PA Reb
Member
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2011
- Messages
- 1,511
- Reaction score
- 1,816
Honesty
- Thread starter wbraswell
- Start date
I've been on the other end of this as well. A few years ago I stopped at an ATM, withdrew my cash and went back to my car. A guy approached the side window and knocked. When I looked-up I thought, "Great, this guy's going to try and rob me." He looked like an urban gang member right out of Central Casting. I cracked my window 1/16th of an inch and asked him what he wanted. "Here's your ATM card sir. You left it in the machine."
Judging books by covers isn't a foolproof system.
Judging books by covers isn't a foolproof system.
Buckey08
Member
Only one thing that you take with you when you leave this earth and that's your integrity!
Mickey D
Member
My brother has a funny story about taking his family to a restaurant when on vacation in Italy where the waiter hands him the bill, added up by hand, and my brother realizes that he is being way undercharged.
So he tells the waiter. The waiter gets furious with him for pointing out the mistake and embarrassing him....
Don't recall what happened after that.
So he tells the waiter. The waiter gets furious with him for pointing out the mistake and embarrassing him....
Don't recall what happened after that.
Wyatt Burp
Member
My son was raised living with his mom so when I had visitation there were a couple times when he saw me give cash back to store clerks who couldn't count. I'd have done it anyway but i wanted it to soak in on him. It was like a crash course on what dads should do all the time since I only had so much time with him.
The very fact we have to point out these obvious things to do makes me worry that it is considered unusual.
The very fact we have to point out these obvious things to do makes me worry that it is considered unusual.
Had a great sales customer (Marine) who always paid in cash.
I always counted it in front of him.
As he walked away one day I asked if the extra $50.00 was a tip.
He's gone now but I'll always remember Andrew Reilly.
We watched the second twin tower go down live in his restaurant.
"Another Marine reporting Sir! I've served my time in Hell."
In Andy's Honor.
I always counted it in front of him.
As he walked away one day I asked if the extra $50.00 was a tip.
He's gone now but I'll always remember Andrew Reilly.
We watched the second twin tower go down live in his restaurant.
"Another Marine reporting Sir! I've served my time in Hell."
In Andy's Honor.
A little more than 50 years ago, when I was a chubby little boy selling boiled peanuts on the street in my hometown, I saw an older black man drop two ten dollar bills on the ground as he went in the door of the drug store. I picked up the bills and followed him. I saw him at the back of the store talking to the pharmacist. I could tell he was very distressed. Apparently, he was paying his bill, but his money was gone. I said, "You dropped this" and handed him the bills. I have never forgotten the look of relief on his face. Twenty dollars might have been his week's salary in 1962.
I also recall, a few years later, buying a lunch ticket and maybe a pencil in the office at school. There were some pennies in my change. I looked, and one of the pennies was actually a discolored dime. I remember distinctly, my first impulse was to keep it. I could buy a coke at break with it. Some days I had break money, other days I didn't. I gave it back, and the secretary commended me. I was ashamed all day, though, because I felt it was wrong even to consider keeping it.
I also recall, a few years later, buying a lunch ticket and maybe a pencil in the office at school. There were some pennies in my change. I looked, and one of the pennies was actually a discolored dime. I remember distinctly, my first impulse was to keep it. I could buy a coke at break with it. Some days I had break money, other days I didn't. I gave it back, and the secretary commended me. I was ashamed all day, though, because I felt it was wrong even to consider keeping it.
lhump1961
US Veteran
I work in a restaurant and one of my managers found a bank envelope in the dining area containing about $800. This was a great gal and she brought it to me asking what we should do. I said, "Let's give it 5 minutes." Sure enough an older gentleman with a deer-in-the-headlights look comes rushing back in and straight to me...of course it was his and come to find out it is his rent and med money. Lots of stories like that over the years...more good people out there than you might think.
Dalkowski110
Member
Three days ago, on eBay, I purchased a "Buy It Now!" Minichamps 1/43 scale Aston Martin DB5 as featured in the James Bond flick Casino Royale. I was buying from the UK and I was surprised how cheap the shipping costs were after I'd paid for it. 2.00 GBP for International Express Airmail?!?!? I started looking at the guy's other "Buy It Now!" auctions and sure enough, they were almost all 11.00 GBP shipping to the USA.
Off went an email to ask him if he actually meant to charge me 2.00 GBP; I was thinking he'd meant to enter 12.00 GBP. Sure enough, he thanked me for pointing out the error and said he would combine shipping if there was another car I wanted. As it turned out, yes, there was: a 1956 Simca Vedette Regence (the Vedettes were all styled by either Ford or Chrysler) in a stunning...and realistic...black/white/black paint scheme. So I paid for it and expected to pay at least 10 GBP shipping. Not this guy. A few minutes after I got the PayPal receipt, I get a refund for 10 GBP. "I said I would combine shipping costs. I meant all of them. It's a pleasure doing business with you!"
