random semi-rhetorical etiquette questions

[mamajoan]

If you order food delivered and after the delivery guy has gone you discover they gave you the wrong thing, and you call to have them bring the right thing, do you tip the delivery guy again the second time? Does it make a difference whether it's the same guy or a different one? Do you tip him the same amount or less? (or more?)

If you leave your cellphone on the bus and someone finds it and brings it to you, what sort of gift do you give her? Cash? a trinket from your workplace (e.g. umbrella with company logo)? a card? nothing?

Comments

[tiggrrl.livejournal.com]

I vote no tipping if it's the same guy (yeah, the wrong food wasn't his fault, but you did just tip him already) but maybe a smaller than normal tip if it's a different guy (because again, you've already given a tip on that order).

As far as the cell phone thing goes, I would probably either do nothing, but make a general offer of, "is there anything I can do to express my thanks," or get them a gift certificate to a restaurant or something like that (assuming that the return of the cell phone was worth at least $20 - $30 to me).

[shmuel.livejournal.com]

Personally, no, I don't tip the delivery guy who's correcting a mistake. Mistakes are never to be encouraged in any way, shape, or form. I won't berate him/her either, it not being their fault, but a tip for something that shouldn't ever have been necessary? Not a chance. At that point, they're not doing you a service; they're doing a service to the people who screwed up in the first place, correcting their error. Let them provide a tip.

But that's just me. :-)

[cloudwatcher.livejournal.com]

If it's the fault of the delivery guy, no tip. Otherwise, I'd give him a dollar for his trouble. It bites to have incompetent coworkers who make extra work for you.

I recently found a neighbor's wallet at the gas station and returned it. He sent me a plant. I liked the plant.

[victoriacatlady.livejournal.com]

Personal response, because I don't know that there is a general answer:

I wouldn't tip the delivery guy again, though I would thank him, but maybe I'm just cheap.

I think giving the cellphone-returning-woman a trinket from your workplace would be way classy. :-) And from what little I know of the weather in the town where you live, everyone can use an umbrella.