The other night, was in a restaurant and on the menu it said that there was an optional service charge of 10 percent. OK understood I thought, but then the bill comes out with that 10 percent stuck on the total - still saying optional of course. A bit cheeky I thought but I wasnt going to make an issue of it, perhaps its how these Londoners do things I thought. But the service was totally crap and we waited ages.

I wonder if anyone opts out on paying. And if anyone else pays more when they have still paid the service charge.

It seems to me that UKers still do not totally know what to do with service/tips. Perhaps taking a calculator and knowing a number is in fact better!

I am coming back to the UK on Thursday, haven't been back for 3 years and was chatting to a French fellar who was over there last week. He gave me a word of warning about restaurants and bars if you pay by card, apparently some of the bars he went to it was standard practice for the manager to add a few extra quid onto the bill at the end?! Whether this was just because he was French I don't know but made me a bit weary.

Certainly not looking forward to seeing how expensive things have become, mind you glad the pound just dropped a fair bit recently.

excuse me pardre, it's "optional service" charge

Yeah but Thursday...does that mean it is a compulsory charge for the service they may or may not choose to give you?
LOL!

Nothing speaks louder in the resturant game than money.
If you are not happy with the service or the food you simply adjust the bill - get out your parker pen and draw a line through the service charge and write the new amount on the account. Best option - stick the right amount of cash down with the bill.
If they approach you to ask for an explanation - simply answer "The service was poor, we waited far too long for our meals, we were very dissatisfied and will not be returning".

If they want to stay in business they will change thier approach!

You just have to opt out by making a big fuss and being embarrassed... so, very few people do. Saying it is optional and putting it on by default is almost more annoying than just sticking it on without giving us the impression that we have a choice.

Same chain, 10% in Newcastle, 12.5% in London. (And that was optional too, but no option to also pay for the employees health care or bonus scheme it seemed).

isn't that what regular tax is for? Health care is free for all in the UK, no company needs to pay for employees health care.

The optional charge sounds fishy and in a way a perfect way to scam a tip from a non-tip paying pubic, as people in Britain will often not make a fuss and just complain bitterly afterwards about it.

Did you pay the charge Big-Will?

Remember to bring your sacks of cash, ger, and also cloths and things to wipe down the tables before you sit down -- it seems service here doesnt include, er, service at all. Cups, plates, all left on the tables until you ask for them to please move them, then they come over in a strop and wipe the crumbs and everythinh onto the floor (or even your lap if you are lucky!)

Oh yes, and remember to pay for that service.

Having been to Japan and other countries that value good service has really opened my eyes to the generally poor lot we have to put up with here and it does annoy me a lot.

OH BOC - how right you are!

I must admit travelling has opened my eyes to QUALITY and GRACIOUS service. Countries like Japan do it well without tipping, I found the USA did it well because thier tip depended on it. COuntries like Aus and the UK - FAIL the test!

Shame. I just hope I can raise my kids to provide good service and have industrious work habits despite the trend.

Dunno MamaB,
I've had pretty decent service whilst being in sydney this week, though wining and dining on the Co. at decent establishments may be the difference!

Yeah that often makes a difference Indo. We eat out at the ritzy establishments upon occassion and the service is really good for the most part.

There is a shocking trend in customer service in other area's of industry though. Retail is a biggie.

At a training session today it was suggested that we (as trainers) recommend that our lower position (2hrs training) staff stay for the higher position training (2 more hours on top of the 2) as it will hold them in good stead and might be of benefit to them in the future, and us if we need to promote them in a hurry into the higher position. Problem is they get paid for training. And they will not get paid to stay for 2 extra hours. If it was ME...I would probably stay....but it will be interesting how many of them will actually CHOOSE to stay voluntarily, and what the ages of the stayers will be!

I would be one of the leavers

I wouldn't even turn up.

I dont always want to eat at an expensive place. Sometimes a good down to earth good value meal is called upon. But I still expect some level of service.

About expensive prices - lots of places now actually have some good deals on. Quite a few "50% on Monday"-like deals at restaurants near where I work and also in the centre of London as well. Just need to know where they are. Always brings a bit of relief to the dishing out cash hand and wallet.

when i was in the uk i used to ignore the optional service charge if the service was poor. i didn't make a big song and dance about it, i just wouldn't pay it and they never said anything.

in the US it really irks me having to tip everyone, but i do it because it's just the way it is. but in the UK the tipping culture is different.

if the service is great i'll tip, but i feel no obligation to do so for standard service - last time i checked it's their job. the fact that they are demanding a tip shits me to tears and is enough to make me not tip just to prove a point.

The way some places do it now spook is put "optional service charge" on the bill and UNDER that put the "Amount due" which includes that service charge. It makes it difficult and troublesome to not pay it, and for that reason most people probably don't say anything and just pay it. Annoying it is, but the way it is.

Other places, when you pay by card they bring you the bill on a lovely silver plate (oh so very posh) and there are two unfilled in lines on the bill - one for "Tip/Service" and the last one being "Total to pay", so you fill them in yourself.

If I have crap service, I will not pay it. Actually once in a place that cost 80 quid for two people and we had what I thought was terrible and slow service, I put the amount 1p in the "Tip/Service" part.

ahaha i love that silver plate, especially when they use it in a bar to give you your change - it always seemed to me that they tried to shame you to leave your change as a tip.
i would just smile and tip the tray into my pocket.

that is very cheeky with the way they are adding service to the bill now though innit?

i'll happily pay for service if it deserves it, but i won't be shamed or tricked into it. i'm beginning to sound like an old man, but fark it. my quid is my quid. i'm not going to let some hipster scam it from me. turn it back on them and they should be the ones embarrased, not the customer.

Is the silver plate not a present? I won't take it next time.....

You only get that in posh places.