removing gratuities/service reward scheme

[majortom10]

Well, I'm not sure about that. There is some disparity between cruise line salaries. I'm not sure I would work for little more than £4 per hour, even if it is tax-free. P&O salaries may have increased but £4 per hour?? Really?

 

Perhaps you wouldnt with the cost of living but waiters/cabin stewards do not live in the UK and where they come from £4 would be a fantastic wage you only have to look at average country wages in Wikipedia.

[Josy1953]

Gratuities are added to the onboard account early in the cruise for the whole duration. Britannia has draught beers. Stella was £3:80 last time I was on board. I think Peroni is draught in some bars although not all bars have draught beer. They also do some decent ales in bottles plus all manners of cocktails and spirits. The Glasshouse has a good selection of wines as well as draught beers. Some ships have your account linked to the TV in your cabin. Britannia is not one of these but you can get a print of your account from reception whenever you want one.

The system for adding gratuities seems to have changed, certainly up to April this year when cruised on Ventura they were added early in the cruise but in July on Azura they were not added until after the last port (2 days) before we got back to Southampton and some friends have told us that they had the same experience last week. Our friends said that it was almost impossible to get a print out on the last 2 days of their cruise because so many people were at the purser's desk trying to remove the gratuities that they had not been able to remove earlier in the cruise.

 

The sooner P&O start including this charge in the cost of the cruise the better in my opinion. I will be annoyed in October if I need to go to reception for something late in the cruise and cannot get near because too many passengers are trying to remove gratuities, at least with the old system they were spread over the length of the cruise.

Edited September 13, 2016 by Josy1953

[daiB]

My view on where the tips go is they are simply used by P&O to subsidise the wage bill, which would be entirely consistent with their statements.

 

I strongly doubt the staff have seen a 40% increase in the tips element of their pay packet over the last two years, despite the gratuity charge increasing by that amount.

 

If someone doesn't pay £150 of service charge there will be an impact on the tip pool, but I strongly doubt that impact is £150.

 

P&O are simply using the gratuity as another profit centre.

 

 

This is just not true

 

 

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[daiB]

A bottle of wine p and o sell for £18.50 can be bought on land for £9 retail, not wholesale. But it is passengers who are expected to contribute to their staff's wages through tips.

 

 

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Wrong. Billi Billi the most popular Shiraz is £18.50 on board and it retails over £14.00 even bought in bulk.

 

 

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[daiB]

But to stop all the rubbish posted on this and every other forum and thread, tipping should be stopped. The fares should go up and the staff should be paid the full wage.

 

It works in Australia so P&O get on with it.

 

 

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[CCFC]

Princess charged $7.95 for a pint of Stella in May so about a fiver at the time. It was £3.95 on Britannia last December.

 

Fully agree with you. We have always removed auto gratuities and rewarded the people who have directly helped us. furthermore in answer to another post, the staff are allowed to keep their gratuities that are given individually

 

If cruise staff get to keep what is given to them are they ruled out of sharing the rest of the pot, I cant imagine they get two bites of the cherry? Which brings me to the next point you made:

 

However, a few years ago we tipped our cabin steward for the work he did during our 2 week cruise, giving him the same amount as the others that we rewarded which was £40. He said he had left it because the amount was not enough! On that particular cruise, our cabin steward ended up with no tip but the other staff were very grateful of theirs.

 

You tried to give him £2.85 a day? I suspect the reason he left it was because he wouldn't be excluded from the main pot rather than what you offered.

[CCFC]

Perhaps you wouldnt with the cost of living but waiters/cabin stewards do not live in the UK and where they come from £4 would be a fantastic wage you only have to look at average country wages in Wikipedia.

 

The crew don't pay for a lodgings or food either and get the internet for free.

[Millers]

Billie, Billie retails at between £8.50 and £9.00

 

 

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[Baronoli]

Fully agree with you.we have always removed auto gratuities and rewarded the people who have directly helped us.furthermore in answer to another post,the staff are allowed to keep their gratuities that are given individually and this can only be correct.the tipping business only started because the salaries earned by the cruise staff were traditionally quite low,but,recently the earnings have increased somewhat so therefore they do not suffer so financially as they once did.we have friends who are employed by P&O who have confirmed this so as I said earlier,we always reward those who have helped us.

 

I heard the staff know when you remove a tip. Did you find this to be true? Did you receive any less of a service? Were reception funny with you, when you removed it that is?

[daiB]

Billie, Billie retails at between £8.50 and £9.00

 

 

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Please let me know where.

 

The only one we found was more than £14.00

 

I do hope you are correct.

 

 

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[Millers]

Wine direct.co.uk

 

 

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[daiB]

Wine direct.co.uk

 

 

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Thank you

 

I am glad I mentioned it.

 

 

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[john watson]

 

 

 

 

If cruise staff get to keep what is given to them are they ruled out of sharing the rest of the pot, I cant imagine they get two bites of the cherry? Which brings me to the next point you made:

 

 

 

Not sure how this would work logistically. If you are servicing say fifteen cabins and one decides to remove auto tips and give cash direct. How would that work with fourteen cabins contributing to the pot? Are you thinking you are excluded from fourteen fifteens of the total pot or what? It seems a bit complicated to calculate to me.

