P&O response to questions about gratuities.

I would have added this to the current gratuity thread but this has now been closed, so here is a precis from a couple of responses I received from P&O after I requested some clarification, in line with queries raised on that, and other tipping threads.

P&O state that they have no current plans to incorporate tips into their cruise fares.

They can confirm that 5 ranks of staff are included within the Service Reward programme, these include Waiters, Assistant Waiters, Head Waiters, Cabin Stewards and Butlers, by inference no other staff members are included.

They comment that payment varies from person to person based on their performance scores. These scores are based on the end of cruise questionnaires plus comments from their peers and leaders which are all taken into consideration. They believe that in this way the scheme as currently operated encourages all of their staff to aim to provide excellent service across the board and is fair in its distribution.

They do indicate that payments made to staff in cash are kept by the staff and they do not have to pay it into the pool. Although I queried how this was fair when some passengers who remove the auto tip do in fact tip in cash, and did they treat this differently to extra tips given by passengers who had also paid the auto tip, the answer was as above but still left me wondering how fair this was.

Although I specifically asked if P&O make up the difference where passengers remove the auto tip entirely, the answers I received on this were vague and ambiguous.

Overall a less than comprehensive reply, but they were adamant that they felt this was the fairest way to reward these specific members of staff. They were not keen to add anything further on social media sites, because this is not something they currently feel is required, as the above information is readily available on request.

So if you feel the above is still insufficient and you want answers to specific questions, I suggest you e-mail them yourselves.

That's what I have been saying. Specifically who the tips go to.

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I do like the clarification that cash tips are kept by the recipient. I really didn't want any individual gratuity to go into the pool as I felt that defeated the object.

I would have added this to the current gratuity thread but this has now been closed, so here is a precis from a couple of responses I received from P&O after I requested some clarification, in line with queries raised on that, and other tipping threads.

 

P&O state that they have no current plans to incorporate tips into their cruise fares.

 

They can confirm that 5 ranks of staff are included within the Service Reward programme, these include Waiters, Assistant Waiters, Head Waiters, Cabin Stewards and Butlers, by inference no other staff members are included.

They comment that payment varies from person to person based on their performance scores. These scores are based on the end of cruise questionnaires plus comments from their peers and leaders which are all taken into consideration. They believe that in this way the scheme as currently operated encourages all of their staff to aim to provide excellent service across the board and is fair in its distribution.

They do indicate that payments made to staff in cash are kept by the staff and they do not have to pay it into the pool. Although I queried how this was fair when some passengers who remove the auto tip do in fact tip in cash, and did they treat this differently to extra tips given by passengers who had also paid the auto tip, the answer was as above but still left me wondering how fair this was.

Although I specifically asked if P&O make up the difference where passengers remove the auto tip entirely, the answers I received on this were vague and ambiguous.

Overall a less than comprehensive reply, but they were adamant that they felt this was the fairest way to reward these specific members of staff. They were not keen to add anything further on social media sites, because this is not something they currently feel is required, as the above information is readily available on request.

So if you feel the above is still insufficient and you want answers to specific questions, I suggest you e-mail them yourselves.

Thank you,you answered a lot of points P&O are obviously different to RCCL who i am reliably informed that if anyone stops their tips then give them to who they want that crew member has to put that money into the tipping pool.

Love RCCL and P&O.

So just to clarify they can keep anything in addition to auto tip but they can't keep anything given instead of auto tip? If this is the case the answer I was previously given by P&O is incorrect. The only thing I object to is that with the auto tip if I receive a poor service (not often I admit) I would still pay the full tip, presumably the difference between what I pay and what the individual receives being used to subsidise the pool in some way. I do appreciate how this helps P&O, but I don't regard it as fair on what I personally decide about the tip I give for service I receive.

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So just to clarify they can keep anything in addition to auto tip but they can't keep anything given instead of auto tip? If this is the case the answer I was previously given by P&O is incorrect. The only thing I object to is that with the auto tip if I receive a poor service (not often I admit) I would still pay the full tip, presumably the difference between what I pay and what the individual receives being used to subsidise the pool in some way. I do appreciate how this helps P&O, but I don't regard it as fair on what I personally decide about the tip I give for service I receive.

