Tour Package Tipping?

[Godzilla Invades]

What Godzilla said was true about the guide fees. The guide fees are regulated and capped by the authority. To make it worse, tipping is discouraged even before travelers touch down here. While I wont disclose the guide fees here, it is certainly not sufficient for a guide to survive on the fixed salary alone.

I believe tipping is a sign of appreciation after a good service. While the authority says it discourages tipping, i dont think the law suggests it is illegal or criminal to tip. Otherwise, we can see several tourist in changi prison arrested for tipping against the mandate.

Hehe.....trust me local tour guides gets a lot of SHI* from different tourist and yes, they do not earn as a lot from it. 90% of the tour guide in Singapore has no fixed salary. Most of them are freelancer.

Authority knows nuts about how much a tour guide earns. It's not illegal or criminally wrong to tip a tour guide knowing how much they really earn.

 

[jsbn]

Don't be so stingy lar......

Hustling is part of their trade......:bsmilie:

Well, can more or less understand. Especially sometimes when I'm short of time on F&Es as well. :bsmilie:

But rather running with a group of ppl to catch a flight (where its uncomfortable knowing that there are grannies, pregnant ladies in the tow running with u), I'd rather run myself. Adrenaline rush.

If you are not comfortable, please let the tour guide know you are not happy with his/her service. (Would want to see if the tour guide is a pretty lady........keke)

I damn sway one.

If I go overseas with family/friends in tow, I will never have the luck of encountering pretty ladies. Never.

If I go overseas alone, chances of seeing pretty ladies very high.

 

[afbug]

My sister was telling me the last Korea trip she went, the tour group were FORCE to tip....

1. Singapore Guide (Did nothing but accompany the group from Airport to Korea)
2. Korea Local Guide (Did all the speaking, planning and booking)
3. Korea Driver
4. Photographer assigned for the package. (Help u take photos and sell you the photos)

To be fair, i think the korea local guide and the driver who did their service deserve the tipping. The other 2 can just ignore. Anyone got similiar experience?

The SG guide is a tour leader and he is likely to be from the agency. His job is more behind the scenes. He probably processed the tour bookings, check in/out and liase with the foreign guide and listen to complains and comments. So he did his part too. If you did NS, he is like the platoon leader during the tour.

Photographer, I'm sure you know that is not easy. His photos have to be good. If not no dinner for him. :bsmilie:

 

[Alpc]

This is interesting... I did not know Korea tour trips got photographer tagged along... This is a first! Then again, I don't do tours that much... Once in a while, maybe. Other times, I still prefer own time, own target...

 

[zoossh]

You're on holiday, and have already spent a bomb on the travel cost..
So what is a few more dollars? At most buy cheaper liquor when u returning thru' DFS lorh.. :bsmilie:

but do u think it is right to reward a rude, dishonest or irresponisble guide, even if it is just a few dollars?

 

[zoossh]

i think i would agree with the following and i dun think they are unreasonable.

1. the amount (if expected a usual or minimally expected amount), who to tip to, and the number to tip to, should be pre-informed (if there is an obligation). if it can be pre-informed, it can be printed.

2. if there is a fixed amount or compulsory minimal sum, it should be stated in the nett price.

3. unless there is reasonable belief of an emergency, the amount agreed by the agency take precedence over the local tour guide. any discrepancy between the agent and the local tour guide, should be settled thereafter among themselves.

4. a tour guide should complete his basic job requirement (of facilitating the items promised by the agent) with the basic salary. if the base salary is unreasonable, the agent shoud not excuse themselves on the basis of tips.

5. a tour guide should be tipped accordingly to the satisfaction of the customers

6. no one should be pressurized into tipping or put into a situation as such.

 

[vince123123]

Totally concur with zooshh's points

 

[afbug]

i think i would agree with the following and i dun think they are unreasonable.

5. a tour guide should be tipped accordingly to the satisfaction of the customers

6. no one should be pressurized into tipping or put into a situation as such.

Go resturant, don't like service also pay 10%....how? Can dun tip?

The SG tourism industry should follow SG service industry of charging 5-10% and then pay the tour guides. But every country's tipping is different.

 

[vince123123]

Actually, I think you can withhold the 10% "mandatory" service charge if you have good grounds for saying why the service was not up to the mark.

Go resturant, don't like service also pay 10%....how? Can dun tip?

The SG tourism industry should follow SG service industry of charging 5-10% and then pay the tour guides. But every country's tipping is different.