I agree with every other member,the Tunisians are lovely people on a low income and they work so hard,so a tip is a WELL EARNED bonus for them and very welcome.
I think TP has alot to answer to,as I think his tone of posting is not what we expect from HT members!

After all we are here to try and help members not slag off each other

Don't you agree?

Brian - I am well aware of HT T&C, I myself moderate a few forums and the last thing I want on here is peple getting into a verbal arguments.

Saying that, it is all well to watch T&C that you have quoted referring to HT members.

I actually felt quite offended by the tone of TP post in respects to Tunisian people - not for myself.

I like to think I treat people who's country I visit (and fell totally in love with) with respect due - for their hard work, for their dedication to their jobs and for being fellow human beings.

I hate to read someone so blantly saying about "playing games" etc re the tips etc. I find that quite humilating to the people concerned - Tunisians.

There is something really wrong with the way TP posted and as I can see now - it was not just my feeling. Other people seem to feel the same.

To TP - you do not seem to understand what I and as it turns out other people too found offensive about your post.

Try running about in a shirt and black trousers for 12 hours a day in temperatures hitting 40 degrees around "rich" tourists in bikinis/shorts enojoying good time by the pool/on the beach and bringing them drinks that each costs about equivalent of your daily wage - and keep smiling when one of them mentally deducts 40 p for each time you do not make it with his/her order within a time that he/she feels you should.

As I said before - it is as much about how you give something as it is about what you give.

It is not about if you tip or not/who you tip or not - it is much deeper than that.

I am sorry to see that you do not understand what is wrong with your posting and keep on telling us that we "see what is not there".

We do see what is there TP - and we do not like it very much. That is all.

I have read all the threads on this topic and I think that things have got out of proportion. I read trickypaul's opening posting and it seems to me that he IS a generous tipper. I think the point he is making is that he wishes to be in control of his suitcase when at the airport and hotel and that he does not wish to have to pay a "fee" to get it back into his safe keeping. I have experienced exactly the same situations as TP and it is not nice to be hassled into making a tip. Also I'm afraid to say that taxi drivers ARE increasingly fiddling the meter. I've had many experiences of this. But like TP I always tip well for good service by waiters, maids and taxi drivers. I agree with the points made about Tunisians working long hours for poor pay. Of course they deserve tips and we should always give to them generously but ONLY if the service they provide deserves a tip. And as for stealing Asda bags -- come on, now! It seems to me that a few people need to lighten-up. It's all part of interacting with our Tunisian friends. We are on holiday to enjoy it!

I like to make it into a game show.

She starts the week with a potential tip of 15 dinars but I deduct one dinar every time she utters the question "You go Wednesday?".

Doeas it make you feel "in control" over that poor woman? Does it make you feel like a BIG MAN?

She probably has 100+ rooms to clean and does not remember she asked you a day before already.

Roughly translated this means "I know you go Wednesday, so don't even think about sneaking off without tipping me!".

Not really - someone just wants to make a polite conversation with their limited knowledge of the English language. No need to read anything sinister into this.

Hi

I agree with the last post,just go on holiday and enjoy yourself,why worry
about a dinar here and a dina there.I have been to Tunisia six times now never had a problem with tipping for good or bad service,i just leave a few dinar tip and walk off.

Life is to short to worry about 40 pence,even in a taxi!!!

Daveyboy

Quote:
Brian - I am well aware of HT T&C, I myself moderate a few forums and the last thing I want on here is peple getting into a verbal arguments.

Saying that, it is all well to watch T&C that you have quoted referring to HT members.

I am not quite sure what you are saying in the last paragraph there Anna ? we all like to keep the forum friendly and that is why I or any other Mod on HT asks that you all try to keep things on an even keel, hence my post was to all participants in this thread many thanks Briar (female not Brian )

Briar (on my knees apologising for getting your nick/sex sooooooooooo wrong ).....

I also wrote this:

I actually felt quite offended by the tone of TP post in respects to Tunisian people - not for myself.

I like to think I treat people who's country I visit (and fell totally in love with) with respect due - for their hard work, for their dedication to their jobs and for being fellow human beings.

I hate to read someone so blantly saying about "playing games" etc re the tips etc. I find that quite humilating to the people concerned - Tunisians.

There is something really wrong with the way TP posted and as I can see now - it was not just my feeling. Other people seem to feel the same.

To keep it short, what I meant was that T&C refer to members being nice/polite to/about each other.

Tunisians are not members of this forum but they are our hosts on holidays so I feel they too deserve people to consider what would they feel if they were to read those posts....

------ and believe me Anna - I know several who do!! Jenny

I agree about keeping some change for the airport. When we got off the coach we were surrounded by chaps with trollys. They take you right to the desk. A woman by me had to empty her bag out to find him a tip because he was going nowere till he got it!!!..... ... mike

A woman by me had to empty her bag out to find him a tip

Poor woman, she obviously does not know about this Forum - she would have gone prepared had she known

Hi All, Just wondering about when you arrive at the airport, as we are due to arrive very late at night and may not have a chance to change any money up for tip's is ok to tip using English money and would £1-2 be about right for anyone helping with cases, Thanks for any replies
JJ.

Hi JJ,

The easiest thing to do is to go to the exchange desk at the airport while waiting for the luggage to be off-loaded. You're bound to be given some small change and one dinar is enough for tipping the porters. Failing that a pound coin will do but they'll lose out on trying to change it. In fact you might well be approached by people trying to change pound coins with you.

SM

We left 1TD tip at breakfast each day & 1.400 at dinner (1TD tip plus the .400 change from our bottle of water) each evening. At the end of our stay we gave both of our waiter 10TD each & tipped the maid 15TD and reception 10TD (the reception were very helpful in arranging a grand taxi for us to go to Friguia Park)

£26 in tips a week. Not surprised your reception and waiters had a smile on their face. But if you had good service then as has been said all through this thread tipping is a very personal thing. Would love to know how much the grand taxi cost. Especially as reception arranged it!

That was over 2 weeks, not 1 & the service we had recieved, particularly in the diningroom, was exceptional.
As for the grand taxi, it cost us 100TD to hire for 5 hours, which, between 3 of us was cheaper than doing the Thomsons trip (which would of been 150TD)
We could have paid more and been on a cramped coach picking up at god knows how many other hotels along the way, or paid what we did for a chauffer driven, fantastically air conditioned, brand new land cruiser and taken directly there and back. Hmmmm, tough choice........

Ok never got a chance to do any of that, but once at the hotel a £1/2 per case your got great service we aint talking bundles!!! yYeah so waht, theay waited up for us , I know I wouldnt !! Espically at 2 am !