I'm Too Freaking Honest Sometimes...What would you do? Be Honest!!

Sunkissed27f · Oct 9, 2007

I ordered a book at a on-line book store on Oct. 3rd.
I hit the pay with card option.
Laddeedeah ...filled out the info...and I hit accept/make payment button when I was done.

So a day later I get an email.
Sorry, your payment is denied the book will be put back up for sale.

Like hell-to-the-no...it won't!!

See I have a military Master Card...so some places HATE it.
Won't let me use it because it's not like a Master Card credit card....and it's not like a bank Visa card.

So I go back re-order...hit pay with check.
They said the bookseller would contact me on when and how to do the check.

I wait....I wait....2...3..4..days.

Last night I finally sent an email asking when I will be contacted with the info to make payment.

I was then sent an email saying the bookseller would contact me.
I wait...and FINALLY today at 1PM I get an email that said this:

Thank you so much for your honesty! We did not notice that you selected pay by check and assumed that you had used a credit card to pay for the book. We already mailed out the book on the 4th. Please mail a check for $** to:
Blah blah blah
Thank you.

So.....if my patience would have held out I would have gotten the book for free.....BUT I assume there are ways for them to figure out my payment was never made.

In the long run a free book would have been nice, but in the short of it...I am not a thief I would have felt ubber crappy about it.
Especially when it was a book I had really wanted!
And it isn't supposed to be out until February.
Plus..it's an AW members book.
That would have been so WRONG of me!

What would you have done if you got a book you hadn't paid for yet in the mail...and the company thought you did?

TrainofThought · Oct 9, 2007

Send a check. It is dishonest and the author (AW Member) will suffer the loss. It wasn't the author's fault the Bookseller made the mistake.

Now if you were talking about Comcast Cable take advantage of their stupidity.

CurtisCandy · Oct 9, 2007

In that situation I also would send the check. I wouldn't be comfortable with knowing some writer took it in the shorts.

However, I also can think of some situations - regarding certain entities - where there's no way in Hell I would have sent payment for something I could've taken from them!

*cough*Microsoft*cough*

Voyager · Oct 9, 2007

I'm with you, Tim. I always feel that if I try to take advantage of people, it'll come back to me in some horrible way. Karma's a bitch and I'd rather have a clean conscience than a free book.

Sunkissed27f · Oct 9, 2007

Exactly....I thumped my forehead and said Oh Geez A free book I could of had ....at first.

BUT...........I am not dishonest.
If I wouldn't have emailed them and got the book in the mail with an invoice saying I paid, when I didn't....I STILL would have paid!!

writerterri · Oct 9, 2007

It'll pay off in the long run. Good for you being honest.

Voyager · Oct 9, 2007

CurtisCandy said:
In that situation I also would send the check. I wouldn't be comfortable with knowing some writer took it in the shorts.

However, I also can think of some situations - regarding certain entities - where there's no way in Hell I would have sent payment for something I could've taken from them!

*cough*Microsoft*cough*

Hehe, here i am with my self-righteous little ass, and then you have to go and say that. Hell yeah, I would

Sunkissed27f · Oct 9, 2007

I wonder if for my honesty....if I mailed the book to the author, would he sign it. (???)

Hehee.....JK!!!

writerterri · Oct 9, 2007

They usually do. Just ask and send an sase.

Sunkissed27f · Oct 9, 2007

I wonder if I sent myself SASE would he sign me
*snort snort*

Susie · Oct 9, 2007

Yep, you get the honesty award of the day! :Trophy:

Sun.

I would have done the same thing with sending the check.

Sunkissed27f · Oct 9, 2007

I'm glad you are all such, nice, honest people!!

Joe270 · Oct 9, 2007

When I was in college a co-worker found a bank bag full of money, the big ones that armored car companies use. He was on the way to work, so he brought it inside with him, then contacted the bank located near the spot where he found it.

They claimed it and sent an armored car over to pick it up.

They didn't give the guy a reward or even so much as a thank you.

Now I'd still give the money back if I found it, but I'd sure be griping if I didn't at least get a toaster or whatever they're giving out free to people opening a new checking account.

That was a whole lot of money in that bag.

Bartholomew · Oct 9, 2007

"I have gained this by philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law."

-Aristotle

ErylRavenwell · Oct 9, 2007

Since it's a AW member's book, you did the right thing. Kudos. I applaud you. Were it a big company you had dealings with, I might have said, "Honesty is overrated."

ErylRavenwell · Oct 9, 2007

Joe270 said:
When I was in college a co-worker found a bank bag full of money, the big ones that armored car companies use. He was on the way to work, so he brought it inside with him, then contacted the bank located near the spot where he found it.

They claimed it and sent an armored car over to pick it up.

They didn't give the guy a reward or even so much as a thank you.

Now I'd still give the money back if I found it, but I'd sure be griping if I didn't at least get a toaster or whatever they're giving out free to people opening a new checking account.

That was a whole lot of money in that bag.

That's what I'm talking about. It's plain retarded to return the money to a greedy bank which routinely rips people of much-needed money. Bankers are just capitalist pigs.

Joe270 · Oct 9, 2007

I'd return it. When that much money is involved, I figure there's a significant amount of time behind bars attached to it.

