[Donghai]

how much do u tip?

[Green///Hell]

There have been threads about this in the past, they're not allowed to except tips so I think unless it were in private it wouldn't be appropriate

But i, and some others, have given them gifts before. Like holidays or birthdays if you have a closer relationship with them.
Not a bad idea to make friends with the people approving warranty work on your car

[Crazy Bimmer]

^ yep.

Sometimes ill bring in donuts or something for no reason.

[JonM]

I always bring bier for the service advisor and for the mechanic who turns the wrench.

[Eau Rouge]

Practically all of CA's at the BMW service centerd where wife and I take the vehicles are wine lovers. Most prefer white over red, so it's always useful to have some of both in the car to have the right "tip".

[JCtx]

Well, my SA is a lady, and let's just say she might not welcome how I want to tip her . But seriously, she wouldn't deserve a tip anyway. As most ladies, she doesn't know squat about my car, and she clearly thinks (body language) I'm a 'whiner' when asking about protecting seats on service visits, etc. I didn't want to embarrass her and ask for a different SA (which might be the same or worse), so that can be considered my tip .

[///M Rakete]

I give a nice personalized gift at Christmas to my CA, my SA, and the guys in the parts department. It's always appreciated.

[bogdan]

Money is always good, but a survey that is all 10's with a nice comment is the best tip you could every provide for someone in the auto industry.

If that's not enough, then alcohol usually works.

[bmrm396]

helllllllllll f*ckin NO, they dont give me anything except bein a pain in my ass

[duk]

why should u tip the SA?

[shoei]

i do... i'll either bring the occasional lunch with me, and during birthdays and holidays i will bring gifts... my SA actually got a gigantic bottle of johnnie walker green label...

in turn, i never have to make an appointment or wait in the ridiculous line whenever i show up... and they always ensure that i have a loaner car to use, even back when i had just a 328 they treated me quite nicely...

i also have a mechanic at my dealership that i use, and i take care of him time to time... and again, in turn, they turned a blind eye when i brought my friends M3 in with a powerchip tune, and they even went ahead and reset the CPU back to factory for free when he decided he no longer wanted the tune...

[dimabimmer]

a big bottle of "Chopen" vodka and a jar of Black Caviar from Russia for SA ... in return, I always got express service, never appointment needed, always got foreman's attention... loaner car etc,.

[fpblue]

Thankfully I don't see my SA much. If I was in there more often, then I would tip. I do tip when they help me put winter tires in my car. They don't have to do it, so I give them a $20.

[Steven_RW]

Interesting cultural differences showing through here.

In the Uk we rarely tip and in the Scottish part of the UK, we are even worse :-D. I can't even imagine doing such a thing. I expect my SA to kiss my ass 10000000% when I drive a spanking nice e92 m3 into their forecourt. That is why the car cost so much in the first place.

I do frankly agree with the guy that said the survey gave 10's to the fact that a good positive comment can be a great feeling. It is not a bribe either, therefore u are not letting them enter an opinion into a bargain. I treat the guys behind the desk (SA in ur terms) and the mechanics with total respect and always listen to everything they have to say about my car and their experience etc. Great guys and if you invest the time in them, to get to know about what they are interested in, they seem to naturally treat you well. That works for me. Chocolates etc are for someone who has ALREADY GONE OVER AND ABOVE not to convince them to do it in the first place.... wrong mentality from my perspective.

Cheers,
RW

[SpencerM3]

Never even crossed my mind.

[STALKER]

Never and for those of you that do, its makes life more difficult for the rest of us.
There is no freakin reason for anyone to tip your SA. I think "tipping" has gotten way out of hand in the US.

I don't see anything wrong with bringing in some coffee or donuts though, but only if they don't expect it to happen all the time.

You go see your doctor for a service he/she provides, are you gonna tip them????? See my point.

[bknight]

Totally agree with Stalker's post.

[shoei]

Originally Posted by STALKER

Never and for those of you that do, its makes life more difficult for the rest of us.
There is no freakin reason for anyone to tip your SA. I think "tipping" has gotten way out of hand in the US.

I don't see anything wrong with bringing in some coffee or donuts though, but only if they don't expect it to happen all the time.

You go see your doctor for a service he/she provides, are you gonna tip them????? See my point.

hold up... "those who do makes life more difficult for the rest of us?"
since when does my life actions have to cater to your needs?? if i chose to give my SA a gift for xmas / hanukkah etc, that's my choice, lol...

unless when people say "tip" they just mean straight cash... then i see your point... technically, they aren't allowed to receive cash...

HOWEVER, i am that guy who will go to vegas / atlantic city, and always for a nice "tip" that i slide the front desk person, i do get upgraded to a suite... it's just the way of life, fortunately or unfortunately...

[rsmamg]

no

[Eau Rouge]

Originally Posted by shoei

hold up... "those who do makes life more difficult for the rest of us?"
since when does my life actions have to cater to your needs?? if i chose to give my SA a gift for xmas / hanukkah etc, that's my choice, lol...

unless when people say "tip" they just mean straight cash... then i see your point... technically, they aren't allowed to receive cash...

HOWEVER, i am that guy who will go to vegas / atlantic city, and always for a nice "tip" that i slide the front desk person, i do get upgraded to a suite... it's just the way of life, fortunately or unfortunately...

This ^^^

Allow me to add: Some of you have probably been around service centers and witnessed someone behave very badly toward an SA. I have witnessed some totally classless behavior. The expectations of some people are simply off-the-charts. The SA's are always the ones who bear the brunt of bitchy customers, and there are a lot of people that think that when all does turn out as expected, or better than expected (e.g. quicker service), that such an occurrence IS the norm and should ALWAYS be the case.

To me, tipping even when not necessarily called for by etiquette, is a matter of human decency that recognizes good service or past good service thanks to the competent efforts of one or more employees. It seems to me that in our society people tend to be quick to rip those who fail to meet expectations even when the individual being shredded is not the culprit, but the same individuals apparently are far less willing (incapable?) to call attention to positive outcomes. If some of you think that SA's and the like don't care or don't take notice of customers that bother with tokens of appreciation, think again.

[bobbyd1961]

Originally Posted by Donghai

how much do u tip?

i only tip the hot receptionist!

[dimabimmer]

I only tip strippers