No Contractor Tip :: Hold That Thought

Yesterday I had posted about the fact that we would not be tipping the painters that were currently working on our home.

However, I now have to tell you that we have altered our course.

Earning a Tip
When trying to answer the question of who do you tip, my wife and I had decided that we would not be tipping the painters because they had been hired to do a job and they were doing that job.

So what made us change our mind and decide to give the painters a tip?

In a nutshell, these guys earned a tip by going above and beyond what was expected of them and working with us to make sure everything is perfect. From repainting the ceiling color inside our bay window because my wife didn’t care for the original selection to ensuring that every ding, dent and crack in the drywall was patched and repaired before painting, these guys have really done an outstanding job.

Then today the crew leader sealed the tip with an act of generosity.

As they were wrapping up for the day, I asked the crew leader if their company sold the t-shirts that they were wearing as I thought it was really cool. He said they did not sell them but he had one in his truck that he could give me. Not only that but it was my size too!

When I asked about the t-shirt, I never expected him to provide me with one free of charge as I was only looking for a yes or no answer to my question. I was thrilled with his generosity in giving me one of their shirts and in my eyes his gesture sealed the deal that his crew would be receiving a tip.

Tip For The Unexpected
It is unfortunate but I think quite a few people and professions have come to expect a tip regardless of how well they perform their job.

As I continue to examine the question of who to tip, I think that I will have to give special consideration to the people that deliver the unexpected with a special attention to detail. In the case of the painters, they’ve been outstanding as they have made sure that every little detail of the job has been done to our satisfaction and have redone anything that we did not feel was right.

In my opinion, their level and quality of service was unexpected and I feel that deserves a tip even though I had not originally planned to give them a tip.

Now I just need to decide how much to tip them! 🙂