A. Hamilton · Oct 9, 2007

don't mind me-i'm just nit-picking

am I reading this right? you didn't do anything particularly honest at that point, since you didn't know they had mailed the book yet-right? (eta:nor did you do anything wrong ) you weren't contacting them to correct a mistake, but to make payment on a book you didn't know they had already mailed.
I mean it's nice to say you would pay for it, had you received it without payment..as you should..but that isn't how it happened.
in fact--you actually say that if you'd had more patience you would have gotten it for free..unless they figured it out....

but you do say you're not a thief and you'd 'feel ubber crappy about it'..so, you're redeemed.

Sunkissed27f · Oct 11, 2007

Joe270 said:
When I was in college a co-worker found a bank bag full of money, the big ones that armored car companies use. He was on the way to work, so he brought it inside with him, then contacted the bank located near the spot where he found it.

They claimed it and sent an armored car over to pick it up.

They didn't give the guy a reward or even so much as a thank you.

Now I'd still give the money back if I found it, but I'd sure be griping if I didn't at least get a toaster or whatever they're giving out free to people opening a new checking account.

That was a whole lot of money in that bag.

Sounds like what I heard on Talk Radio.
Person finds bank bag, returns it, doesn't get squat.
BUT.....he couldn't accept a reward any way because he was a government employee. I am sure they never would have offered anything anyway.

If you don't turn the money in, you can either be rich and be a thief, or get caught and be a thief. I am sure they would have caught the you in the long run if you decided to keep it.

If you turn it in you are broke and honest.....but at least you have are guilt free and HONEST.

Anyway...I received the book in the post yesterday, it was a nice looking book. I look forward to reading the book guilt free!!

Sunkissed27f · Oct 11, 2007

ET:Thank you I guess?

At first I read your post as accusatory then I reread it after this post and I guess in rereading it I understand it a bit differently. Therefor I will leave this here in case some one else has a misinterpretation on what was said. Unless I am the only retard here today.

P.H.Delarran said:
am I reading this right? you didn't do anything particularly honest at that point, since you didn't know they had mailed the book yet-right?

I am not sure what you are saying here.
I contacted the book seller TO make payment.
I was supposed to be contacted and never was.

you weren't contacting them to correct a mistake, but to make payment on a book you didn't know they had already mailed.

Correct....I didn't KNOW they had already mailed it UNTIL I contacted them TO make payment! As of yet there wasn't a mistake.
I didn't know they had mailed the book, I didn't get a notice to send payment in 2-5 days so I contacted them.

I mean it's nice to say you would pay for it, had you received it without payment..as you should..but that isn't how it happened.

It didn't happen that way, because I contacted them BEFORE the book arrived at my home. I contacted them Monday..(sent the check Tuesday night) and I got the book yesterday. (Wednesday.) I could have waited around for them to eventually contact me. Or I could contact them to make payment, had I received the book before making the contact on my payment, I would have paid for it.

in fact--you actually say that if you'd had more patience you would have gotten it for free..unless they figured it out....

I could have gotten it for free, yes if I would have waited, but it still wasn't free:
1. I didn't pay for it.
2. Even if they assumed I paid by credit card, I am sure they would have figured it out soon enough that it wasn't paid by card.

but you do say you're not a thief and you'd 'feel ubber crappy about it'..so, you're redeemed.

Umm yes?

I paid for it.
End of discussion.....I didn't have to I don't guess, but I DID.

A. Hamilton · Oct 11, 2007

No biggie- my point was that while the title of this thread is how honest you are-your actions weren't based on honesty but rather on wanting to own the book. You did what anyone would have done when wanting to make a purchase, nothing special.
It's a common thing I see these days, when someone applauds themselves or others for behavior that should be expected. You received a few compliments here for being honest, but your actions weren't special, you just wanted your purchase.
But then you also suggest you may have considered keeping the book had it arrived without payment. Feeling bad about something doesn't condone the action.
The post really read to me like you were lamenting that you didn't get the book free when you could have, (personally, I think the bookseller is the one who got lucky) and that somehow we should applaud you for honesty.
Honesty should be expected and not shown as a weakness that makes us miss out on freebies.
I hope this doesn't seem like I'm picking on you, it's not you personally, but a moral issue that has become common in today's culture that really irks me. People should just do what's right because it's right, and not expect special recognition or feel like they missed out on something when they do.

Del · Oct 11, 2007

Sunkissed27f said:
That would have been so WRONG of me!

What would you have done if you got a book you hadn't paid for yet in the mail...and the company thought you did?

I'd correct the error. Money doesn't mean that much to me. But honesty does. You get back what you put out. You'd pay for the book one way or another, I believe.

I'm Too Freaking Honest Sometimes...What would you do? Be Honest!!

Sunkissed27f

TrainofThought

A flowering bud of bitchiness

CurtisCandy

Voyager

Ribbed for your pleasure.

Sunkissed27f

writerterri

It's a dorky day!

Voyager

Ribbed for your pleasure.

Sunkissed27f

writerterri

It's a dorky day!

Sunkissed27f

Susie

Thanks, special friend for my avi!

Sunkissed27f

Joe270

Bartholomew

Comic guy

ErylRavenwell

ErylRavenwell

Joe270

A. Hamilton

here for a minute...catch me?

Sunkissed27f

Sunkissed27f

A. Hamilton

here for a minute...catch me?

Del

Sky isn't falling, ground is rising