SeaSplash

[theulls]

i was down to negril and seasplash (loved it) back in october. I got talking to some of the workers down there and it seems that they are not receiving their gratuity tips from the credit card transactions. this is awful. the owner does know that the workers need the gratuitys to survive and pay bills, buy food to support familys and such. how can this happen. this is terrible. some of them travel quite a distance to get to work and no gratuitys. It does sound like the morale was down a little from what i heard from the workers. Owner, please give the workers their deserved gratuitys. this is not to be money in your pocket, i understand that gratutitys are to be shared accross the board to all workers.

i left cash as a gratutity and left a more than fair amount. on a side not i love the resort and the workers were very accomidating. the food at Normas was outstanding and the service was wonderful. i think that the place has taken a step backwards since jim has been gone. i was also there in spring and jim was outstanding on what he had done there in his short time. (updates and the jumping crowd that he had there for happy hours and such)

[Mrs Wilson]

I can't reply to the tips part - no first-hand knowledge. However I always leave tips in cash -- even in US -- it's the surest way to make certain they get the compensation you think they deserve. I did speak and email with owner Pat Lawe recently, preparing for our own trip this year -- and he reports great progress (near completion by February!) on the interior renovations, which were sorely needed and which Jim did not do. Jim did a great job on the outside patio area - it looks terrific. And he brought in music and people -- but nothing is stopping the people from coming there still. It's a great spot on a great part of the beach. I plan to host several gatherings there during our say.

[guyingb]

Merry Christmas to all. I have also heard this from some workers\friends at SeaSplash. how can this be. these people work hard for tips and for them not to get them from credit cards is absurd. Please Mr. Lawe say this is not so. these people work hard for there tips. say is is not so. can this be so??? I guess that we will have to make sure we tip them with cash!!! I love the resort and the service also. and normas has some awesome food along with the vibes at the bar.

[booger]

You hear this everywhere. Workers want cash so they get all of it. If it is on a credit card it is taxed, and the service charge you see automatically tagged on is spread amongst everyone. Don't believe everything you hear as fact.

[dash]

I've heard that story also. Totally false. I use credit card at bigger places but leave a little extra in cash for the bartender (stay friends with bartender's!) Mom and pop joints I use cash only.

[poolguywindsor]

Seems like this happens regular in Jamaica, or at least its a common complaint I have heard at several bars and restaurants.

[theulls]

Yes but the way i understand is that the workers are getting NOTHING from credit card purchase. all they are getting is their cash tips!!!

[Bnewb]

It would seem to me tips given on a credit card bill could be treated as a "service charge" & below is a description from ROB of how the "service charge" is handled here....

"If your bill has a "service charge" then this is a shared tip for all the hourly employees, not a direct tip to your bartender or server. The Jamaican government enacted the service charge in the tourism industry so that more Jamaicans benefit when people visit Jamaica.

A service charge of 10% is added to the bill, then it is totaled from all receipts during that pay period, and then split between all hourly employees equally, from the bartender to the gardener to the housekeepers. That way, when a guest purchases something, more than just the server makes a bit of money.

For a simple example, lets say a server hands you a bill for us$100, with a $10 service charge added. The server will not get that $10 service charge directly. Lets suppose there are 10 employees total at the property. At the end of the pay period, that $10 charge will be split between all 10 employees equally. So while the server did not get the entire $10, they did receive $1 from it as did all the other employees.

The service charge is set at 10% so that it leaves room open for you to tip the server directly in cash - and that tip is up to your discretion. You can leave an additional 5% that they will keep for themselves, or any additional amount that you choose.

It is often speculated that the employees never see the service charge. You may even hear that from the employees themselves. But this is simply not true. If a business has a service charge, then the business can be fined and even closed should they do not share this with all their hourly employees. A server may say they never see the money, but they do see their percentage of that charge which is of course much smaller depending on the number of employees. For the example above, the server may feel they didnt get anything from it, because they never saw 90% of the charge. But they did receive their percentage on their paycheck.

I hope this clears up the issue a bit."

[DConkle]

Tip in cash!!!