Austin Homebrew This Sounds Like YOUR Accounting Mistake Not Mine!
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Morals or not, the business has every right to that $35. You were credited $35 by mistake, and you knew it the second you placed the order. You didn't question the fact that your $40 gift certificate took $75 off?
If a banker adds an extra zero by mistake and your $1,000 deposit turns into a $10,000, you really think you're entitled to that extra $9,000? Not in this life buddy.
It's an obvious mistake on AHS's part and the correction should be made. You didn't think they would catch it but they did. Just like if you spent that $9,000 extra dollars, YOU would be held responsible for it and would be required to pay it back. Absolutely no different in the least.
All too often people play the "the customer is always right" card. The customer is not always right. Austin Homebrew is a fantastic company and I'd be interested in seeing what they do here with a stubborn customer.
If I were AHS, I'd look at my options... it'll be too much of a hassle to file a small claims suit against you for $35, but you can absolutely take your business elsewhere. In fact, if it were me, I'd probably make sure you weren't allowed to place an order at AHS again. I'd also let others in the industry know exactly what happened, how you've taken advantage of a mistake illegally, and let them decide what to do with the information. I certainly would not want people like you shopping at my establishment, however.
If a banker adds an extra zero by mistake and your $1,000 deposit turns into a $10,000, you really think you're entitled to that extra $9,000? Not in this life buddy.
It's an obvious mistake on AHS's part and the correction should be made. You didn't think they would catch it but they did. Just like if you spent that $9,000 extra dollars, YOU would be held responsible for it and would be required to pay it back. Absolutely no different in the least.
All too often people play the "the customer is always right" card. The customer is not always right. Austin Homebrew is a fantastic company and I'd be interested in seeing what they do here with a stubborn customer.
If I were AHS, I'd look at my options... it'll be too much of a hassle to file a small claims suit against you for $35, but you can absolutely take your business elsewhere. In fact, if it were me, I'd probably make sure you weren't allowed to place an order at AHS again. I'd also let others in the industry know exactly what happened, how you've taken advantage of a mistake illegally, and let them decide what to do with the information. I certainly would not want people like you shopping at my establishment, however.
Amen.
the hole problem started with the OP's mistake (he did type the wrong number in). But he knew there was a error when he went to check out. The OP owes the money that he knew was a mistake. he tried to get away with it and got caught, just pay what you owe them.
my guess is he's not. had to give a thumbs-down on his post
Makes you wonder if he found the extra credit, and added more stuff to the cart after he saw the mistake...
Things that make you go Hmmmm...
I hate that saying, "the customer is always right". I work with the public every single day, and they are indeed paying customers, but they are not always right.
Things that make you go Hmmmm...
I hate that saying, "the customer is always right". I work with the public every single day, and they are indeed paying customers, but they are not always right.
Well, I'm trying to be nice... And now that you have indicated thumbs down, I believe that I will have to do the same.
dwarven_stout
Well-Known Member
Not sure what thread you're reading.
bottlebomber
Well-Known Member
Sleazebag... I'll bet you're the guy that finds the laundry detergent someone forgot in their cart in the parking lot and takes it, rationalizing to yourself that it's something other than theft on your part.
In addition, this is no different than me logging onto AHS, typing in random gift certificate numbers until one happens to work, and using that to pay for my stuff. Yes, what you did was an accident, but the end result remains the same.
bljustice
Member
Luke was a real straight shooter when I had a shipping problem. They bent over backwards to make me happy. You do what you want but I am still spending my money there. They have been solid the way I see it.
This is why we can't have nice things OP... Return the money and act like "doing the right thing" has value unto itself (says the man who returned a quart of oil (synthetic) I accidentally was not charged for)
bottlebomber
Well-Known Member
The bottom line is businesses like this have to eat money all the time because of "mistakes" they make (uhhh yeah you sent me bad yeast... yeah my starter won't ferment it's cuz of bad yeast...). There's no reason they should have to pay for your mistakes.
Sounds to me like AHS politely asked for a discussion on the matter. Yes their numbering system is faulty but I cannot say they are providing less than good customer service in this case. There was a mistake, probably a typo on the OP's part. But, the OP received goods not paid for. He should be a man and pay the balance. An apology for the negative post is in order.
arkowa
Well-Known Member
hwcopela said:
I like to think about the scenario as if it were my own company. Companies pay hackers to find security flaws. The OP made an innocent mistake and unearthed a poorly arranged system.
My response, per Arkowa Widgets Llc: crap. I'm glad I'm only out 35 bucks. I need to fix the problem that I HAVE. Stinks that the little bugger ran off with some free loot... Oh well, now I'm aware of a problem. This will never happen again.
