Money Moral Dilemma: Should we have kept quiet about bureau de change blunder?

tgroom57

MSE_Darryl wrote: »

My wife went to a high street shop to get £400 of US dollars for our forthcoming trip. The exchange rate worked out to $660, which wasn’t great. But when she returned home, my wife realised the travel agent had given her euros, €660 to be precise, which works out as about £510. My wife felt bad, and went four miles back to the shop where the assistant made her feel like it was her error. I said we should have kept quiet. What should we have done?

This isn't as straightforward as the above replies make out. It isn't what a single person would do in this situation - it is what do you do if husb & wife differ in views on this.

For anything except exceptionally large amounts I wouldn't bother going back. The couple of times I did point out an error were never well received, and that has shaped my action. In this instance I wouldn't go back but if my partner wanted to, he can.

Where there are 2 of you, I think right to let the other party make the effort if they feel they have to.

mr-mixalot

Should have changed the Euros back to Sterling

£400 Sterling To US Dollars

Euros to Sterling difference to charity

Everyone's a winner

elizabethhull

tgroom57 wrote: »

This isn't as straightforward as the above replies make out. It isn't what a single person would do in this situation - it is what do you do if husb & wife differ in views on this.


Good point made here. And I hope (if you actually exist, and are not a figment of someone's imagination for the purposes of a hypothetical dilemma !), that you are proud to have a wife with integrity. It can't be bought, and even if inconvenient at times, you have a living breathing conscience who will always help you to do the right thing.

Goldiegirl

I wouldn't let my husband's opinion stop me doing the right, decent, honest thing


But that's unlikely to ever happen, as he is also an honest person.


As someone who has worked on the counter in a bank, I've always been very grateful if a customer has come back if I had made an error, whether my till was over or short

Brian_Steele

Your wife clearly has the moral high ground here and you should be proud that she did the right thing in returning to any shop that had overchanged or undercharged her. The fact that the assistant then made her look small and embarrassed is the agent's fault not yours.

Take it on the chin, then write to the manager about the disgraceful behaviour of their employee and point out the expense to which she had gone to go back to rectify their mistake. I wouldn't normally push for minimal compensation, but if they are not prepared to be decent to you, you can request reparations without losing your own gracious position.

rustyboy21

As a member of the MSE team, I don't even think you should be asking the question ! Of course you should take it back and get things sorted. Otherwise it is tantamount to fraud. If you notice something that has benefited you in your favour by a small amount ( say a bottle of wine marked up at £6.00 goes through till at £5 , then possibly fair enough)


But something which is an obvious error and is working out to a 100 quid plus, then yes, you should go back and get it sorted out .


At least your wife has some morals


What has this website come to, when even the MSE Team look at doing dodgy practice, you should be above reproach !

mad_rich

Keep the Euros without question.

Right next to the cash desk there will be a sign saying something along the lines of 'Please check your currency carefully as mistakes cannot be rectified later'.

If the boot was on the other foot, and you got home to find they'd given you $660 instead of €660, would they cough up the missing money when you went in the next day? I doubt it. "I'm sorry sir, but we double check all currency before it leaves. There's no way we could have given you the wrong amount".

The only time I've gone back to a shop after being undercharged was a small independent retailer. They didn't exactly welcome me with open arms. The guy on the till seemed a bit miffed that I'd dropped him in it, and both he and the manager were rather incredulous that I'd come back in. He did say, rather begrudgingly, "I suppose I'd better give you a discount" and then offered the 10% off that pretty much anyone gets at the shop anyway.

EmmaHerts

rustyboy21 wrote: »

As a member of the MSE team, I don't even think you should be asking the question ! Of course you should take it back and get things sorted. Otherwise it is tantamount to fraud. If you notice something that has benefited you in your favour by a small amount ( say a bottle of wine marked up at £6.00 goes through till at £5 , then possibly fair enough)


But something which is an obvious error and is working out to a 100 quid plus, then yes, you should go back and get it sorted out .


At least your wife has some morals


What has this website come to, when even the MSE Team look at doing dodgy practice, you should be above reproach !

They just post the questions, it isn't HIS question.

gaving7095

Your wife did the right thing, and the "assistant" sounds like a div.
For what it's worth I probably would have kept it!

happyinflorida

Bet you regret your wife taking it back and I expect she does too as the assistant was so rude.

I would not have returned the money - I'd have gone elsewhere to have changed the money from euros into dollars as that is what you needed.

These places rip us all off big time - they make an absolute fortune out of putting the exchange rates to one that makes them lots of dosh.

No way would I give them anything - it makes a change for one person to get something out of them for once!