Tips...do you tip for bad service??

We went to a chain restaurant near the
highway in CdA for breakfast last Saturday.
The food was good but the service was not.

We were seated and given menu's and coffee
that we asked for. In the usual allowed
time the waitress came to take our order.
So far so good. Then things started to go down hill.

You see we didn't see her again until the
food came out about 15 minutes later. We
were without coffee, for 10 minutes of that
time. We sat the cups near the edge, as a
sign that we were out. The waitress came
about 8 tables from us but never looked at
us, one time. So we couldn't flag her down
to show we were without coffee.

The food comes and she says, oh, you need
coffee. Also would you like ketchup, Tabasco
sauce or anything else? (she asked us, we
didn't tell her) My other half said he would
like Tabasco sauce and also a glass of water.
(I remember when we use to just get a glass
of water. Now you got to ask.) She said
right away. She brought the coffee.

We never saw her again, for 15 more minutes.
When she asked if everything was ok. I told
her my husband was still waiting for the
Tabasco sauce and water. She went and
got it and said, sorry, as she quickly left.
He only had one bite of egg left.

We finished and waited another 10 minutes
for the bill. Finally gave up and went up
the cashier and there she was talking to
one of the other workers. We went to cash
out and told the young man we wanted to
go and the gal didn't give us her ticket.
Which she ran right over and cashed my
husband out.

The question was as we left the table, do
we tip? If we do, what? We have a policy
of tipping either way, good or bad. We left
a quarter. My daughter told me a few years
ago, when we got bad service always leave
a tip, or they will think you forgot. By leaving
a small tip, they will get the message you
didn't like the service. So the quarter. We
have given a regular tip when the food was
not the greatest, or slow coming. Because
that isn't the waitress fault. That is the cooks fault.

About 17 years ago, my daughter and her friend
took us to the Onion Restaurant in Spokane
on Division street. That had the world worse
service. There were 4 other tables full, the
rest was empty. We ended up getting our own
coffee. After 20 minutes the waitress showed
up with menu's and because we knew what
we wanted, we gave her the order right away.
Good thing, as we didn't see her for almost
half an hour. We finally got our food, she
disappeared.No silverware, so my husband
got up and found their little station and got
it for us. It was suppose to be all you can eat
of spaghetti that the girls got, but they never
got a chance to get more. As we started to head
to the cashier, she came running up the stairs
(we were on the slight upper side) and asked
us if we wanted dessert as it came with it. The
girls were disgusted, but asked if it could be to
go. She said yes, so they asked for cheese cake.
She offered a topping for free as she said she
had not been the best of waitress. Like duh!.
The girls had put a penny for a tip. So they
agreed and we told them we would go get
the car at the back of the parking lot and pick
them up at the door and they were rethinking
their tip to upgrade to a dollar. We waited in
the parking lot for 15 minutes. The girls
came out madder than wet hens. They just got
the cheese cake. They left the penny for the
tip. They complained to the cashier and he said,
well, sometimes it get busy here, so it is slow
service. The girls looked around and told him
that there was about 4 tables full when we came
in.. and maybe 6 tables now. He walked off and
said well, that is the way it goes sometimes. None
of the 4 of us have been back. That had to be the
worse. And that is when my daughter told me,
leave a tip, so they will know how bad it was.
What do you do, when you get bad service?