The op did not initiate the purchase to be a thief. He is now likely to never purchase from the store again. Lifetime of his purchases > $35.
yep. i'm sure he didn't realize his $40 gift certificate was buying him $75 worth of stuff. beer goggles hide a lot of stuff
bottlebomber
Well-Known Member
arkowa said:
The mistake stopped becoming innocent when it was revealed that the OP had taken money from another customers gift cert
True. AHS could have lost hundreds or thousands instead of just $35. So he really did them a favor and yet they have the nerve to ask for the money back. (Partly Serious, Partly Sarcasm)
But I think if that was the case and AHS was cool. Dizzy would have notified them and they would have said thank you so much "here keep the money or here's a free gift for being honest".
Now excuse me while I go enter gift card numbers before they fix it.
arkowa
Well-Known Member
Morally, not the best situation. OP is in the wrong. I don't think anyone will argue that point. My point is from a business vantage: In the era of social networking and public relations, I would not have tried to recoup the loss. My focus would be on preventing this lapse from ever happening again.
ArtVandelay
Well-Known Member
But he didn't know it was someone's elses card.
Would this situation be different if he did not know the amount on the card to begin with? I think it would.
Would this situation be different if he did not know the amount on the card to begin with? I think it would.
I am still in awe at how some folks can justify this behavior. Just because he found a flaw in the system does not give him (or anyone else) the right to free credit. Not only did he KNOW that the amount of the GC was incorrect when he purchased the items, he stole the GC money from another HOMEBREWER. Not only does AHS have to try to make it right with the customer who actually had the $75 dollar gift certificate, but now has to deal with the customer that knowingly ripped them off. Also, it's not always about the dollar amount, you also have to figure in man hours of wasted time in trying to figure out the problem, making it right with the honest customer, spending time to e-mail about account information, etc. It always goes further than most people think.
So, anyone who has condoned this behavior on this thread, if this were to happen to you, I guess you would just say, "oh well" when your GC showed up as $0 dollars.
Yeah Right.
So, anyone who has condoned this behavior on this thread, if this were to happen to you, I guess you would just say, "oh well" when your GC showed up as $0 dollars.
Yeah Right.
Even from a business standpoint, I understand the reason that they are asking for the money. I'm not arguing with anyone about the fact that you should cut your losses, and fix a problem with the system, but I would do exactly the same thing.
Ask for the money. You get the money owed to you, then great! If the customer tells you to bless off, then that's cool too. The relationship there is already ruined, and there is not much from a business standpoint that you can do to fix that (see OP). Fix the problem, resume business as usual.
I am arguing that the OP was in the wrong for knowingly using the additional $35 dollar credit after unknowingly entering in the wrong GC number. Simple as that. Therefore, I believe he should pay up.
Ask for the money. You get the money owed to you, then great! If the customer tells you to bless off, then that's cool too. The relationship there is already ruined, and there is not much from a business standpoint that you can do to fix that (see OP). Fix the problem, resume business as usual.
I am arguing that the OP was in the wrong for knowingly using the additional $35 dollar credit after unknowingly entering in the wrong GC number. Simple as that. Therefore, I believe he should pay up.
tnance1337
Active Member
Being a retail manager for many years, I'm inclined to believe that the OP is clearly wrong for violating a fairly obvious moral.
The way I see it, if I were to "mistakenly" leave a cash register drawer open, and some un-ethical individual was to take $35 out of that register, knowing it did not belong to them, they would most certainly be charged with theft. The fact that I made a mistake and left the drawer open has absolutely no grounds.
How is this different? You took money knowing it did not belong to you. This isn't a "finders-keepers" sort of situation. You knew that money wasn't yours, yet you took it anyway. The owner of that money has every right to make his claim to retrieve those funds.
How can anyone justify theft, no matter what the situation is?
The "customer is always right" philosophy has led to some pretty poor behavior and habits when it comes to self-entitlement. Don't get me wrong, I am fully aware that my paycheck relies entirely upon the customer. Does this give the customer the right to blatantly abuse unsophisticated systems? Absolutely not. No matter how you slice it.
What a shame ... AHS will likely not recover the loss, as I'm sure this guy feels entitled, in some crazy stretch of his imagination.
The way I see it, if I were to "mistakenly" leave a cash register drawer open, and some un-ethical individual was to take $35 out of that register, knowing it did not belong to them, they would most certainly be charged with theft. The fact that I made a mistake and left the drawer open has absolutely no grounds.
How is this different? You took money knowing it did not belong to you. This isn't a "finders-keepers" sort of situation. You knew that money wasn't yours, yet you took it anyway. The owner of that money has every right to make his claim to retrieve those funds.