 

 

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The response is clear that staff CAN keep tips you give directly, regardless of whether you have removed auto tips or not, which removes a major sticking point that had prevented many of us from doing so.

So are you saying that if someone removes their tips, then their waiters/stewards still receive their share of the pool. If you then tip in cash the same amount and it is not handed in, then in effect they will be receiving double tips. This does not make sense.

Brian

So are you saying that if someone removes their tips, then their waiters/stewards still receive their share of the pool. If you then tip in cash the same amount and it is not handed in, then in effect they will be receiving double tips. This does not make sense.

Brian

When you combine this with the end of paragraph 5 of the OP for me it's still not clear.

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The response is clear that staff CAN keep tips you give directly, regardless of whether you have removed auto tips or not, which removes a major sticking point that had prevented many of us from doing so.

But they also said they treat it differently, just not how. For me I'm afraid there is still some uncertainty.

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Thinking about it (sitting on a train with nothing more exciting) the majority of people probably fall into two camps, leave tip on or remove and don't tip. I would think that a relatively low percentage bother remove and pay cash or even concern themselves about how the system works.

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Thinking about it (sitting on a train with nothing more exciting) the majority of people probably fall into two camps, leave tip on or remove and don't tip. I would think that a relatively low percentage bother remove and pay cash or even concern themselves about how the system works.

 

 

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I would think that quite a few (me included) remove the auto gratuity and tip whomever we receive service "above and beyond" the normal. In my tips I also tip any and all of the Entertainments team who make my holiday memorable and any/all of the Kids club staff who my kids think deserve it. I have a set amount of fivers I take with me and if only one member of staff stands out then they are VERY lucky (as happened on Carnival one year)

I also offered £100 to one of the Entertainments team on Celebrity last year (at the end of the cruise) and he wouldn't accept it because he was "just doing his job" His favourite charity received the money instead

I would have added this to the current gratuity thread but this has now been closed, so here is a precis from a couple of responses I received from P&O after I requested some clarification, in line with queries raised on that, and other tipping threads.

Presumably this was with their customer service team.

Did you ask them why they have removed from their website the statement that 100% of the auto gratuities go to staff.

Or is it like all call centres, you have to call multiple times and from the conflicting​ answers take​ the one most frequently given as the right one.

They do indicate that payments made to staff in cash are kept by the staff and they do not have to pay it into the pool. Although I queried how this was fair when some passengers who remove the auto tip do in fact tip in cash, and did they treat this differently to extra tips given by passengers who had also paid the auto tip, the answer was as above but still left me wondering how fair this was.

Did they explain why their new website says something completely different?

If what they told you is true (and the website isn't true as it says the opposite) that would mean the crew should be delighted a customer had removed the service charge.

At the end of the week the waiters and stewards serving those customers would still receive their share of the whole ship's 'pot'.

Now the waiters and steward could deliver poor service, thinking "cheap miserable ****" but it may be a customer who will give them an envelope of cash instead of paying the service charge. Give poor service and the customer won't, so would they risk missing out on the cash (Birling Day) and their behaviour being marked down and missing out on the share of the 'pot' as well.

So if someone removes the service charge, in the eyes of the waiters and steward, they are the people to deliver the best service to as there is a greater chance of being paid twice; getting their share of the 'pot' and getting (and keeping) a cash tip.

So if you want excellent service, cancel the service charge and hand out cash tips where it is deserved.

The response is clear that staff CAN keep tips you give directly, regardless of whether you have removed auto tips or not, which removes a major sticking point that had prevented many of us from doing so.

This is great with P&O but the Amercan( obsessed with tips) lines seem to have a different approach.

They say it is all about team building to give uniformity of service and anyone who withholds tips the pool is less so any crew who has had tips removed must pay any tips received into the pool.

Unless they are all strip searched when they come off duty i don't know how they can contol this.

Love RCCL and P&O.

We normally remove the auto tips and tip with envelopes, just like we have always done. I have asked before whether the crew have to hand them in and was told no they dont. We have left them on once when we had loads of OBC, but 90% of the time we remove them.

Just recently we did a cruise with Fred where the grats were included. We still tipped our cabin stewardess a little extra and our waiters.

Unless they are all strip searched when they come off duty i don't know how they can control this.

Fear.

