MSE Forum Poll: Have you ever asked a restaurant to remove an optional service charge?

MSE_JC

Many eateries opt to add an optional service charge to your bill rather than rely on customers leaving tips.

Since it's optional, you can ask to have it removed if you want, perhaps because the food was bad or the service was poor.

Have you ever requested that it be taken off the final bill?

Vote in the poll then share your reasons in the thread.

jmcsta

The waiter spilt a dish down my wife's white jumper and the restaurant had the cheek to impose a service charge.

UnsureAboutthis

It's a bloody cheeky so-and-so's adding this charge on without consent.

They should pay staff a proper wage, or the staff should go and get a proper job. No wonder many of these type of workers are claiming benefits, from what I've been told by someone I knew in this sector.

We will leave a tip if we feel like it for god service we don't need to be made feel akward.

mebu60

Hotel had an 'optional' service charge. Card machine was presented to enter tip amount! On top of service charge. No tip and made them remove the service charge too.

Brie

Generally we zero out the service charge and pay a suitable tip in cash. It started because some restaurants didn't give the waiter the tips so we wanted to be sure they got something.

JGB1955

We always remove the 'suggested' service charge and leave a monetary tip IF service has been outstanding.

Dizzycap

Yes, always. A monetry tip is left, if the food & service have been good.

Rob5342

I always ask for it to be taken off and never tip anywhere. The staff are the restaurants responsibility and the restaurant should be paying them appropriately and setting the meal price at a level that covers that. They don't add a raw ingredients charge, premises rental charge, or gas bill charge etc, that's all covered in the menu price so why on earth do they treat the cost of employing their staff differently? It's a completely ridiculous system and I'd be glad to see the back of it. A taxi driver knows how much they want to make from a journey but instead of telling you that they tell you a reduced price and then feel a bit disgruntled when you don't make it up to the amount they didn't tell you. People tip a waitress for spending 5 minutes carrying some plates for the restaurant but not the midwife who spent 12 hours looking after them. How does any of they make any sense?

twopenny

Usually had to good a time to even think about it.

But I would if service was bad. And tip direct for really helpful service.

Van_Girl

I almost always have it removed - I only tip for very good service. Which it mostly isn't

UnsureAboutthis

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81910636#Comment_81910636

The fact remains, most of us expect a good service when we take our car in for a service, be spoken to politely and treated well, it's all part of their job, no tips

It's cheap skate owners paying low wages and those who pay tips, me inc at times are just encouraging the owners to pay less and staff hang on in there for tax-free, cash in hand offerings, whilst others who are paid via bank can fool HMRC especially the paye lot who work for the public sector etc.