Help with tipping!

hey all!
sorry to start a new thread, but i've been reading through what is already out there re: tipping - and boy do people have strong opinions on this!!!

but i need some help - i think i've completely overtipped everyone i've come in contact with so far in the mere 24 hours i've been in delhi!

now my wife and i are going out to eat in - a restaurant in the taj palace

dinner for 2 in a *****star hotel - what to tip?

the taxi driver from the hotel to the rail station - what to tip?

you guys are the best! help me cure the disease of being CLUELESS as to what to tip!!!

thanks all - and a blessed new year to each of you!

Just tip what you feel is adaquate and don't feel under pressure to tip either it's a choice not obligatory!!
A waiter in a 5 star place say 20-50
A rickshaw 5-10 rupees for a packet of bidis

There's no such thing as overtipping, the idea that this coruppts and leads to higher expectations hasn't been my experience but there you go!

10/15% of the bill, depending on how happy you are with the service. This would be appropriate.

You're in Delhi and your main worry is what to tip? 10% is fine -taxis, round it up. Porter = Rs. 10/- - Rs.20/-

I agree with Cyberhippie's assessment. But want to add that I only tip if the service exceeds my 'expectations. In the US, tipping has become obligation. Its become socially taboo if you dont tip. Now, that's Ridiculous!

I found this India tipping guide, for what its worth..

http://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:...ient=firefox-a

If you have tipped just right, it should bring a certain smile to that face - that shows contentment , not greed. The amount would depend on where you have dined - your regular beach shack, or a place u never want to come back to!

IMO 10% for a tip in a restaurant is a poor yardstick. We ended up tipping more than 10% in cheap restaurants (for the whole staff, incl. kitchen!!) and less in expensive restaurants, but usually something like Rs50 (~$1!). (Of course also depending on the quality of the staff..)
If waiters started whining in whisper mode about service charges (rather than letting us decide on a nice, decent tip), we handed out his tip/ service charges to the boy at the door (if any) and the first few disabled beggers in the street.

I'm in Agra now and this tipping bit can get very wearing tbh. Because it's a tourist place, the staff expect tips and the service not always matches expectations, so I don't tip then.
I had a driver and he was intimating tht I should tip $15 per day, no chance, sorry.

Sorry to be the voice of doom here, but you'll be very lucky if it went into any pocket other than the person you gave it to.

Rs.5 per person in a 'cheap' restaurant is ample.

Yeah, we encountered that a couple of times as well. Later, we insisted on putting it in a tip-box ourselves or waited until we were able to give it in the presence of several staff-members.

Always give it directly to the person you wanted to have it. Tips in a tip box also have a way of ending up in the manager/front desk/owner's pocket.