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Is it wrong to not tip a waitress if the service was really bad?

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I don't think so.

If she did a horrible time serving me, she doesn't get that extra money.
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no its not wrong
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Not wrong at all. I don't care if they have a bad day. I was a waitress and I earned every penny that I made. There were times I didn't deserve a tip, and I didn't receive one. Lesson learned.

It isn't your problem if they are having a bad day (fight with bf etc) that's their issue. Do you get to perform bad at your job if you have a bad day? I don't know about you but no job I ever worked in the past gave me a free ticket on my bad days.

Tips are something you earn.. if you can't earn it then you shouldn't be a waitress, or you should call in sick. If you wanna whine that they make such little money.. then they should get a different job!!!!!!!!! Considering MOST servers get paid at least minimum wage, most of the time 1 dollar or so more I do not feel sorry. If someone takes a job at dennys and gets paid 3 bucks an hour.. then I guess they should work harder at earning their tip. Being really busy is no excuse either.. No job that I know of lets you slack because you are "busy" with other things or clients etc. Oh.. and if the food is delayed, or something is wrong with the kitchen then the waitress should come tell me.. not just disappear and expect me to not blame her for it.

Not tipping is totally acceptable when the service is poor. However, you better bring it up or make sure someone knows WHY you aren't happy. Sometimes its OBVIOUS the waitress knows that they suck.

Once, I had a party of 14 and they added the tip automatically.. I faught it because the dumb waitress thought she didn't have to "work" for it.. She got NOTHING out of our table because she was so horrible to us. Other waitresses can get a 20 dollar bill off of our party of two because they are exceptional. Its up to them.
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leave a nickel so they just don't think you forgot
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You should always tip at least 10%. They may be having an off day (fight with bf, pet dying), and they are usually only getting paid around $2.33 an hour (in Wisconsin)! People such as cashiers earn their full pay no matter how bad they are doing (until they're fired) because they are getting higher wages, such as $7 an hour. So yes, it is wrong not to tip at all.
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I don't believe in tipping
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Hi. I always tip weather the service is good or bad. The amount of the tip depends on the service. Busy or not, they are supposed to attend to your needs. If I run out of water or tea and am dying of thirst, I feel neglected and don't think I'd give a large tip.They work to serve the public, if they want a large tip they need to be attentive to your needs.
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a tip actually means to insure proper service. back in the day it was given ahead of time. it isn't wrong but you should leave something, it is how they make any money. but then again if they are that bad they shouldn't be doing the job, unless they were just having an "off" night or real busy. i think you can tell when they just don't deserve it at all (like when you can see them eating or talking while you need utensils - hello!)
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I am a waitress and I think some people just should not be servers because they don't have the skills to serve.Regardless I still tip obviously more if I get good service. but some people are trying their best and just aren't cut out for the job.They could also be having a terrible day in their personal life or with customers. You should tip at least 10% no tip is a slap in the face.
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Coming from a servers point of view, it is never OK. I work in fine dining. Good and bad service is many times a matter of perspective. Sometimes a table may think the service is bad because they waited a long time for their food. Well, that's not necessarily the servers fault. Or maybe the service was really bad. Then I would leave a 10% tip. But if the server looked like they were really trying (and they were friendly and smiled) but the restaurant was just falling apart around them, so busy, understaffed, then I would feel bad and leave like 15% or more, I generally tip 20% on average-good service.

Now if the server was outright rude and ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE then managment should be notified when leaving the restaurant. I think it is a bad idea to call in later to complain. First of all, no saying you're a liar, but sometimes people call and they are just trying to get something for free. I once had a table call in and complain that I was racist and then I got "talked" too. When I talked with the manager I informed her that my son was bi-racial and my ex-husband was black. Boy was she mad she had promised to give them free meal. But anyway, if you complain on the way out you seem more credible and the server can try to remember what might have gone wrong.

Remember that servers get paid like $3 an hour. If you were at you're job and something went wrong that was beyond you're control would you get paid less? You never know if it is the server's fault or not when things go wrong. And like I said, if you can be totally sure it is, complain then.
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Well I think that if the service was really bad then I don't think the waitress deserves at tip but you could just drop the hint that the service was bad by giving like a gold coin and sarcastically say "thanks." LOL Its a matter of opinion..