 

 

 

Regards John

Edited September 13, 2016 by john watson

[davecttr]

Not sure how this would work logistically. If you are servicing say fifteen cabins and one decides to remove auto tips and give cash direct. How would that work with fourteen cabins contributing to the pot? Are you thinking you are excluded from fourteen fifteens of the total pot or what? It seems a bit complicated to calculate to me.

 

 

 

Regards John

The way I understand it the pot is shipwide with the company guaranteeing a minimum level of tip. If the total pot falls below that level the company make up the difference and if the pot is larger they all get a slightly larger amount. You can't have calculations for individual stewards, for examplw what about those stewards servicing single cabins. a single cabin takes just as long to clean etc as a double.

[groovechick]

The crew don't pay for a lodgings or food either and get the internet for free.

 

CCFC, if the crew get the Internet for free, why is it that the first thing they do when they get into port is head for a bar or café with free wifi? Surely this would be unnecessary if they had constant free Internet on board? According to our steward on Britannia they don't.

[daiB]

CCFC, if the crew get the Internet for free, why is it that the first thing they do when they get into port is head for a bar or café with free wifi? Surely this would be unnecessary if they had constant free Internet on board? According to our steward on Britannia they don't.

 

 

Correct.

 

 

 

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[Florry]

No. Any staff member receiving cash from a customer who has removed auto tips must give in any tip they receive in cash.

 

Above the set amount they can keep.

 

So removing the tip and paying cash is a total waste of time.

 

 

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I'm opting out of the mud slinging, it's all been said before. Dai, this did interest me though, who told you they have to return it? I e-mailed PandO asking this question very specifically and was told that they are not required to pay it back to the pot. It concerns me that if you have been told this directly by staff then the information PandO gave me is blatantly untrue.

 

 

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[CCFC]

CCFC, if the crew get the Internet for free, why is it that the first thing they do when they get into port is head for a bar or café with free wifi? Surely this would be unnecessary if they had constant free Internet on board? According to our steward on Britannia they don't.

 

My understanding is they can only use it outside the hours passengers are most likely to be using it.

[Josy1953]

I'm opting out of the mud slinging, it's all been said before. Dai, this did interest me though, who told you they have to return it? I e-mailed PandO asking this question very specifically and was told that they are not required to pay it back to the pot. It concerns me that if you have been told this directly by staff then the information PandO gave me is blatantly untrue.

 

 

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Florry, I agree with Dai because on a cruise in April we had the same cabin steward that we have had several times before and have become friendly with him. He told us that when anyone removes or reduces the gratuities then he is told because he is required to hand in any cash that they give to him. He also showed us a list of cabin numbers from the previous cruise which listed the percentage of the gratuities that had been auto paid for each cabin. If they have simply reduced the amount and then give him cash that makes the total paid higher than the auto-grat then the difference is returned to him. He also told us that the final score on the questionnaires affects the amount that he is paid.

[Florry]

Florry, I agree with Dai because on a cruise in April we had the same cabin steward that we have had several times before and have become friendly with him. He told us that when anyone removes or reduces the gratuities then he is told because he is required to hand in any cash that they give to him. He also showed us a list of cabin numbers from the previous cruise which listed the percentage of the gratuities that had been auto paid for each cabin. If they have simply reduced the amount and then give him cash that makes the total paid higher than the auto-grat then the difference is returned to him. He also told us that the final score on the questionnaires affects the amount that he is paid.

 

 

Wow ok.... So basically I can't trust what PandO said [emoji53]

 

 

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[majortom10]

Wow ok.... So basically I can't trust what PandO said [emoji53]

 

 

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P&O differed with their answer to this question about their service reward scheme on their Facebook page to what is stated on their website and in the brochures only last week so depending on who you speak no you cannot believe them they are well known for muddying the waters on this subject.

Edited September 14, 2016 by majortom10

[Teddy123]

P&O differed with their answer to this question about their service reward scheme on their Facebook page to what is stated on their website and in the brochures only last week so depending on who you speak no you cannot believe them they are well known for muddying the waters on this subject.

 

You've said this before and I couldn't see any difference, so could you help us all by being more specific and quoting the bits you think are different? Thanks.

[majortom10]

You've said this before and I couldn't see any difference, so could you help us all by being more specific and quoting the bits you think are different? Thanks.

 

They said "they are entitled to payments from the Service Reward Scheme" but did not reply when I asked if they receive 100% of money given by customers after I asked them that question.

[CCFC]

They are only told the auto-tips have been removed once you disembark. Any lists that are seen are from the previous cruise.

[balf]

There are many theories as to the allocation of tips that it's best to disregard all of them.

 

Once you have paid your tips why would you care who gets what. You have paid your wack just let them sort it out. They are their employees after all.

 

I would have made a complaint about the room steward refusing a tip because it wasn't enough. I've heard of the happening in New York. Disgraceful.

 

David.