A customer paid $385 for what the AC technician called a ‘minor fix,’ then the payment screen asked for a tip anyway

A Reddit user who posts as Marsgreatlol (u/Marsgreatlol) says an AC technician charged $385 for about an hour of work, and the payment screen still asked for a tip. The post, shared on r/EndTipping, is titled “1 hour of AC work for $385, still asked to tip… what is happening.”

The technician called the job a “minor fix,” according to the post. In a later comment, Marsgreatlol said the work involved replacing a fuse and some loose wiring and cleaning the unit, and that the whole visit, diagnosis included, took about an hour. Neither the technician nor the company is named, and the account hasn’t been independently verified.

Marsgreatlol wrote that being friendly and professional is expected in any job, whether it’s a doctor’s visit or a fast food order, and shouldn’t come with an extra payment. “That’s gonna be a no from me, dawg,” the post reads. Most replies sided with the poster, though a few commenters said the tip request was reasonable.

Commenters say repair companies shouldn’t ask for tips

Many commenters wrote that trade work isn’t a job that calls for tipping at all. Several blamed the business rather than the technician, and some told Marsgreatlol to skip the tip. A few connected the request to rising prices for home services in general.

“Bad companies do this,” one commenter wrote, adding that a good company does the work for the agreed price and pays its employees without asking customers for charity. A user who said they work as a contractor wrote that they “Never thought about throwing a tip on the bottom” of a bill. Another person said their household has stopped going out because of tipping and prices.

Some commenters defend the tip request

A smaller group argued that the technician provided a service, so a tip prompt for it isn’t strange. These replies drew pushback from Marsgreatlol directly.

One commenter called the suggested range of 10 to 20 percent “fairly low” and said they had tipped their own mechanic. Marsgreatlol replied that 10 to 20 percent of $385 is a lot on top of a price that was already “overpriced imo,” and asked whether people tip their plumbers or electricians. Another user wrote, “you got a good deal.”

Several commenters asked whether the tip screen was a default setting in the card reader rather than the company’s choice. One user said vendors may not even be able to switch it off. Another replied that the option can always be turned off and is usually off by default, and a third called the default explanation “an excuse.” Tipping disputes have gone viral before, including one over a server’s receipt note about an $11 tip.