WWYD

WWYD = What would YOU do?


Ethical dilemma #1

I buy my shampoo and conditioner from this online store - Folica.com. Hashem, the guy who cuts my hair (my stylist?) got me hooked on this Italian brand of hair care products - Davines. I know, I know.... you wouldn't look at me and think that I buy fancy-shmancy European shampoo, but I do. Just one of the many contradictions that makes me who I am.

They were having a big sale so I bought a bunch of shampoo and conditioner at once. One of the plastic conditioner bottles cracked and leaked all over the box when they shipped it. I called them and they told me to return the broken bottle. I returned it with the packing list and filled out the information on the back to let them know that it was damaged during shipping. I checked the box on the form that said I wanted a refund instead of an exchange, because I didn't need them to ship me another bottle.

The packing list that I sent back showed a quantity of four, which is the original quantity that I ordered. But I only returned one broken bottle. They have credited my credit card for all four bottles, instead of giving me a credit for just the one that I returned.

Should I call them to let them know that they made a mistake?

I could rationalize that it was the company's error and therefore not my problem. If their employee made a mistake and entered my return incorrectly, that is their issue. Why should I have to expend any energy to correct it? I didn't do anything to actively try to deceive the company, so it isn't stealing, right?

Or I could say that it just isn't right that I got something that I didn't pay for. I have the three other bottles of conditioner and I should pay for them. It won't take that much for me to just call them up and let them know their mistake.


Ethical dilemma #2

I went to Target to try to find something to better organize the top of our desk. I found a wire organizer that I thought would work well. Then I noticed that it was damaged - one of the corners was bent out of shape. It couldn't be fixed, but it was still perfectly usable. I asked an employee if there was a discount on it because it was damaged. He said that you usually get 10% off and they would ring it up at the register.

I brought the organizer to the check-out lane, showed the man at the register the damage and told him that I was told there would be a discount. I deliberately did NOT say that the other employee told me it was a 10% discount. He looked up the price and saw that it normally sells for $19.99. He said he could offer it to me for $9.00. I said sure!

Was it wrong of me not to tell the guy at the register that the other employee had told me 10% off?

The Target employee in the aisle told me that the discount for damage was usually 10%. He did not say that it was always 10%. Obviously the employee at the register is allowed to exercise some discretion about how much he could charge me for the damaged item. Either one of those employees could have been wrong. It was not up to me to speak up so that I get the smallest discount if Target's policies are not clearly defined, even to its own employees.

But should I have said to the employee at the register that the other employee had told me 10%, because that it was I believed to be true when I decided to purchase the item?

Shades of gray

I consider myself an honest and ethical person and I would imagine that most of us feel that way about ourselves. There are certain things that are easy to define as right and wrong.

My pocketbook was once stolen out of our booth at a trade show, while we were all right there in the booth. It made me so angry. How could a person do that and live with himself? The sympathetic, liberal in me was squashed by my inner, right-wing nut job who wanted to exact revenge on this person. I imagined all sorts of horrible outcomes for this loser who had stolen from me. Maybe he'll use my money to get a taxi that will CRASH AND BURN! Maybe he'll buy some gum and CHOKE ON IT!

I once dropped my wallet out of my car as I parked in front of my apartment in San Francisco. Later, it was returned to me by a prostitute. One of the "ladies" who frequented a nearby corner at night actually took the time to ring the buzzer to my apartment to try to find me and return my wallet. (Ah...how I miss Lower Nob Hill.)

In these two examples there is clearly someone doing the right thing and someone doing the wrong thing. It is easy to distinguish between right and wrong when confronted with big issues. Don't kill. Don't steal. Don't hurt others. Simple, right? But what about the little things that arise in our daily lives? That is where we get into shades of gray. We all draw the lines in slightly different ways to suit our own ideas about what is honest or what is fair.

I would never steal money from a person, even if they were dropping hundred dollar bills as they walked in front of me. I would also never walk out of a store with something that I hadn't paid for. But in my two dilemmas, will I let myself get away with things, just because I can? Will I let myself off on a technicality?

Discuss amongst yourselves. I'll let you know my decisions on another day.