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Tip cable guy for installation?

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When I worked for DirecTV a tip was always nice when I did something for the customer that wasn't necessarily part of the job. I never expected any tips and still did good work. For a cable guy coming out to connect and activate a modem, I wouldn't tip.
 
I never tipped any installation guy, but I always offered drinks and snacks. They're always appreciative of drinks. One time, I had carpet installers come in on a very hot day. I dropped off a bunch of cold drinks before work. A lot of times, they put extra things here and there, and even fix other things they didn't need to do. The carpet guys fixed my door, and also my closet door I was meaning to fix. 🙂
 
If they were going to take a long time or something or it was really hot I suppose you could offer them a drink.
 
Yes. Pre-9/11, I made well over $100/day in tips -- on top of my $huge wage/hr + incentives + overtime over 6 hours a day (averaged 10 hours daily overtime/6 days a week.)

Then 9/11 happened and all went to shit. We were all laid off a year later, and now cable guys make $15/hour and very little incentive, most of which goes back to paying for their truck maintenance. (gas mostly.)

In other words, a tip helps. It will at least buy the guy lunch.

<-- former cable guy.
 
Normally, no. But if the tech did an exceptional job, not getting the house dirty, cable run nice and neat, holes caulked, ran the cable the route I want him to use, then maybe a small tip. You don't want them messing up the house or structure. And I have seen plenty of terrible installations.
 
amdhunter said:
Yes. Pre-9/11, I made well over $100/day in tips -- on top of my $huge wage/hr + incentives + overtime over 6 hours a day (averaged 10 hours daily overtime/6 days a week.)

Then 9/11 happened and all went to shit. We were all laid off a year later, and now cable guys make $15/hour and very little incentive, most of which goes back to paying for their truck maintenance. (gas mostly.)

In other words, a tip helps. It will at least buy the guy lunch.

<-- former cable guy.
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I smell a ton of bullshit in this post.
 
shocksyde said:
I smell a ton of bullshit in this post.
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Nope. I used to work for Time Warner as a RoadRunner tech. Pretty much all we did was put in Ethernet cards (this was Year 2000) for customers while actual cable guys did the cabling. We'd also troubleshoot the computers that couldn't get online with the modems.

Time Warner paid us a LOT of money, and it was an easy job and we didn't mind working overtime.

Think about it for a moment. Do you think a very strong Union (Local 3 IBEW) would let a bunch of computer guys get paid crap money? In Manhattan? For Time Warner? I know dispatchers in Time Warner that make $40 an hour, and over $100k a year easily, so imagine a computer guy.

After 9/11 they decided to fire all of us, and give us positions as actual cable guys who did both computers AND ran cable -- so called "Super Techs" at a normal cable guy salary + $1 or so more an hour.
 
I'd only tip if he did something beyond what was considered normal. An extremely good/unobtrusive wire install might earn the guy and extra $10 or $20
 
I would ask a few extras out of him like a better job at fishing the cable, a flush mount jack instead of the crappy "staple on baseboard" installs they usually make. If he does a good job and does not destroy all your drywall, then tip.

Most will refuse though. When I get cable I'll probably do my own install. I don't want them stapling stuff on my baseboards or drilling holes in really weird locations, giving zero thought into the structural impacs it may have.
 
Everyone wants a tip now. Even the subway by me now has a tip jar. I have to stand there, tell you what I want, watch to make sure you do it right (because they usually don't), wait 20 minutes, drive back to my office, then eat. And you want a tip??
 
Gibson486 said:
WTF...they make more than me!
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I love this reaction. Did you ever think that cable guys bust their ass in manual labor ALL day? Sometimes in 90+ degree heat? And drive around in non-Air Conditioned trucks between jobs, and do a ton of overtime, most of the time against their will?

ON TOP OF DEALING WITH DICK PEOPLE?

It's not an easy job at all.
 
amdhunter said:
I love this reaction. Did you ever think that cable guys bust their ass in manual labor ALL day? Sometimes in 90+ degree heat? And drive around in non-Air Conditioned trucks between jobs, and do a ton of overtime, most of the time against their will?

ON TOP OF DEALING WITH DICK PEOPLE?

It's not an easy job at all.
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Spot on. Satellite techs have it way harder, though. But my work van was air conditioned, thankfully, or I would've been in trouble.
 
RbSX said:
I don't understand the American fascination for tipping on every god damned thing.

The guy is a professional (and probably salaried/contract) cable installation guy, this isn't a restaurant, he's just doing his fucking jerb.
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Its not an American thing. You dont have dumbasses in your country?
 
If he's there for awhile offer him a drink? I don't think I'd tip the cable guy.

Especially cause I hate my cable service and no one has been able to fix it.
 
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