Taxi incident
 

I don't usually tip taxi drivers very much because I view that as additional payment for something I am already paying them for, as opposed to a waiter or doorman.

Anyway, took the taxi from NYC to JFK . The driver was reasonably pleasant untill the credit card panel came up at the end of the trip. It pulled up one of those "automatic tip"windows and I was annoyed that the lowest tip was 18% going up to 25% (which is a lot on a $52 ride) this annoyed me a little so I therefore tipped him only five dollars, which is about what I usually tip anyway.

The guy got really angry and was pretty much harassing me, and claiming that he earned nothing on this trip.
I said nothing and got out of the taxi and it was obvious he wasn't going to get out to unload our suitcases so I had to open his trunk myself and take the suitcases out. (Would any of you have demanded the guy get out of his taxi and take our trunks out?) Being a nice guy I even closed the trunk for him.

Anyway what you think of all this ?

Do you give 18% or more tips for basically average service on a $52 taxi ride?

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

From the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission's website:

"Tips for Drivers
Please tip your driver for safety and good service."

While tipping is always optional, in NYC it is customary to tip taxi drivers 15-20 per cent for good service. That might not be what you are accustomed to back home, but when in Rome ....

Have you tried Uber or Lyft?

There have been plenty of debates here on FT about when to tip, how much to tip, etc. I'm of the opinion that tipping has gotten out of hand here in the US, HOWEVER, I don't take out my opinion on people who are doing their job. I think that's unusual that the lowest option they would have is 18%. I typically tip 15% -20% for cabs in the US. 15% for just doing their job, more if they're extra helpful or personable. I suppose I would go as low as 10% if the driver was rude or belligerent, but I've never had to do that.

I think the cab driver's reaction was certainly inappropriate, however, I also think that a 10% tip is what I would give a driver who was unhelpful and didn't help with my bags so I can't blame him for not helping you.

I'm sure some will agree with what you did and some will disagree, but to me, when in doubt I'll usually try to tip more, for the simple reason than that an extra couple bucks means nearly nothing to me but can mean more to someone else. Regardless of how you view tipping, we're all just people trying to get by in this world and it really doesn't take much to help someone out a little bit.

Yeah in the future I would definitely look into Uber/Lyft.

Taxi incident
 

"Reasonably pleasant" (sounds like good service to me but open to significant interpretation) and no tip... Wow. You definitely need to use Uber or Lyft. But a $5 tip from "NYC" (where, midtown?) to JFK? Seriously?

Yeah, you pretty much blew it on this one. I suspect that if, after such a small tip, you "demanded" that he get out and hump your bags things might well have gotten even more unpleasant. Even ugly.

Yes it is the norm in NYC and even outside NYC, frequently the lowest default option is 15%. You can always manually enter a different amount but 10% for an otherwise peasant ride is way too low.

I'm a big opponent of the tipping culture in the US, however it is the culture here, like it or not. The drivers aren't making much. Company takes a big chunk. Same case for Uber / Lyft, but especially Uber. I have a good friend driving for Uber and he isn't really making much, definitive below minimum wage, only drives for fun.

This is another reason why Uber/lyft is eventually going to crush the taxi biz. With an expectation of tipping on taxis- an Uber is automatically 15-20% cheaper for the same ride.

Taxi incident
 

There should have been an option to customize your tip no?

What did you want to tip? 10%? 15%? Let's say it was 10% on $52 vs. the lowest amount available on the screen (18%). We're talking $9.36 vs. $5.20. Were you really $4 less satisfied with his service that it mattered to you? I guess, based on your post, you were. I just think you were a little short-sighted.

Had you asked if there was a way to customize the tip, that might have helped. If he said "no", I would have said "okay, I'm going to put zero on the credit card charge and I'll just give you a cash tip" and then given him the $5 or whatever you wanted to give him once I was out of the car and on the curb WITH all of my belongings.

As someone else wrote, "when in Rome...".

Its not great but going lower than the suggested is going to tick them off. Some restaurants do this too, minimum tip 18%. The dollar or two you save by going below is not worth the hassle of a pissed off driver or waiter, for me at least.

(which brings me to shoeshines in NYC. I tip $1, and they're not nasty about it, but they certainly don't seem happy about it)

I hope you didn't close his trunk so he had to get out and close it himself.

I'll start by saying I am not a good tipper. I will tip very well in circumstances that go above and beyond but it must be well above and beyond what is expected in my eyes.

In this case (or similar cases where the tip is precalculated or set somehow) I automatically tip less when getting the service that I think I paid for in the fare, food price etc.

Restaurants are a good example

$25 food charge
$1.50 tax
$26.50 total
tip line
and it lists suggested values, 18/20/25%

I will default to 15% and round down just because they did this and what irks me even more is that they calculate the tip on the amount including tax; they didn't earn a penny due what is billed as tax

I also am one who leaves a cash tip even when paying with a card whether its a restaurant or cab

I don't have a problem with what the OP did to the cab driver although I probably do give him $8 and make it an even $60 but I never pay till I get my bags out of the car. I just don't trust them even more so in a city like NYC

Sorry America but you are fools to yourself. You are the ones that want to tip everything that moves and thus setting the expectaion and then you don't want to. It seems as though it is a culture which has been ingrained into you.

Do it properly..... In Europe/Asia/RoW we tip if we think it was deserved and the amount is discretional.

Unforunately you have dug yourself a hole and are trying to squirm out of it. Please don't counter with the wage is so low that we have to. Have a minimum wage that is not so low that people can live on it.