People are obsessed with how “tipping culture” is out of control, but sometimes it has a bit of a negative, “quid quo pro” vibe . . . or it’s straight up EXTORTION.
An airline passenger says they were at a United ticketing counter at the Newark, New Jersey airport last week . . . and the agent said their checked bag was a half-pound too heavy.
The agent said, “Ah, don’t worry. I don’t see anything” . . . and gave them a high five. The customer thought they were getting a nice break, but then he said, “You can leave a tip right there,” pointing to a spot on the counter.
The customer asked if he was for real . . . the guy said yes . . . so they left $5.
They said they didn’t care at first, but later it felt weird . . . especially since they were pretty sure that their bag was NOT over. They said they don’t know what happened, but they weighed it when they got home and it was 44 pounds.
Then they thought they may have been SCAMMED . . . so they reported it to United on their website. United hasn’t responded.
They told the story online, and naturally people are saying this was NOT cool . . . and that if this ever happens, people should just ask for a supervisor.
Also: If it’s THAT close, you can ask for it to be weighed on another scale or take an item out. Airport scales can become miscalibrated. Whenever possible, you should weigh your bag ahead of time, so you KNOW what it weighs… and you don’t get pushed into paying a big fee.