kind regards

R. Lauren
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If you actually got bad service and the server was unapologetic and didn't seem to care then you should tip very minimally but make sure you aren't punishing your server for a problem that isn't necessarily their fault. There could have been a problem in the kitchen or any number of behind the scenes problems. Also keep in mind that waiters and waitresses have to tip out bartenders, busboys, and hostesses in most cases so when you leave nothing they are actually having to pay the restraunt to have waited on you(usually around 5%). That means they suffer a loss actually from not getting any tip...that's not cool at all.
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Absolutely not wrong at all. They know their bread and butter is the money they make in tips so they should do what it takes to earn that tip. If they didn't earn it, please dont give it. That will just make it seem like it doesnt matter if the service was good or bad.
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It's not wrong. But it's sad. The service may have been bad but they did serve you. You also need to consider if they might have been busy [taking on other people's tables, etc.] Waitress' have bad days too, just like everyone else. But being a waitress isn't easy when people a nitpicking at every little detail of what you do. I still tip the normal 15%, those who do better get more, since they are going above and beyond.
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If the service was bad and you don't tip your waiter or waitress, he or she may just think you forgot to tip and no point will be made. Tip him or her but make sure it's well below the usual tipping scale for the amount of your bill and, if possible, write a note on the back of the check explaining the low tip (i.e., "Poor service/low tip"). That way, the waiter or waitress gets the point and so does the manager!
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no
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i am a waitress and i know what kind of things go wrong and half of the time its not our fault. cooks s***w up orders all the time, forget to start something, stuff like that. but i also know i have been sort of lazy at times and things slip my mind. it depends on the situation. if it is really busy, give us a break! its tought when people are picky and try to talk to you forever. if your waitress seems to be ignoring you or forgets about you, then i think you could tip really low, but i would never just leave nothing.
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No. Wait staff are employed to serve and increase clientele not make it a bad experience so you never go back. If you were the employer let alone the customer would you have paid the waitress?
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i was a waitress for a long time, and i think the service would have to be truly terrible for me not to tip. in az, where i live, servers' wages are 2.13/hr. do you think you can live on 2.13/hr? h**l NO! plus, if the server brings your food or your alcoholic beverages out late, that really isn't there fault (usually). the server cannot bring out food or drink that have not been made, therefore, you should blame the cook and the bartender, not your server. so, unless a server is rude or completely incompetent, i tip and i tip well. i also expect more because i was in the industry for a while. if you really believe the service was under par, tip less, but do tip. someone once tipped me $.35 because i didn't refill her diet coke. i had five tables at the time, and i offered to fill her drink when i had time, so she wouldn't run out, but she said no. then when she decided she needed more, she asked me, and it took me 10 minutes to bring it to her. apparently, that was not acceptable, and i got 35 cents for a $50 tab. she shouldn't have tipped anything.
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no but it also should be reported to the manager
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Duh, that's what a tip is for...good service. It's not an obligation.
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Depends.. what about the service was bad?

Did the food take too long to come out? Was he/she rude? Did he/she keep forgetting things? Was the food bad?

Personally, I always tip. But I used to work at a restaurant so I know how stressful it can be and how easy it is to make a bad impression- even if you're working your butt off.

Keep in mind the quality of the food (and how fast you get it) is out of his/her reach. If he/she was rude or just a horrible waiter, then the tip wouldn't be a lot. But also keep in mind that many places do "tip share" and all the tips get divided between each person that's working.. so others may be affected by a small tip too.

Unfortunately, they really don't make enough as it is.

I'd say it all depends on how bad the service really was. I've had friends get up and leave without paying for their meals because the service was so awful. They didn't feel like they should pay. I know sometimes things happen and people have bad nights so I always leave a little something.
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h**l no, don't do it
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She depends on her tips...so she better give me good service, or their won't be any tip at all.
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If the serevice is bad it will be that way from the start so don't be afraid to ask the waitperson if something is wrong, remember they are human and have off times, if you still get bad service still leave a tip but smaller, remember we all have bad days ,and in their job they are constantly working with different types of people maybe the people before you were real jerks and your waitperson has been facing people like that all day so forgive but don't make their day worse
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if the service is truly horrible and sloppy then it's okay.
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not only should you not tip any waiter/waitress if the service was bad, but you should let management know. if it's a chain, write to their head office. if it's a single restaurant, talk to the boss. i had a restaurant for many years and i was always happy to know. bad service can cost a restauranteur a lot of business and is glad to know what's happening.
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If the service sucked say well im only going to give you half because that was not the best service
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IMO, not wrong.
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Being a server myself, no it is not wrong to not tip a waitress for poor service. They have a job to do & chose to do this for a living & get paid for it just like everyone else does. Unless you can visibly see that your server has like 15 other tables (impossible circumstances to give good service), then they should be tipped on their level of service.
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you also need to take into consideration that this might be her first week serving. she could have been up all night with a baby. she could be having a really bad day. she could have been there double shifts because she got stuck covering when someone called out. you have to realize that servers don't make c**p for money, and have to rely on tips to make anything.

where i live, a server's salary is $2.13 an hour. which sucks. if i were to work 10 hours. and didn't make ANY tips, i would only make $21 and some change that whole day. where someone who works ten hours at $7 an hour makes $70.

just tip the poor girl. you never know why the service was bad. not to mention, servers talk. and once your known as the guy/girl who doesn't tip, you will never get very good service in there again.
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