using card machines?

[LondonTowner]

When restaurants add on a service charge you are not obliged to pay it. If the service has not been good, then I ask them to take it off the bill.

 

TBH I live in central London and very rarely go to a restaurant that asks you to add the tip when putting in your PIN number, it is normally automatically added onto the bill unless you ask otherwise.

 

I think twelve and a half per cent is a bit cheeky and think ten per cent more than enough.

[Globaliser]

The VAT issue is just a byproduct of the real reason.

 

If the service charge was not discretionary, then they would be obliged to show the inflated price of the menu items.

 

As it is, they can advertise an item for £10, even though they plan to charge £11.25 for it.

I don't think this can be correct, because there's no reason that the restaurant can't say £10 + 15% compulsory service charge.

 

To a consumer, the restaurant isn't allowed to say £10 + VAT, but that is a different issue.

Then you get the really sneaky restaurants who if they are doing a promotion they put through all the items at full menu price, add the service charge and then deduct the promotion.

 

So a promotion of items costing £20, but at half price will be billed at £12.50, not £11.25.

If this were a matter of tipping, and we ordered two items at £10 each but there was a BOGOF promotion, I would expect to tip based on a £20 spend even though the restaurant is taking £10 off the bill.

 

So personally, I do not find this objectionable.

And as for the chip and pin argument, go into a big brand restaurant in London and they will add a service charge. Go into the same brand in Peterborough and no service charge, but an option on the machine. Are only Londoners incapable of using card machines?

I can't speak for the country known as "outside London" ;), but I can tell you when the change in billing practice occurred here. I can also say that it doesn't reflect any particular change in London tipping habits, which was the original point. It may well be that outside London, people have never tipped that much and still wouldn't, and therefore wouldn't tolerate an added service charge.

[insanemagnet]

I don't think this can be correct, because there's no reason that the restaurant can't say £10 + 15% compulsory service charge.

 

The problem is it is likely to fail to meet the regulations for clear price markings.

 

If the item is £11.25, advertising it as £10 but with a compulsory 12.5% service charge in tiny print at the bottom of the last page simply isn't going to be acceptable.

 

If this were a matter of tipping, and we ordered two items at £10 each but there was a BOGOF promotion, I would expect to tip based on a £20 spend even though the restaurant is taking £10 off the bill.

 

So personally, I do not find this objectionable.

 

Perhaps. But what if was £10 for a starter and a main course on a quiet Tuesday, but the menu price of each was £5 and £15.

 

Does charging £12.50 rather than £11.25, a 25% service charge not seem a tad high?

 

I can't speak for the country known as "outside London" ;), but I can tell you when the change in billing practice occurred here. I can also say that it doesn't reflect any particular change in London tipping habits, which was the original point. It may well be that outside London, people have never tipped that much and still wouldn't, and therefore wouldn't tolerate an added service charge.

 

No, I think that people outside London like to choose when and how much to tip, rather than have the restaurant decide for them.

[Globaliser]

Perhaps. But what if was £10 for a starter and a main course on a quiet Tuesday, but the menu price of each was £5 and £15.

 

Does charging £12.50 rather than £11.25, a 25% service charge not seem a tad high?

At those absolute numbers, I don't think I'd care. If the numbers were much bigger, I'd obviously look at them more carefully. But I suspect that if it were obvious that it was a half price promotion constructed like that, I'd still tip on the full amount. Of course, sometimes it's difficult to tell, and at other times the numbers end up being such as to make this make little difference anyway.

[insanemagnet]

At those absolute numbers, I don't think I'd care. If the numbers were much bigger, I'd obviously look at them more carefully.

 

True.

 

However the most extreme example I have actually encountered was the service charge on a £20 meal being calculated on a £75 menu price. And the service was rubbish.

[Globaliser]

However the most extreme example I have actually encountered was the service charge on a £20 meal being calculated on a £75 menu price. And the service was rubbish.

I agree: if I'd seen those levels, and added in the fact that the service was rubbish, then I'd have been challenging the service charge even if it was supposedly compulsory.

[LondonTowner]

I may be wrong, but I thought a compulsory service charge is illegal in the UK. That's why it is always shown separately.

[campolady]

I may be wrong, but I thought a compulsory service charge is illegal in the UK. That's why it is always shown separately.

 

My thoughts too LondonTowner.

 

As for the OPs query - a small tip is appreciated BUT anything more than 5-10% is over the top.

[Globaliser]

I may be wrong, but I thought a compulsory service charge is illegal in the UK. That's why it is always shown separately.

My thoughts too LondonTowner.

From the Consumer Rights website of Which? (the Consumers' Association):-

Do I have to pay a service charge if the service is poor?

 

...

 

Compulsory service charge

 

Some restaurants add a compulsory service charge to your bill, and others leave it to your discretion. In essence you have the right to refuse to pay the service charge in either circumstance if the service falls below a reasonable standard.

 

If a service charge is compulsory, the restaurant must make this clear before you eat. For example, by stating this on menus it has in the window or by telling you verbally.

 

If the restaurant fails to do so, then you can argue that the compulsory service charge does not form part of your contract.

 

...

[Marketa24]

We have booked several trips with a private driver for our 5 days in London. Is it normal to tip our driver? If so is there a certain percentage of the fare that you tip?

 

We don't want to offend anyone. We have never hired a private driver before!

 

Thank you in advance!

 

If you don't mind me asking what private driver are you using? We are going there in September and will be there for 5 days.

[Aboat1]

If you don't mind me asking what private driver are you using? We are going there in September and will be there for 5 days.

 

We are using Lester at "Meetwagons".(love the name!) You can find him on that very popular social media site. Or google Meetwagon UK We met folks on another cruise that have used him many times and have been very satisfied with Him.

 

I have found him very reliable to work with.

 

Just send him a message and he will get back to you.

[LondonTowner]

I don't know if you are aware that 'MeetWagons' is a play on words. A Meat Wagon is slang for a police van, where you are put if you are arrested on the street.