Since March 2020 the way we tip has certainly changed, and not necessarily for the better. We no longer reward excellent service simply for what it is.

Instead, tipping has become more of an expectation than anything regardless of the service the customer receives. Doesn't matter if things went smoothly, that tip is oftentimes expected upfront before any service is provided.

This is especially the case when it comes to food delivery services, where the tip is entered in advance before the order is even prepared. With that tip secured, it gives the driver more leeway to make a mistake should one arise.

Now sure, one should be able to remove or adjust a tip if something didn't go right, but it's not always easy. Not only that but sometimes most of us might just say forget it and let it be.

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jenifoto
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This dilemma probably happens to a lot of us. Despite something going wrong, we just leave that unearned tip alone since we finally have our food and just want to eat.

It's one thing if there's an issue with the order as that could be the establishment, but it's another when the driver makes the error. Regardless of where the issue occurred, it all points to the reason why these pre-automatic tips can be problematic.

And a situation related to this happened in our household. Although the order for the most part was correct (noticed I said for the most part), the delivery portion didn't go quite as smoothly.

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One evening, we placed an order online and opted to have it delivered to our house. Everything went well placing the order, with a reasonable estimated time for delivery.

One thing, however, was that this particular site forced you to leave the tip before the order even went through. This tip was for the delivery driver who would be bringing the food right to us.

So we left a tip was left and the order was placed. We patiently waited until the time it was supposed to arrive, but the food never came.

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Later and later it got until we finally went back to the app only to see that it said the food had arrived at our doorstep. The only problem was that nothing was on our porch.

But yet the delivery driver indicated on the app that the food was indeed delivered. At this point, we double-checked our info in case we made a mistake.

But alas, everything was right. There was no mistake to our address but yet, but there was no food.

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Then we get a phone call from someone we don't know. We're thinking it could be the delivery driver so we answer.

It turned out to be a neighbor of ours who lived a few blocks away from us and on a different street. He ended up getting our food and just happened to notice it placed on a side table in his front yard when he went out to leave for the evening.

He said nobody ever knocked or rang his bell. They just left the food on that table of his in the yard and took off.

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So I ended up driving to our neighbor's house so we can finally have our dinner.

And just to note, the street names weren't even anywhere similar sounding to one another. Also, we were an even-numbered house and he was odd, but even those were far apart from one another.

We would understand if appeared to be an honest mistake, but this wasn't even close. And since so much time had gone by with the food outside in the cold, it needed to be reheated.

Being the driver did what they did we clearly didn't feel they had earned a tip. But when trying to go back to remove it, it didn't seem possible to do.

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If there was a method to remove it, then it wasn't easy to get to. This meant that the driver got their full tip for completely screwing up.

Oh, and as for the food itself? One side order was missing. Who knows at this point if the restaurant made that mistake, or if the driver enjoyed a snack on us by leaving it in their car when they dropped the food off.

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With that said, is there anything New Jersey can do to help rectify situations such as this one? Although none of us would like the state to get involved, maybe some regulations should be imposed on some of these food delivery service companies.

For example, maybe make it mandatory for these companies to send a text the moment your food arrives with a verification all items are accounted for. That verification should happen when the driver picks up the order from the establishment before the food even makes it to their car.

Also, maybe knock or ring the bell upon delivery. It might seem old-school, but that's what used to be done before we all had cell phones and could simply receive a text.

Mikel Parera via Unsplash
Mikel Parera via Unsplash
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Now yes, some might not feel safe ringing a bell or knocking, which is why the text option should be mandatory. That, or at least a phone call.

And only once you have your food should the tip amount be added to any bill. That way, drivers get held to the same standards that dine-in servers would be.

Provide the service, then get rewarded for it. It shouldn't be the other way around.

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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.

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