I used to have this one blog...

A while back. It was my first attempt at PF Blogging, and it worked out well for a while, but I quickly fell back into old habits and the blag has sat that, silently cursing me everytime I log into blogger and see both of them. Well, the time has come to erase the old and continue with the new. I'll be posting some of my favorite posts here, and after that, old blog is kaput.

Here is one of my favorite questions: How Honest Are You?

I just went to Quizno's for lunch (I printed off a free coupon off their site!) and ordered a yummy sandwich. I paid via VISA (I'm only allowed 10 debit transactions for free a month) and promptly left.

On the walk back to my office I realized that I never signed the Credit Card slip.Now I know my VISA can be charged directly to my debit account, however, I didn't enter a PIN, so I know that didn't happen. The receipt I got shows that it was a VISA and the charge went through, but I don't know if they can put the payment through if I didn't sign the slip.

I'll have to wait and see if it shows up on the 'net. This got me thinking - when it comes to company mistakes, how far will you go?I've had situations where i've bought X number of things, and the cashier only rings in a portion of those by mistake. Do you tell them? I rarely do, if ever. Or if a cashier rings something in in an incorrect price - would you correct them? I don't.Does that make me a bad person? I don't think so.

I don't think that Zeller's suffers too badly for a couple mis-rung shirts or grocery products. However, that's the same thinking that shoplifters operate through. In my opinion, it's the cashier's mistake, not mine.

However, i've had friends who would correct them. I know someone who once left a store, went home, realized that she only got charged for one of her two purchased shirts and promptly drove back to the store to correct the salesperson and give them the additional money. I think that's crazy - very honest and good of them - but crazy!

I don't feel guilty when I tap into someone else's wireless internet connection or getting a free chocolate bar because Safeway forgot to ring in the last one. To me, it's a faceless crime.Is it really, though? Maybe that cashier at Quizno's has done that a lot lately, and maybe she'll get fired over it. Who knows? Would that, then make me a bad person?

When I worked at Subway I used to make mistakes like this sometimes. If I overcharged someone and didn't realize it until afterwards, I didn't track them down in the food court. I waited for them to realize and come back to me. Most of the time, they didn't come back at all.Other times, when I undercharged someone, if they were still there I would correct them.

However, if they had already left, I just let it go, knowing that the register would most likely even itself out over the course of the day. Sometimes people would come back and insist on paying, but I always thought it was weird. My boss didn't miss the extra dollar or so they were giving us.

What's your opinion? Would you walk away with a steal or would you correct them?

Here are some of the comments I received on that post:

The SUWBAYblogger said...
The only time the signature is actually checked by Visa (or any other card) is in the case of disputes. The vendor doesnt even need to send them in sometimes. They simply need to file them. In other cases, they send them in, but they never get checked.In the case of a Quizno's sub, if you disputed it, Visa would just eat the cost most likely because it is more expensive to pursue the issue. So they just fork out the $8.00
June 20, 2007 5:23 PM

Krystal said...
Oh if I realized a cashier messed up and charged me less than they were supposed to, no way would I correct them. I figured if they made the mistake, that's there own fault and not mine.Maybe not the most ethical thing to do, but what can I say? I worked in retail for 7 years up until a few years ago, and I've made my fair share of mistakes (including a $300 mistake) ... but what can you do? A mistake is a mistake.
June 22, 2007 9:02 PM

nancy aka money coach said...
wow - what a great question! I just came across it today. I recall in my early 20s, going back to a store to give them back about $2. I wouldn't do the same now, but at the time my conscience said to do it. Here's a further development of the question: what if Nobody, Ever, corrected a financial mistake. What would the world look like? Alternatively, what if Everybody, Always corrected financial mistakes? I honestly don't know the answer, and like you, I weight the inconvenience for me of correcting the mistake against the price of the mistake - and I don't always make the correction. I don't feel badly. I guess I follow the golden rule. If I were the other business, how much would I hope the customer would correct my mistake?
July 19, 2007 10:08 AM

What are your thoughts? When is it okay to leave the store, or when should you stay? Is it at the $300 shirt, or the $1.99 pair of socks?