Tell the crew there are secret shoppers, some of whom will pay in cash. Failure to hand it in will result in dismissal.

True or not, most wouldn't take the risk.

So if someone removes the service charge, in the eyes of the waiters and steward, they are the people to deliver the best service to as there is a greater chance of being paid twice; getting their share of the 'pot' and getting (and keeping) a cash tip.

 

So if you want excellent service, cancel the service charge and hand out cash tips where it is deserved.

You are making the assumption that staff know which passengers have removed auto gratuities. I don't believe that there is any evidence to support that assertion and, if you think about it, in Freedom dining (to take just one example) waiters have no idea who you are, let alone what your account status is! In fact, I think there is some evidence to suggest that no staff are informed. There is, of course, no right or wrong answer to this thorney issue. We are all free to make our own decisions. Personally, I have now heard enough to convince me to cancel auto tips and use the money (and probably more) to handsomely tip directly those staff who have provided good service.

Why was the other thread Closed and some posts removed from it ?

You are making the assumption that staff know which passengers have removed auto gratuities. I don't believe that there is any evidence to support that assertion

True, whether they know or don't know the service can only vary between excellent and normal.

If they know, then as above, they should deliver excellent service on the hope of getting a cash tip. If they don't know then you receive the normal service.

So leaving the service charge on is more likely to result in normal service and removing it increases the odds of excellent service.

Fear.

 

Tell the crew there are secret shoppers, some of whom will pay in cash. Failure to hand it in will result in dismissal.

 

True or not, most wouldn't take the risk.

Never thought of that.

TBH on P&O since autogratuity because compared to RC the suggested service charge is reasonable we have always left it on and gave the cabin steward a bit extra but reading what the op said i Will keep my options open in future.

Love RCCL and P&O.

True, whether they know or don't know the service can only vary between excellent and normal.

 

If they know, then as above, they should deliver excellent service on the hope of getting a cash tip. If they don't know then you receive the normal service.

 

So leaving the service charge on is more likely to result in normal service and removing it increases the odds of excellent service.

Probably not P&O but for the American lines i have heard they do post the names up of passengers who have removed tips from a lot of different sources.

Love RCCL and P&O.

Probably not P&O but for the American lines i have heard they do post the names up of passengers who have removed tips from a lot of different sources.

.

They do, our regular cabin was next to a waiters cupboard, the list was stuck to the inside of the door!

Probably not P&O but for the American lines i have heard they do post the names up of passengers who have removed tips from a lot of different sources.

There's a sticky about that in the Cunard forum which is possibly one reason why there's less discussion about tips, and certainly a lot less outright obsession with the subject, over there. http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2413808

P&O isn't Cunard but it's not stretching the bounds of possibility that they might operate in the same way as they share a parent company. There'd be a serious risk of running foul of data protection law if the pursers were to share personal information about passengers with the hotel staff, but I suppose that won't stop the conspiracy theorists theorising away.

There's a sticky about that in the Cunard forum which is possibly one reason why there's less discussion about tips, and certainly a lot less outright obsession with the subject, over there. http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2413808

 

P&O isn't Cunard but it's not stretching the bounds of possibility that they might operate in the same way as they share a parent company. There'd be a serious risk of running foul of data protection law if the pursers were to share personal information about passengers with the hotel staff, but I suppose that won't stop the conspiracy theorists theorising away.

When it comes to American ships and tipping anything is possible.

P&O which is primarily aimed at Brits i am more inclined to believe.

Love RCCL and P&O.

I too contacted P&O about tipping, as on a recent cruise, a member of the crew who'd served us well had had his gratuities reduced on an earlier cruise because of his feedback scores from a few passengers. I object strongly to this and want to make sure in future that my waiters and steward all receive their tips that I pay for them in good faith, in full.

For that reason I will be asking for the auto-tips to be removed on future cruises. We're collecting £5 notes now and will tip our waiters £5 every evening on Freedom dining. At the end we'll pay our steward and breakfast waiter a lump sum at least the equivalent to what they would have received through our auto-tips. Our tip to the head waiter will be decided on the amount of contact we have with them.

I too contacted P&O about tipping, as on a recent cruise, a member of the crew who'd served us well had had his gratuities reduced on an earlier cruise because of his feedback scores from a few passengers.

How on earth did you become aware of that?