MONEY MORAL DILEMMA: Should Alan give the laptop back?

brownbake

Spitting in their faces - imbecile!!

Like others have said, if it was a big chain then I would keep it. The customer service standards and expensive and many times unhelpful aftersales tricks prove that these big chains regard their customers very lowly.

The manager said you could keep it so why spend more money?

If you were willing to spend £400 I would possibly sell the laptop and put that money towards getting a better specced laptop - possibly from the same store. But giving them £396 for no reason seems stupid.

Once I was in Tescos and witnessed a man stealing bottles of booze. Did I get thanked from them? Did I heck!!

Attlee

Perhaps surprisingly, this is theft. The fact that the cashier made a mistake is no defence. (If prosecuted and convicted, this would affect Alan's sentence though, as it makes it an opportunistic, rather than a planned, crime.)

What makes it theft is, amongst other things, that Alan was aware of the error.

Most undergraduate criminal law exam papers have a question along these lines.

All good moneysavers will know that shop managers aren't reliable authorities on the law. In theory, Alan risks (i) a criminal record, (ii) a court order to return the laptop to the shop, or to compensate the shop for its loss, and (iii) any other sentence the court decides to impose. So it's not entirely true that the laptop is legally his.

Of course, asking what's moral isn't the same as asking what's legal. It sounds as though Alan might be able to get away with it.

Personally, I'd do the decent thing. I like to think of myself as having more integrity than most businesses, and to beat them at their game legally.

leatherman10

This is now the sad world we live in. Everyone wants something for nothing, and this example is a kind of theft. The point is you know you're doing something wrong, and that can't be right ! You should do the right thing and point our the mistake, and you never know something good might happen to you !!!!

astralbee

I think it is shocking to consider anyone keeping the laptop. Some here are talking about the buyer being a "money-saver" and the manager being a cog in the machinations of some evil money-making empire.... but what if the shopkeeper is a "money-saver" too; struggling to keep a small business afloat? Something to remember about businesses that sell expensive items such as computers for hundreds if not thousands of pounds is that they have the same overheads as a greengrocer selling apples for 40p each - and sometimes the profit margins are not dissimilar!!

And even if it is some huge chain store - what if their policy is to take such a loss from the pocket of the employee? Or it costs them their job?

Yes, to save money we have to be ruthless and this site encourages us to "screw" the retailers that try to screw us first.... but the site is about bringing people together to share information and help each other. How can that work if we are so singularly focused on ourselves saving money that it is at the detrement of others?

AB

podiluska

Attlee wrote: »

Perhaps surprisingly, this is theft. The fact that the cashier made a mistake is no defence. (If prosecuted and convicted, this would affect Alan's sentence though, as it makes it an opportunistic, rather than a planned, crime.)

What makes it theft is, amongst other things, that Alan was aware of the error.

Most undergraduate criminal law exam papers have a question along these lines.

All good moneysavers will know that shop managers aren't reliable authorities on the law. In theory, Alan risks (i) a criminal record, (ii) a court order to return the laptop to the shop, or to compensate the shop for its loss, and (iii) any other sentence the court decides to impose. So it's not entirely true that the laptop is legally his.

:T Spot on.

micsey

nice one i would walk out and send me bird in to try and get another.at the moment eveyone is trying to have evryone off with everything.people sit in the back of these shops dreaming up ways to take your money there not your mates,wake up claw your way ahead or you will be walked all over lad

TeamMCS

I think this really comes down to the store and your personally feelings on the topic.

If it were "joe-bloggs inc"... Personally working for a small shop I know how every penny really does make a difference. I'd argue for a discount and then pay (assuming I was willing to pay full price)

If it were somewhere such as the Dixons group. I think I'd be liable to work away. I'd consider the kind of things they get up too. If they overcharged you one month on a direct debit - I wonder how long it would take to refund. PC Care for instance, another waste of money.

I honestly believe it's down to the day. As a knowledgable fellow mentioned above - big or small everyone has a profit magin. If you are underhanded you could potentially be costing someone a job

jazmad

I had a similar experience in Next. Was buying a few things and it came to around £40. Was less than I was expecting but didn't think much more of it at the till. Once we'd left the shop, we both mentioned it was cheaper than we'd expected and when we thought about it we realised one of the items was around £35 so it must have been wrong. We looked at the receipt and, sure enough, they had failled to scan the £35 item.

After a couple of seconds of soul searching, we went back into the store and explained. However, rather than being grateful (or letting us keep it for free) they just scanned it and charged us without a word of thanks. Felt rather annoyed at this as I was sure most people would have carried on walking. In hindsight, what I think I would have preferred to do is not return to the store but give the money to charity. That way I'd have a clear conscience as I hadn't gained but I'd know the money had gone to a better cause.

Another similar, amusing story. Doing the self scan thing at Sainsbury, once failed to scan a birthday card and only realised when I got home so wasn't going to do anything about it. However, that night the card was on the coffee table ready to be written when my wife spilled a drink over it so we had to go and buy another anyway. Karma?:D

Skyhigh

If it rang in at £3.99 and the sale went through without any problems or similar (i.e. the cashier didn't realise any problem) then I'd happily accept the laptop providing that it was purchase from a Large Company.
It if were an independent trader, I'd probably highlight the issue - and seeing as most independent traders are much more friendly and helpful than Large Stores, we'd probably come to an agreement.

The general fact is, I have no problem in accepting a Large Stores pricing problem. Many times they over price items, or don't credit a receipt with an offer that was displayed - but people just don't notice!
Hardly anyone (bar most MSE'ers) check their receipt anyhow.

Plus the mark-ups on many products purchased in Large Stores are insane (not true of some electricals though).
e.g. H Samuel sell a gents titanium bracelet for £135. The same bracelet can be bought at independent stores for £40. And wholesale it costs £4.
[I'm sure HS bulk ordering it from China get it for much less than £4!]

Also £399 laptop in the shops, would probably be less online!

In the states, it would probably be $400! (£200).

:!:

rich_kim

I agree with stephenjacquie. If Alan had been over-charged by the store he would have been kicking up fuss demanding a refund and compensation. If it was brought to his attention that he was under-charged he should pay the difference, perhaps with a discrentionary discount from the manager as way of apology for their mistake.

But saying that I was in a shop and told by a shop assistant that an item was one price, on going to checkout it rang up as more expensive, I mentioned that the other shop assistant had said it was cheaper so they sold it to me for cheaper as I had only bought the item on the strength of was the sales assistant had said. Don't ask, dont get.