Comments on: Money morality: if someone undercharges you…

By: mimi

mimi — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:02:18 +0000

alexa – you are spot on. again. I also had a recent experience at being undercharged. I called it to the attention of the sales person. He thanked me and told me ito consider it a comp. It was win/win..

By: Alexa

Alexa — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:49:08 +0000

I have to put my money where my mouth is on this issue. I just won several items at my son’s old elementary school’s Silent Auction. I paid a volunteer mom who called to collect over the phone, and they dropped off my winnings the next day. I just realized that they undercharged me $26, by only charging me for one of the items. Could I get away with not bringing it to anyone’s attention? Could I rationalize it by thinking about how many hundreds of volunteer hours I gave to the school while we were there? Or how the stuff was all donated anyway? Is there a difference because one scenario involves a restaurant and the other involves a school?
IMO, yes, maybe, maybe and no. It’s all about doing the right thing every time, isn’t it?

I think by bringing this issue up you gave us all a lot to think about. It was hard to do and you really took your lumps. I didn’t bring this back up to reopen the wound, so to speak, just to point out how common a scenario like this can be. It was funny to be faced with it myself so soon after weighing in on the issue here.

By: EricT

EricT — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:02:28 +0000

There’s really no justification for what you did, and I think you know it. You can rationalize it all you want with “the group mentality” excuse, but wrong is wrong.

If you have any sense of morality at all, you’d march back to that restaurant, admit what you did, and then give them back the $11. Then you should apologize to the waitress, who surely paid the price for your “windfall.”

By: Ronzy

Ronzy — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:16:30 +0000

If your child had told you this story, would you have cheered and said, “Great, you got away with that.”

It is one thing to be frugal, it’s another thing to be cheap, it’s a whole different dimension to be dishonest. And, for you to make this situation public, it’s clear that you don’t know those differences. What did you expect? People to say, You go, girl?

I don’t know if you realize this, but you have undercut your credibility.

By: Diane

Diane — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:41:21 +0000

I agree whole-hartedly with Lynda. And, I think you answered your own question in your initial report. You knew it was a mistake, if you had been overcharged you would have said something. In my opinion using the group as an excuse to not do the right thing was wrong. Whether beer is cheap or not isn’t the issue.
I have walked back into a store to pay for pork chops that I found under the store flyer when unloading my cart. No one else would have known, but I would know that I hadn’t paid for them. My son knows that I am just as quick to point out an under charge as an overc harge. I expect it to be right, and I expect to pay for what I get AND get what I pay for.

By: EllieD

EllieD — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:10:14 +0000

Occasionally checkers make a mistake in giving change. Because they don’t want to appear stupid to the boss, they sometimes try to cover their tracks, and say the register cannot be reopened. That’s the time to call for the manager. Never leave a store, restaurant, whatever, if you’ve been cheated. Honesty has to work both ways.
As for the comment that liquor is way over priced, so what’s the difference?… That’s not a reason to rip off the server! If you don’t like the prices, don’t go there. It’s so sad that personal responsibility seems on its way to becoming a thing of the past!

By: Bargain Babe » Reader comment of the week

Bargain Babe » Reader comment of the week — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:43:25 +0000

[...] comment about the waitress debacle really struck me: If you compromise your integrity because of peer pressure, you�re on a slippery [...]

By: bargainbabe

bargainbabe — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:44:51 +0000

I’ve never heard of this system, Marla, but sounds like it would keep servers on their toes.

By: EllieB

EllieB — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:37:10 +0000

Yes, take it to the manager!

By: ellenmills

ellenmills — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:18:57 +0000

Normailly I would condemn your action except that yesterday I handed the grocery store clerk $10 and received change for $5. I mentioned it but the clerk disagreed. The cash register was closed. I could make a fuss, instead I just walked out.
Is there a better response?

By: Ellie

Ellie — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:52:32 +0000

I learned early on in life (back in the Dark Ages) that I wasn’t very good at lying, so gave it up as a lost cause. I always point out errors in bills, whether over or under charging. Also, if there is money lying on the table (or grocery counter) I point it out to the server/checker. Honesty and respect for others should be inherent. That way you never have to wonder whether you’ve done the right (or wrong) thing. It’s obvious that you, and possibly some of your friends, knew what you did was not right. I’ve also worked as a server, and it mattered a great deal when people were considerate enough to point out errors, including making incorrect change. Made me more careful the next time.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:21:02 +0000

We can justify all we want about overcharges, profit margins, saving money and peer pressure, but whatever happened to doing the right thing?

By: John

John — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:58:50 +0000

Booze is so way overpriced in bars & restaurants, etc. It is more expensive than snacks in movie theaters.

By: Pam

Pam — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:21:40 +0000

It is right to bring it to the waitress’ attention. Wrong not to. If it was her intention to comp you the drinks, she’d have brought it up to you.

By: Marla Fisher

Marla Fisher — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:18:52 +0000

When I was a waitress back when dinosaurs ruled the earth, we had to pay the bartender in advance for the cocktails and then collect from the customers. So if I forgot to charge, the money came out of my pocket.