Pre-Paying Gratuities Results in Better Serivce Than Auto-Grats? Please Explain How

[ShakyBeef]

In another thread, the OP had been informed that pre-paying one's gratuities was recommended to get better service from one's Room Steward.

 

"People were posting that the room steward has a list and can see whose pre-paid and they seem to get better service?"

 

My question, to those that feel that pre-paying grats results in better service, is: Why would a steward possibly be motivated to give better service to a guest whom he knows (based on the existence of the notorious "List") has already paid his tip, than to the guest whom he knows has just left auto-grats in place? Please explain the logic behind this claim. :confused: It just sounds so Bizarro-World illogical to me that I can't wrap my head around it.

 

This is not meant to be a pre-pay vs. auto-grat debate. I understand and embrace the fact that we all have different opinions, priorities, and ways of looking at and doing things. I'm not trying to argue against your way of tipping or win you over to mine. I'm not looking to read, yet again, all the reasons why people do it one way or the other.

 

I just want to know, from those that believe it to be true, what makes you think that pre-paying results in better service than auto-grats?

 

Thank You.

[maldenmusic]

I've done the gratuities both ways and haven't noticed any difference in service.

[Schoifmom]

Honestly, I have always done pre-paid so I don't have a comparison for you, but I really don't see how it would make any difference. Even if you pre-pay grats, you still have the option to remove them if you receive poor service.

 

I do it for my own convenience, not because I believe that I would receive better (or worse) service because of it.

[Spudder]

I've done the gratuities both ways and haven't noticed any difference in service.

 

This

 

 

We have pre-paid and we have waited until on-board when they were automatically added to our S&S account. Excellent service every time.

[bjm123]

We have pre-paid and left on sign and sail and have never noticed a difference.

[funinthesun1964]

I've done both prepay and auto tip, and I don't think it makes a difference in the service. Really, the service (thinking of MDR service here) is more of a luck of the draw on which wait team you end up with.

 

After all, it wouldn't make any sense if you pre-paid and received better service, because those people can just as easily go to the guest services desk and remove or reduce tips as well as the folks who have the auto tip.

[riffatsea]

Absolutely NOT true!

We never pre pay anything and have always had GREAT service!!

[GUT2407]

I normally do autos, the once I did pre-pay was the worst Steward I've ever had, I don't think it was pre-pay that caused it, I think he was just jaded.

[stobe1]

It is just an urban legend. You get the same service either way.

[Nic6318]

Hi there

 

The bottom line is that even people that don't tip will get pretty good service and that's one of the reasons why those people who are willing to stiff the people that make their vacation great lose nothing.

 

They would never think of doing something like that at a local establishment they frequent.

 

just a thought

[cb at sea]

They were talking about tipping upon meeting the cabin attendant...but it's NOT necessary at all! Tips are extended on the last evening of your cruise. That is the customary way on a ship.

 

Pre-paying prior to the cruise is simply a convenience FOR YOU...the staff gets their tips at the END of the cruise....

 

If you give money before the service is rendered, it's a bribe...not a tip. You will get great service without bribing them!

[ourcruiseyears]

I've done the gratuities both ways and haven't noticed any difference in service.

 

Ditto!

[cruizinisthebest]

I've done the gratuities both ways and haven't noticed any difference in service.

 

Same here. I think people who prepay just like to get the expense out of the way. I didn't always prepay. Service has been great regardless. But to the argument that it improves service, maybe the idea behind that is that the stewards know ahead of time they won't get stiffed. Or see that you care enough to pay ahead of time. Just a thought.

[Sparky2]

In another thread, the OP had been informed that pre-paying one's gratuities was recommended to get better service from one's Room Steward.

 

"People were posting that the room steward has a list and can see whose pre-paid and they seem to get better service?"

 

My question, to those that feel that pre-paying grats results in better service, is: Why would a steward possibly be motivated to give better service to a guest whom he knows (based on the existence of the notorious "List") has already paid his tip, than to the guest whom he knows has just left auto-grats in place? Please explain the logic behind this claim. :confused: It just sounds so Bizarro-World illogical to me that I can't wrap my head around it.

