I need your help. I did a good deed recently, but I was gripped by second thoughts. I want to know if you think I should have done this. Here is what happened:
In preparing our condo for sale, we had already moved most of the furniture out and I called Sears to clean the carpets in the living room, bedroom and den. Sears Lady took my name and address, we set a date (not THAT kind of date!) and she said that Mr. carpet Cleaner would call me to set up a time. Which he did. And then he confirmed. And then he came.
Mr. Carpet Cleaner (not his real name) was pleasant, but quiet, and went about his business. When he was done, I had planned to give him a ten dollar tip. Don't salivate too much - these are just Canadian dollars. But on a $69.95 job, ten dollars is a nice tip, especially since I was sure that Mr. Carpet Cleaner did not make all of that $69.95.
After completing the paperwork, Mr. Carpet Cleaner handed me the invoice to sign. I glanced at it and noticed a ten dollar "unscheduled cleaning" fee. I asked him about this, and he told me it was because the price I had been quoted was based on three rooms, but that he cleaned four, including the dining room.
Dining room? What dining room? We don't have a dining room. Well, actually we do, he pointed out. The living room wall is four inches indented (that's right, a whole four inches) at the pass-through window from the kitchen, making it a dining room. Now I have never before seen a four-inch wide dining room, especially since the whole condo living room (including our newly discovered dining room) was no bigger than a typical living room in a modest house. And it was less work to clean than most because we had already moved all the furniture to our new house (with a much bigger living room, but still no dining room - maybe I should invite Mr. Carpet Cleaner over to find me one).
I hesitated, with all my alarms wailing like sirens. I am just winding down a decade-and-a-half career as a consumer advocate. My job has been to battle greedy corporations and sanity-starved governments in the name of consumer protection. Grrrr.
I signed the invoice handed it back to Mr. Carpet Cleaner, paid the fee, and gave him that ten dollar tip ? just as I had planned. I figured he was loyally following corporate policy, and if I had a tangle it was with Sears, not with Mr. Carpet Cleaner. He still was probably not making that much.
When I handed him the tip his eyes lit up. I told him I figured he wasn't getting rich on me. He quickly told me he would be making $14 from the visit, so I had almost doubled his income. Plus he had to provide his own vehicle and pay the gas, and he had to invest in his own cleaning equipment and soap. Which means I paid Sears the remaining $55.95 - oops, I mean $65.95 - just so that Sears Lady and I could set a date. If the economics sound a bit like the escort business, we can leave that for another column.
So did I do the right thing? Did I do a good deed or was I just a floor mat for a greedy corporation? Of course, I want to believe it was a good deed, foot prints on my back would clash with my limited fashion sense. But do I need a reality check? Please let me know at David@TheHappyGuy.com
About The Author
David Leonhardt is The Happy Guy, and author of climb your stairway to heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness.
Visit him at climb your stairway to heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness.
climb your stairway to heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness.
executive chauffeured services Bradford .. Madison to Airport carFor most of us our lives are a problem which... Read More
Many centuries ago there was a Greek philosopher who lived... Read More
Why do we have such a downer on Pollyanna? After... Read More
INNER CRITIC UNVEILED! Part 2: AFFIRMATIONS TO THE RESCUE!"Almost everybody... Read More
IntroductionDid your boss, took you for a ride? Did your... Read More
"It really works!" "Well, I'll be?!"BJ like so many others... Read More
Most of us carry on a running internal dialogue at... Read More
Music penetrates our mental barriers and influences the deepest areas... Read More
Turn brutality into kindness. There is no small deed and... Read More
Do you know the problem with affirmations? You know, the... Read More
Did you know that the 911 equivalent in the UK... Read More
Why do patients who are given placebo pills report that... Read More
The easiest, most exciting adventure in consciousness follows the lamplit... Read More
When you feel lost and confused, it is easy to... Read More
You don't need to a piece of paper to prove... Read More
Facing a change and want to make it work for... Read More
Are feelings and attitudes the same thing or different? Does... Read More
I'm lucky.When I was fifteen, I was the sole survivor... Read More
There was someone I used to work with who, well... Read More
During these times of uncertainty in the outside world, look... Read More
A confidence crisis is looming with a recent study showing... Read More
Gail's StoryGail is a friend of mine and she was... Read More
For some reason, most people find it easier to think... Read More
Recently a great idea popped into my head about creating... Read More
Few people are aware of the thoughts that pass through... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..Most of what we've been taught about how to be... Read More
As if choreographed and rehearsed the night before, one lays... Read More
Look at this glass on the table in front of... Read More
Do you really believe that there is anything in this... Read More
It really doesn't matter what your objectives are in this... Read More
Does negative thinking pay? Is it desirable for me to... Read More
I had a completely different idea for my main article... Read More
THOUGHTS are powerful. The power of THOUGHTS cannot be underestimated.... Read More
"For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is... Read More
Life can be downright scary - sometimes more than others.... Read More
Know your limits. Accept what you can't change and let... Read More
Ever feel like giving up? Do you ever feel so... Read More
The world is going downhill faster than an Olympic skier.... Read More
"Most overnight successes are just plain lucky. Just ask any... Read More
Turn brutality into kindness. There is no small deed and... Read More
Never used 'em. Not likely to start now.OK, so I... Read More
Striving to improve our self esteem is on everybody's mind.... Read More
Let's say you're ready to change some aspect of your... Read More
In talking with a coaching client recently, she made a... Read More
Part 1Recently, in a women's therapy group that I run,... Read More
"It really works!" "Well, I'll be?!"BJ like so many others... Read More
During a Messenger chat session the other day, I asked... Read More
Bernard always had a problem with money.He was always lacking... Read More
Apart form the Emotions and the attitude, Anger is a... Read More
There are many dynamics that go into making a great... Read More
Positive Attitude Tips |