Things To Know About Roadside Assistance: Do You Tip Roadside Assistance?
Roadside Assistance: What is it and what do they do?
What is roadside assistance
Motorcyclists or motorists facing mechanical failure during their travels resort to calling roadside assistance for help. They are services that help people get their vehicle up and running or tow them to the nearest workshop for repairs. AAA or American Automobile Association were the first to start such services and paved the way for other roadside assistance companies.
Services offered by roadside assistance companies
Some of the common services offered by roadside assistance companies are as follows:
Towing
This is considered to be one of the primary services offered by roadside assistance. Whether you’re stuck on the side of the road due to bad weather or your vehicle just won’t start, you can depend on roadside assistance to get it sorted. The companies have contracts with reputable towing companies that will get you out of trouble in a jiffy.
Vehicle jump start
Maybe your car doesn’t require any towing but a simple jump start could get you back on the road. Jumpstarting your car requires two vehicles so a help from a friend or family can be your best option. However, if you’re in the middle of nowhere and don’t have anyone to help you jump start your vehicle then call roadside assistance. It’s best to rely on roadside assistance in such situations rather than stopping a stranger.
Lockout services
People end up forgetting their keys inside their car more often than you’d think. This is known as a lockout whereby the driver or owner is locked out of the vehicle since the keys are inside the car. In such situations, many people panic resorting to crowbars or breaking the window to get in. Keep in mind that it is more expensive to replace your broken window than to call for roadside assistance. They will bring proper equipment that will allow them to safely open the car for you.
Refueling
We all have gone through times where we think we’re going to make it but unfortunately the vehicle comes to a halt due to an empty fuel tank. In such situations, it is safe to stay inside the vehicle even if a gas station is in walking range. Ring up roadside assistance and they will be more than glad to bring fuel to your vehicle.
Roadside Assistance: Tipping
So, once the roadside assistance is done helping you, do you tip roadside assistance for their help? Well, Unlike Japan where tips are looked down upon, America is a much more generous and a tip-conscious country. People providing services at restaurants, hair salons, masseuse and more expect to be tipped at the end of the service. Many of us find ourselves stressed at the end of a meal at a restaurant trying to figure out how much we should tip.
Is it enough? Should I tip more? How much is the minimum amount that would be appropriate to tip? Should I just ignore it this time?
There are a million more questions that run through the mind of a person in regards to tipping when paying for a service.
Questions like the ones mentioned above become unclear when services like towing or roadside assistance is involved. Think about it. You might immediately think about tipping at a restaurant but when a towing service comes to the rescue, the first question that comes to mind “Do you tip roadside assistance?”. We will give you some tips on this matter and provide some protocols that might be useful during such situations.
Do you tip roadside assistance?
Before we provide any tips, let’s get this question out of the way first. Whenever you ring towing or roadside assistance companies and ask them about tips, they will always let you know that you don’t need to tip anyone. However, who doesn’t appreciate a tip? At the end of the day, it depends on what you value their work at. A tire change might be considered as a difficult skill by some who will be willing to tip for it however others might not feel the same.
Back to the question “Do you tip roadside assistance?” and the answer is yes. Working for companies that offer roadside emergencies is a tough job. Individuals work long hours in harsh weather conditions to provide services immediately to those stranded on the side of the road. Some even work on festive holidays so that nobody faces trouble on highways. Even though these companies charge for the services provided, if the person that comes to help you goes above and beyond, a tip is definitely necessary.
How much to tip for roadside assistance?
Now that you’ve got the answer to your question “Do you tip roadside assistance?”, you may be wondering what the appropriate tip amount is. From our experience, a tip of $5 for relatively smaller services like jumpstarting your car and $10 for much larger services like towing is recommended. However, if you feel like the worker went the extra mile to provide help or didn’t bother much, you can always pay more or less than the mentioned tip amount. A general rule of thumb when tipping roadside assistance is 10% of the total generated bill.