 

This is not meant to be a pre-pay vs. auto-grat debate. I understand and embrace the fact that we all have different opinions, priorities, and ways of looking at and doing things. I'm not trying to argue against your way of tipping or win you over to mine. I'm not looking to read, yet again, all the reasons why people do it one way or the other.

 

I just want to know, from those that believe it to be true, what makes you think that pre-paying results in better service than auto-grats?

 

Thank You.

 

I also have done both ways and didn't notice any difference. Also, the grats are added to your S&S card the 2nd day.

[Micahs Grandad]

They were talking about tipping upon meeting the cabin attendant...but it's NOT necessary at all! Tips are extended on the last evening of your cruise. That is the customary way on a ship.

 

Pre-paying prior to the cruise is simply a convenience FOR YOU...the staff gets their tips at the END of the cruise....

 

If you give money before the service is rendered, it's a bribe...not a tip. You will get great service without bribing them!

 

agreed never thought it was necessary to give them anything before they started taking care of the cabin.

[ShakyBeef]

They were talking about tipping upon meeting the cabin attendant...but it's NOT necessary at all! Tips are extended on the last evening of your cruise. That is the customary way on a ship.

 

Pre-paying prior to the cruise is simply a convenience FOR YOU...the staff gets their tips at the END of the cruise....

 

If you give money before the service is rendered, it's a bribe...not a tip. You will get great service without bribing them!

 

The OP of the other thread that I quoted was referring to "The List" and specifically to pre-paid gratuities, not pre-tipping / bribing in person upon meeting the steward.

 

I appreciate everyone that has spoken up on the issue so far doing so, but what I am really interested in is to hear from anyone who supports this (to me) completely illogical claim.

 

I am guessing that some version of what some of you have said is correct: it is an urban (CC) legend / misunderstanding / miscommunication / game of internet "Telephone" of some sort. If that's the case, it restores my faith in the general intelligence of CC-kind, to some extent.:o I just couldn't think of a way that anyone could rationalize that claim. But I was (and still am) very interested in hearing them try.

 

Anyone out there want to support the claim? To own up to asserting it?

[John Reid]

"People were posting that the room steward has a list and can see whose pre-paid and they seem to get better service?"

 

I have never read it in a post; has anyone ever actually seen it stated in a post?

[SMSACE6]

I used to just add them to my on board expenses, but the last two cruises I have pre paid them (for me, just to get that much expense out of the way early). Over the years, I have had some excellent room stewards and some who were just ok, and one who was not ok. But I cannot say that pre paying them got me "better" service. I don't really need exemplary service, just appreciate the job getting done, and a friendly face. But, no, pre paying them has not resulted in any better service than other times.

[poobears]

This is likely one of those things where someone said something and someone else repeated it as truth and someone else repeated that and before you know it it's a well known fact. In other words it all started out as someone's opinion like most of this stuff does and it gets spread around and before you know it it's the thing urban legends are made of LOL

 

Just because someone tells someone some thing doesn't mean it holds even a kernel of truth.

[MeHeartCruising]

I do NOT support this approach, because I always either pre-pay or let the auto gratuity stand on my final bill and usually add to it. However, one could probably suspect that anyone that has autopaid will NOT try to find a way to NOT pay the gratuity once on the ship. If someone has NOT prepaid, there is a better chance that they will seek to remove/lower the gratuity once on the ship. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that the cruise lines can guess quite closely how many passengers will remove their gratuities on any given cruise. Cabin crew can also get a pretty good guess thru time.

 

If someone hasn't paid in advance and they are possibly in the x% that will remove gratuities regardless of how the service is, I could see how a crew member might treat them differently to someone who has pre-paid in advance.

 

Just my 2 cents.

Edited August 1, 2016 by MeHeartCruising

[ShakyBeef]

This is likely one of those things where someone said something and someone else repeated it as truth and someone else repeated that and before you know it it's a well known fact. In other words it all started out as someone's opinion like most of this stuff does and it gets spread around and before you know it it's the thing urban legends are made of LOL

 

Just because someone tells someone some thing doesn't mean it holds even a kernel of truth.

 

I'm with you, I didn't think it could hold even a kernel of truth. Logic practically screams against it. I was just wondering if anyone who holds this opinion would present themselves and back it up. It seems such an untenable assertion that I was curious to see if any even moderately intelligent argument in its favour could possibly exist.

