Ethical/legal question. Opinions welcome.

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I'll give you a similar story (sort of)
My parents lived in west Palm beach Fl, in '92 when hurricane Andrew hit.
They lost power 21 (?) Days.
So Fema had some kind of of deal where you could buy a generator and they'd reimburse up to 500$ dollars of it.
You had to show receipt, proof that you lost power and IIRC, somebody actually came out and you had to show them you still had it.
(I could have the facts skewed :idea:)
So obviously there are no generators available for 500 or more miles .
He has cell service and asks if I could find him one.
I went online found him one and had it shipped. I think it came from the Chicago area (I could be wrong on source location and time line).
So back to story .
He gets his generator , they have power until utility is back.
He submits paperwork. Guy comes out to see it a few months later he gets a check for 500 (I think it cost about twice that).
So end of story , you'd think.
A couple of months later a second check for 500$ shows up.
I know he thought about keeping it.
In the end he figured they come looking for the extra money. So he contacts someone at Fema. Who directs him to someone else, who directs him to someone else... I don't know how many people he spoke to but the last person finally explained, they had no mechanism for taking the money back and that he should stop trying .:rolleyes:
 
If they call you on it send it back. Otherwise consider it a blow against corporate greed. After all $700 is ludicrous.
 
Give it back you'll feel better about yourself.

Think of it this way. Say you buy a couple of tubes in BT and they don't show up. Seller being a good guy ships 2 more which you get. Then the first ones arrive. If you keep them that's scummy behaviour and it's no different with the phone and if someone says it is they're wrong. All this crap about yeah stick it to the man is a load of BS.

Now if they say keep it then it's time for a happy dance.
 
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Give it back you'll feel better about yourself.

Think of it this way. Say you buy a couple of tubes in BT and they don't show up. Seller being a good guy ships 2 more which you get. Then the first ones arrive. If you keep them that's scummy behaviour and it's no different with the phone and if someone says it is they're wrong. All this crap about yeah stick it to the man is a load of BS.

Now if they say keep it then it's time for a happy dance.

Shouldn't have to explain it to him.
 
Well, I just spoke to a BB agent. They said either to bring it back to a store, or use the shipping label they sent me. I mentioned having read that it was legal for me to actually keep it, and she said "no comment." She also said that if this kind of thing happens more that once with a customer, they do an investigation with UPS. Incidentally, this raises other questions since in my case, one was shipped UPS, and one Fedex.

She also said if I brought it back to the store, I would get my money back faster, to which I said that I didn't pay for the second one. I actually didn't even pay for the first one yet either, as it is on an installment plan.

I was hoping for some kind of token of appreciation from them for being honest. Even a Thanks would have been nice, but no, it was all business. Oh well.

I hope the ethics police who showed up on this thread are happy.

Out of pure curiosity, I wonder what would happen if I never shipped it or brought it in to the store. Could they legally come after me?
 
Well, I just spoke to a BB agent. They said either to bring it back to a store, or use the shipping label they sent me. I mentioned having read that it was legal for me to actually keep it, and she said "no comment." She also said that if this kind of thing happens more that once with a customer, they do an investigation with UPS. Incidentally, this raises other questions since in my case, one was shipped UPS, and one Fedex.

She also said if I brought it back to the store, I would get my money back faster, to which I said that I didn't pay for the second one. I actually didn't even pay for the first one yet either, as it is on an installment plan.

I was hoping for some kind of token of appreciation from them for being honest. Even a Thanks would have been nice, but no, it was all business. Oh well.

I hope the ethics police who showed up on this thread are happy.

Out of pure curiosity, I wonder what would happen if I never shipped it or brought it in to the store. Could they legally come after me?


It's not about if "the police" are happy, do you feel that the right thing was done?
This has never been about anyone other than you, and again, should never have been a thread.
 
It's not about if "the police" are happy, do you feel that the right thing was done?
This has never been about anyone other than you, and again, should never have been a thread.

Jeez. I'm sorry. I just thought it was an interesting and unique situation. I really don't understand some of the comments here. Maybe I could have worded the original post better.

I simply thought thought the idea of a big corporation making a mistake that affects them very little, but affects the individual (me) much more, was a unique subject that speaks to this moment in time. It's a very different thing to buy something from an anonymous online mega company, than it is to buy something from the local independent corner store.

Oh well. I should have known that people get worked up around ethics and money.
 
I was hoping for some kind of token of appreciation from them for being honest. Even a Thanks would have been nice, but no, it was all business. Oh well.
Well, you have not yet returned it, so a thanks is not yet in order. I would take it into a store, ask to see the manager and return it to him. Ask for some sort of receipt just in case they do end up charging you. It is still possible he will reward you in some way for your honesty and inconvenience in returning it.
 
Maybe I could have worded the original post better.
Ok I'll put it out, it wasn't your OP but all the subsequent post. I personally feel you where looking for support and justification from the members here to steel. You already had that in mind when you started the thread and your feelings keep coming out like the below remarks.

I simply thought thought the idea of a big corporation making a mistake that affects them very little, but affects the individual (me) much more, was a unique subject that speaks to this moment in time.
This moment in time? what moment is that? when people feel entitled?
How old are you? I feel like I'm talking to a 10 year old and needing to teach them from right and wrong. Geezzz.

It's a very different thing to buy something from an anonymous online mega company, whose biggest concern is their bottom line, than it is to buy something from the local independent corner store.

There is no difference when someone feels like steeling other than them making a justification for it.
 
Jeez. I'm sorry. I just thought it was an interesting and unique situation. I really don't understand some of the comments here. Maybe I could have worded the original post better.

I simply thought thought the idea of a big corporation making a mistake that affects them very little, but affects the individual (me) much more, was a unique subject that speaks to this moment in time. It's a very different thing to buy something from an anonymous online mega company, than it is to buy something from the local independent corner store.

Oh well. I should have known that people get worked up around ethics and money.

There lies where we (you and I) see things differently.
The size of the company matters not at all, IMO, morals are morals, ethics are ethics.
Should not matter if it was between you and I or you and Amazon.
Do what your moral compass directs.
Rock on!
Again, why is this a subject to discuss?
 
I would contact BB and tell them to send me a prepaid shipping label. If they are unwilling to ship it back at there expense then I would keep it.
 
You did not pay for the second phone!!!!!
End of discussion.

Around here when you TAKE something without paying, we call it stealing.


Barney
 
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