How can anyone justify theft, no matter what the situation is?
The "customer is always right" philosophy has led to some pretty poor behavior and habits when it comes to self-entitlement. Don't get me wrong, I am fully aware that my paycheck relies entirely upon the customer. Does this give the customer the right to blatantly abuse unsophisticated systems? Absolutely not. No matter how you slice it.
What a shame ... AHS will likely not recover the loss, as I'm sure this guy feels entitled, in some crazy stretch of his imagination.
ReverseApacheMaster
Well-Known Member
Disagree with OP thinking he's entitled to keep what he didn't pay for because the error wasn't caught right away but also disagree with AHS's lazy business practices here. AHS probably won't change their system going forward which means it's bound to happen again.
tnance1337 said:
This. It really doesn't matter if it was a mistake, or if the system is problematic.
If a cashier hands you an extra $50 while giving you your change, and you knowingly keep it, that's theft. If you go to your bank and the machine spits out double the amount of whatever you're withdrawing, it's supposed to be returned.
It's not a grey area. It's actually pretty cut and dry. Do I think AHS will ultimately pursue it further and try to force him to pay it back? Probably not, especially for $35. But the OP is still a total scumbag.
And the people saying that he might (or definitely will) have to deal with a guilty conscience must be high. He's not going to lose any sleep over this, I assure you. The only feeling he'll get from this is happiness (and possibly pride) that he got "free money", and indignance over the victim (AHS) having the gall to ask him to do the right thing.
bottlebomber
Well-Known Member
ArtVandelay said:
Would the situation be different for you if you went to use your gift certificate card and found their was only $5 on it?
SailorTodd
Well-Known Member
I can't believe someone could get so incensed about a simple courtesy email asking him to call them about a screwed up order. It's not like they automatically charged his credit card an extra $35 a month and change later. The defamation of AHS by OP was completely uncalled for. He owes AHS and this community an apology (and AHS $35).
I especially like this part!
bigbeergeek
Well-Known Member
...waiting...
...for free money...
...for free money...
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AHS has received 100 fold in free advertising, they win!!!!!!!!
Never ordered from them before but I will now.
Never ordered from them before but I will now.
Exactly. I have looked at their site a few times, but have not ordered from them. I will sure take another look when I need to place another order!
You are welcome AHS! Never even ordered from you, but sticking up for you!
I see too many people on this forum who force their own "morals" on everyone else. You see no way in which this could have been an oversight on the buyer's part? You pour over every receipt you get and never make a mistake? I know I've left things in my cart I didn't mean to purchase, missed mistakes on receipts (just two days ago I did that one), and even walked out of supermarkets with extra things I forgot to put on the belt. I'm no thief, but I didn't go running back into the supermarket to pay for a $1.50 item that might not have ended up on the 2 foot long receipt, accidentally.
I'm surprised, ultra-morals or not, that not many people see the possibility for an honest mistake here. Must make your father proud. (I know I make mine very proud, even to this day, btw.)
How do you know that the bold word applies?
It's different in more than a few, very important, very illegal ways which make your scenario not similar to the OP's one single iota.
How do you know this? A frequent theme of moralists is that they do not believe in mistakes. I pointed out another one right above this. I guess working in a field where I'm not allowed to make assumptions has made me very sensitive to catching them. I avoid making assumptions because the percentage of correct assumptions I see in life tends to be small.
I have no idea how hard AHS will push this issue but I know that in my state there are "failure to pay for goods/services rendered" laws. Meaning that if I take a taxi/ eat a meal and do not pay, I go to jail with a large fine.
AHS has always done right by me as a vendor and IMO it would suck to never be able to take advantage of the great deals they have to offer. I am willing to bet that you could, over the course of a year or less, save more than $35 on orders.
Personally, I would have just called them up to clear the situation up. You then could have posted up the story of how it "all worked out".
AHS has always done right by me as a vendor and IMO it would suck to never be able to take advantage of the great deals they have to offer. I am willing to bet that you could, over the course of a year or less, save more than $35 on orders.
Personally, I would have just called them up to clear the situation up. You then could have posted up the story of how it "all worked out".
BigUgly
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Airborneguy said:
So if your supermarket sent you an email asking for you to do the right thing and pay the $1.50 for said item, you wouldn't do it?
If yes, then drop it; you're on the same page as me.
If not, I'm sure your father is proud.
I'm not FORCING anything on anyone. I was just pointing out that it's a shame how people can have this happen, accident or not, and then proceed to spit in the face of the supplier asking for an honest gesture...
Hunter
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