Would you tip the tour guides if you‘ve already paid the service charge?

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Would you tip the tour guides if you‘ve already paid the service charge?
Dec 9, 2013 00:50
guestAlex	Voting without time limit Exclusive Vote 265 vote(s) Yes 189 vote(s) No See All Voter(s) Note: Guest voter(s) are not displayed here. Chinese tourists are not used to give tips to after they enjoy service provided by hotel staff, waiter/waitress or tour guides. Therefore, some service providers require them to pay for the service charges. For example, some travel agencies include the service charges when they sign contracts with Chinese tourists. To my understanding, service charge is different from tip. When you give tips to someone, you must enjoy his/her good service. However, the service charge is compulsory. Suppose you already paid the service charge, would you think about tipping them for their good service?

Dec 9, 2013 00:50

guestAlex

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Chinese tourists are not used to give tips to after they enjoy service provided by hotel staff, waiter/waitress or tour guides. Therefore, some service providers require them to pay for the service charges. For example, some travel agencies include the service charges when they sign contracts with Chinese tourists.

To my understanding, service charge is different from tip. When you give tips to someone, you must enjoy his/her good service. However, the service charge is compulsory.

Suppose you already paid the service charge, would you think about tipping them for their good service?

Dec 24, 2013 05:28	#1
JABEEN100 Points: Join Date: Dec 21, 2013 Status: Offline	It is not possible for me to tip the tour guides if I already paid the service charge.

Dec 30, 2013 21:28	#2
VOGUEDRESS Points: Join Date: Jan 6, 2013 Status: Offline	To what I know, customers usually are happy to pay tips if he / she is satisfied with the guides' service.

Dec 31, 2013 23:43	#3
GRIZ326 Points: Join Date: Jun 12, 2006 Status: Offline	Maybe… If I believe that the service charge is finding its way to the person deserving of the tip, then there is no reason to tip. If the service charge doesn't flow to the person deserving the tip, I'll tip them. However, I will not be happy with and will not recommend the company to others.

Jan 5, 2014 20:17	#4
GUEST6784	If the tour guide provides good service, he/she deserves the tips. But there is no reason that the tour guides ask for the tips in public. I will be annoyed if someone reminds me of giving tips to him/her.

Jan 26, 2014 18:41

GUESTNICMEEK

It is the Chinese normal custom and behaviour to negotiate a price in advance of the agreement. Changing this agreement afterwords is not acceptable. In the large cities those in the service industry have found that gullible westerns do not understand chinese customs and will willingly pay more than the contracted price. Can you blame them for accepting that "fools and their money are soon parted".
On the other side, if someone does much more than you thought that you thought you had purchased then by all means give more. Do not do this as a custom or through embarrassment. Chinese people will see this as an an insult unless you can justify to them why the negotiated price was too low and not that their negotiating method was poor.

Feb 9, 2014 23:13	#6
YIMING19910216 Points: 10 Join Date: Nov 18, 2013 Status: Offline	Not so many people will tip the tour guide since they ve already paid for their service from my experience. I am an experienced,independent interpreter and tour guide, living in Guangzhou. Normally they wont tip us but they will pay for something we bought. I guess it is kinda "tip". And most of clients are very nice and gentle.

Feb 20, 2014 08:15	#7
MARKPAUL321 Points: Join Date: Feb 18, 2014 Status: Offline	Great post! Thanks for keeping us updated

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