BBC article on tipping / services charges

Though you might be interested to read this article regarding new laws in the UK regarding Tipping and Service Charges, including abolishing the right of companies to make up low pay using tips! Much of it is relevant to discussions on this board!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8281191.stm

That article is from 2009. However I noticed the following article was on BBC's website the other day

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36181319

all 3 Queens are not registered in the UK anymore, so UK laws are pretty irrelevant in this matter.

all 3 Queens are not registered in the UK anymore, so UK laws are pretty irrelevant in this matter.

Although the ships are registered in a British Overseas Territory, according to the brochures: Carnival plc is "an English company trading as Cunard Line."

There could be considerable legal argument about whether UK laws apply to an English company whose ships are registered outside the UK.

The article specifically concerns to UK restaurants. Unfortunately some will use it to defend their removal of autogratuities with the claim that the cruise line is pocketing part of it and/or it's not compulsory. :mad:

I posted this thread with the hope it might clarify in some way the different customs / mentality towards tipping / service charges between passengers using Cunard, all of whom come from a multitude of countries, societies and levels of professions.

There have been so many discussions on the forums which eventually end in a 'tit for tat' arguements between members, more often than not members from USA vs 'rest of the world'! (No disrespect to our USA friends).

I think it is important for all contributors to these forums to realise that many of those forum members who dislike and argue against auto grats and excess tipping will and do leave the auto grats on their account and will probably tip extra to those staff they see day to day face to face. Just because you dislike the system doesn't mean you won't adhere to it.

However, I believe it is important, in fact essential, on a forum like this for those who do dislike the system to voice their concerns in the hope it will be noted by Cunard.

If we all followed 'the rules' without question nothing would ever change. Just saying! :)

Boy there's a lot of space on cc dedicated to this topic.