 

So does the verdict seem to be that this sprung from a classic game of CC Telephone? Or is there anybody who wants to step up and claim it?:cool:

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

In another thread, the OP had been informed that pre-paying one's gratuities was recommended to get better service from one's Room Steward.

 

"People were posting that the room steward has a list and can see whose pre-paid and they seem to get better service?"

 

My question, to those that feel that pre-paying grats results in better service, is: Why would a steward possibly be motivated to give better service to a guest whom he knows (based on the existence of the notorious "List") has already paid his tip, than to the guest whom he knows has just left auto-grats in place? Please explain the logic behind this claim. :confused: It just sounds so Bizarro-World illogical to me that I can't wrap my head around it.

 

This is not meant to be a pre-pay vs. auto-grat debate. I understand and embrace the fact that we all have different opinions, priorities, and ways of looking at and doing things. I'm not trying to argue against your way of tipping or win you over to mine. I'm not looking to read, yet again, all the reasons why people do it one way or the other.

 

I just want to know, from those that believe it to be true, what makes you think that pre-paying results in better service than auto-grats?

 

Thank You.

 

I read the post that the OP is talking about and I didn't get it either. One person said that they saw this list and then a couple of others said that they have seen this list also and know that they give better service to the ones that prepaid. We have prepaid and auto paid, no difference to us.

[ShakyBeef]

I do NOT support this approach, because I always either pre-pay or let the auto gratuity stand on my final bill and usually add to it. However, one could probably suspect that anyone that has autopaid will NOT try to find a way to NOT pay the gratuity once on the ship. If someone has NOT prepaid, there is a better chance that they will seek to remove/lower the gratuity once on the ship. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that the cruise lines can guess quite closely how many passengers will remove their gratuities on any given cruise. Cabin crew can also get a pretty good guess thru time.

 

If someone hasn't paid in advance and they are possibly in the x% that will remove gratuities regardless of how the service is, I could see how a crew member might treat them differently to someone who has pre-paid in advance.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

 

OK, so following this reasoning, in what way would the steward treat the auto-grat guest differently? Would you reason the steward would treat such guest worse or better than the pre-paid guest? Why?

 

Here's how my logic follows out if accepting the premise of the steward treating the auto-grat guest "differently to someone who has pre-paid": the steward would be motivated to not give the auto-grat guest any reason to stiff him. He might, then, even give the auto-grat guest better service. He might even feel as if he could be a little lazy with the pre-paid guest's cabin, since his tip there is most likely already assured, even before he does any work at all.

 

How does it follow that he might treat the auto-grat guest worse than the pre-paid guest? Would he, out of preemptive resentment for the possibility of being stiffed, neglect the auto-grat guest? This would be foolhardy to put it mildly. Or would he, out of sheer benevolence and gratitude for the pre-tip, be inclined to give extra service to the pre-paid guest? The logic just fails either way.

[Elaine5715]

No matter how they tip, some people get lousy service because they are lousy guests.

[LMaxwell]

I do NOT support this approach, because I always either pre-pay or let the auto gratuity stand on my final bill and usually add to it. However, one could probably suspect that anyone that has autopaid will NOT try to find a way to NOT pay the gratuity once on the ship. If someone has NOT prepaid, there is a better chance that they will seek to remove/lower the gratuity once on the ship. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that the cruise lines can guess quite closely how many passengers will remove their gratuities on any given cruise. Cabin crew can also get a pretty good guess thru time.

 

If someone hasn't paid in advance and they are possibly in the x% that will remove gratuities regardless of how the service is, I could see how a crew member might treat them differently to someone who has pre-paid in advance.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

 

Interesting theory. I see it differently.

 

Many who prepay don't add more on, they have prepaid and it is one less thing to think about and they are done.

 

Anyone who has not yet paid the room attendant or wait staff may feel they have an opportunity to earn more than they would from the prepaids. Just an idea. Never rule out the opportunity to earn more (don't count chickens before they hatch sort of thing).

 

If anything, I think prepaid would actually get the shorter end of the stick here (no risk of it being removed if steward just phones in the job, so to speak).

Edited August 2, 2016 by LMaxwell