I'll tell you this: the next time I'd like more 1930's-1960's French 1/43 model cars (that is the majority of what he has), I know where I'm getting them!
Off went an email to ask him if he actually meant to charge me 2.00 GBP; I was thinking he'd meant to enter 12.00 GBP. Sure enough, he thanked me for pointing out the error and said he would combine shipping if there was another car I wanted. As it turned out, yes, there was: a 1956 Simca Vedette Regence (the Vedettes were all styled by either Ford or Chrysler) in a stunning...and realistic...black/white/black paint scheme. So I paid for it and expected to pay at least 10 GBP shipping. Not this guy. A few minutes after I got the PayPal receipt, I get a refund for 10 GBP. "I said I would combine shipping costs. I meant all of them. It's a pleasure doing business with you!"
I'll tell you this: the next time I'd like more 1930's-1960's French 1/43 model cars (that is the majority of what he has), I know where I'm getting them!
Funny you should mention this --- just a couple hours ago, I picked up some take-out dinner items at the neighborhood supermarket's deli counter, and went through the checkout lane, where I verbally added a bag of ice cubes to my order. Turns out the deli clerk hadn't placed a price sticker on a few cents worth of a small scoop of mac'n'cheese, but this brought the checkout line to an annoying stop while the cashier attempted unsuccessfully to establish the value of the item by calling the deli on the store intercom, looking it up manually on some sort of cheat sheet, and so forth. She finally, in exasperation and impatience, plugged in some arbitrary price, remarking, "you're gonna get a good deal on this!" The electronic debit card display asked for my approval of the total price and I unthinkingly pressed the "OK" button, only to then do the mental math to verify that something was amiss. The cashier handed me the printed receipt, which at a glance revealed the problem --- I hadn't been charged for the ice cubes. To the irritation of the customers behind me in the checkout lane, we initiated a second transaction for the ice cubes, all $1.99 worth. I suppose the greater good may have been served by ignoring this oversight, and letting the line get moving again, but I'm not wired that way, as previous posters have indicated. The corollary is, I guess, that if you'd cheat someone out of $1.99, you'd probably cheat or steal a more significant sum, and if you wouldn't, you wouldn't. It's not a matter of degree...
Last edited:
We had a little family get together the other day at a new place that offers 50 different beers on tap and terrific food. Afterwards we were piling out of there and as usual my senile Mother in Law was making sure noone had dropped a spoon or anything under the table, I was making sure she didn't tip over and bust her noggin when my nephew lets out a whoop. I look over and from under a chair at another table he pulls a folded bill. He opens it up and its a pair of twenties, I said "bonus tip for the exhausted waitress". He went over to our waitress and told her to put it in the collective tip jar and she said she would hold onto it just in case the young gal that was sitting there came back. We no more than collected Mom and headed for the door when a car pulled up front and this young gal comes running into the place looking under her chair. The waitress came over and asked her if she could help her, the gal said "I lost $40 dollars and just left here". The waitress pulled the $40 bucks and said "This must be yours, that young man just found it." The look on the young gals face was terrific, she was very thankful and offered a reward. My nephew said "Its a reward just to help folks when you can and see the results."
Refer to the last sentence in your post. There's your answer. Cheers.
I may have told this one before: a few years ago I went up to Albuquerque, NM, for their March gun show. Stopped in at Ron Peterson's wonderful gun store and came out with a Colt Model 1903 Army revolver in 38 Long Colt. I liked it very much, shot it some, got the proper ammo for it, and also found a military holster, worn butt forward on the right side, Cavalry fashion.
The next January, I got a big box from Ron Peterson's. ??? I wondered. It containd a service holster, better than the one I'd bought, and a little leather cartridge box, worn on the belt, containing a wooden insert with twelve holes for cartridges. The box was unit marked. The package contained a note: "These items came with the 1903 Colt you bought from us in March. We found the disrepancy in our yearly inventory. We are sorry for any inconvenience". At that time, the two items were worth not much less than $300, and a lot more now. I would have been none the wiser if they'd kept them.
Nest time I was in Ron Peterson's, I described this incident to a clerk. His reply: "That's the way we do business". It's not the last gun I've bought from them, and this isn't the last time I'll tell this story (not to the same audience, I hope).
The next January, I got a big box from Ron Peterson's. ??? I wondered. It containd a service holster, better than the one I'd bought, and a little leather cartridge box, worn on the belt, containing a wooden insert with twelve holes for cartridges. The box was unit marked. The package contained a note: "These items came with the 1903 Colt you bought from us in March. We found the disrepancy in our yearly inventory. We are sorry for any inconvenience". At that time, the two items were worth not much less than $300, and a lot more now. I would have been none the wiser if they'd kept them.
Nest time I was in Ron Peterson's, I described this incident to a clerk. His reply: "That's the way we do business". It's not the last gun I've bought from them, and this isn't the last time I'll tell this story (not to the same audience, I hope).
feralmerril
Absent Comrade
Here is one I aint proud of but it taught me a lesson. Close to 40 years ago my folks drove out to see me. I went to a large chain store and bought some steaks to BBQ for them. There was a mistake on the marked prices. Something like .50 cents a pound where all the rest were maybe $2.50 a pound for the day and age. Larceny got the best of me. Most my life before and after that I have always tried to be honest. It went through checkout okay. My folks were strong christians and raised me that way. I made a secound mistake and told dad about it as I was BBQing the steaks. Dad was always the quite type that never said much but when he did in situations like that, it was always powerful. Dad just said, oh yeah? Is it worth your soul?
Wyatt Burp
Member
Around 1984 My brother traded me a Harley 175 with a new carb for my one year old S&W 4" Model 24-2 with box and everything. I had about $375 in the gun new. Couple years later he's staying at a motel in Bakersfield on his way home to L.A. He gets home and remembers he left the gun loaded under the pillow at the motel and hightails back to Bakersfield which is very far. He ran in and they had the gun in the zipper case behind the counter and gave it to him. They could have made up any story and kept it. I always thought that was so great, whoever and wherever that was in Bakersfield.
I had sold the bike for $500 and in the early 90's I bought the gun back from him for $350. Still have it.
I had sold the bike for $500 and in the early 90's I bought the gun back from him for $350. Still have it.
Back in about the summer of 1980 I was a young police officer making $12,500 a year. I was at the scene of a some what spectacular crash involving a rollover of a small convertable sportscar at 3AM. I was able to dodge the paperwork and was sent to the next intersection about a 1/2mile down the rural road to re-direct traffic.
With the cruiser parked blocking the road with no traffic and no one arround I was kicking the trash in the gutter.
I kicked a shoebox and it was full. I opened it and found it full of US bills all tied together in two large bundles.
I tossed it in the cruiser trunk and as soon as I was cleared from my post drove to the station and called the Sergeant to meet me. We cut the bundles and found over $17,000 in small bills (5-10-20's).
What I remember most was having to pool money with the guy that had to do the second count with me to buy breakfast. We were able to come up with about $5 between us.
End of story: Later we were contacted by the attorney for an occupant of the vehicle asking if we found anything of interest in the crash. After a little hedging he asked about the money. When we told him that we had it he said it belonged to his client.
I told him I needed a written statement that he owned the box and contents, which was provided. I then charged the owner with two felonies for the drugs that I also found in the sealed box.
The attorney was the big winner because he got almost all the money to defend the felony charges. It ended in a plea. The client had never told the attorney about the drugs that were also in the sealed box.
gaf
With the cruiser parked blocking the road with no traffic and no one arround I was kicking the trash in the gutter.
I kicked a shoebox and it was full. I opened it and found it full of US bills all tied together in two large bundles.
I tossed it in the cruiser trunk and as soon as I was cleared from my post drove to the station and called the Sergeant to meet me. We cut the bundles and found over $17,000 in small bills (5-10-20's).
What I remember most was having to pool money with the guy that had to do the second count with me to buy breakfast. We were able to come up with about $5 between us.
End of story: Later we were contacted by the attorney for an occupant of the vehicle asking if we found anything of interest in the crash. After a little hedging he asked about the money. When we told him that we had it he said it belonged to his client.
I told him I needed a written statement that he owned the box and contents, which was provided. I then charged the owner with two felonies for the drugs that I also found in the sealed box.
The attorney was the big winner because he got almost all the money to defend the felony charges. It ended in a plea. The client had never told the attorney about the drugs that were also in the sealed box.
gaf
Wish more people were honest. But I think these values and morals are no longer being instilled in our young by their parents. This country is on a very slippery slope and we are being taught that cheating and stealing will get you everywhere. Just look at our "leaders".....
Sad...very sad.
Sad...very sad.
feralmerril
Absent Comrade
It`s a sad day indeed. Do we need to look any farther than timothy geithner who cheated on $35,000s taxs around 2004 and AFTER that was appointed secretary of treasury? How are we to respect the people at the top that steal from us?
gjgalligan
Member
Back in the 70s I went to the bank with my paycheck. Deposit most of it and get a little cash. The lady give the deposit reciept and the same amount of cash. I asked her if that was right, she said yes. I responded, I think you better count this again. She got a real nasty and said: I don't make mistakes!
I just said ok and left. I figured they would catch later and correct it but they never did.
I tried to do the right thing.
I just said ok and left. I figured they would catch later and correct it but they never did.
I tried to do the right thing.
Similar threads
