Guilty Conscience, need your opinions

CrimsonPaw

CrimsonPaw

CAGiversary!
Feedback
5 (100%)
Alright, though this is more of a GameCube topic, it's focussed on the Wii so I'm posting in here.

Last November I put my GC on EBay in anticipation of getting a Wii. I sold the system and 6 games and the transaction went well, positive feeback all the way around.

Since getting my Wii, I realized that I kinda screwed myself because now I didn't have a controller or memory card for any GC games I may pick up (which I found an EBay auction selling MGS:Twin Snakes that I picked up). Using the Google Checkout I managed to snatch a Mad Catz controller and memory card for about $16 shipped.

So the stuff shows up two nights ago and my 6 year old says "cool, now we have 2 controllers". I said that I had to sell the other one with the GameCube so this is the only one we have. He then pulls out the GC controller from my "controller drawer" ... OH SHIT, I NEVER SHIPPED THE CONTROLLER WITH THE STUFF FROM THE AUCTION. I checked my EBay messages and the email address that I use for my auctions and neither show anything from the winner.

Now, since it's been over 2 months should I just leave be or should I try getting ahold of the winning bidder or should I just say fuck it and be happy that I have two controllers? Either way works, I just feel a bit guilty for unintentially screwing over the winner of my auction.
 
I'd just mail the buyer and say something along the line of "Hey man, sorry about the goof. I found the controller and I think I owe it to you (add this part only if the controller was mentioned in the listing). I'd rather hold onto my controller so how about I offer you $10 via paypal for a "reimbursement" due to my mistake".

If the buyer is cool he'll say don't worry about it or he'll take the $10 and that's much less than you'll pay for a GC controller so you're still ahead on the deal and your mind is off the topic.
 
Keep it. Karma is made up. The President has done terrible things for the last 7+ years and nothing bad has happened to him.
 
[quote name='nasum']I'd just mail the buyer and say something along the line of "Hey man, sorry about the goof. I found the controller and I think I owe it to you (add this part only if the controller was mentioned in the listing). I'd rather hold onto my controller so how about I offer you $10 via paypal for a "reimbursement" due to my mistake".

If the buyer is cool he'll say don't worry about it or he'll take the $10 and that's much less than you'll pay for a GC controller so you're still ahead on the deal and your mind is off the topic.[/quote]
I didn't think about this, but I might do it. That way I can save my "karma" and offer up the reimbursement.

Thanks all.
 
Do the right thing, send it to him, and the OP said something about Karma, well there is no such thing as Karma, but there is truth in God.
 
[quote name='fshaia']there is no such thing as Karma, but there is truth in God.[/QUOTE]

:rofl:

...and the Lord sayeth, 'thou shalt not deceive, for he shall truly be burned. For the mark of the beast shall arrive in the form of negative feedback, which will lead to much wailing and gnashing of teeth.' - Interneticus 12:3-5.
 
Yep. Be the honest seller. At least contact the guy and see if he even wants it. Tell him your mistake. He might not even care. If he does offer him the money.
 
Count your money before you leave the bank?

2 months later and he never contacted you, I'd keep it. Ya, it's the "honorable" thing to do to send it to him or paypal him back some money. But it's as much his responsibility to check what he's supposed to receive. I double check everything in the listing before I leave feedback, and contact the seller if something is missing. Long story short, 2 months is plenty of time for the buyer to realize the mistake. If you were a retail store, most places wouldn't help you after 60 days anyway.
 
[quote name='lordwow']But it's as much his responsibility to check what he's supposed to receive.[/QUOTE]

yeah, after 2 months and not a word, except for the positive feedback you got, id say its yours by default
 
Wow, something just happened for me on this very same topic.

I sold a sonic enhancer during the post christmas listing sale. I shipped the item and received positive feedback (on 1/9/07) and sent positive feedback. Today (2/1/07 22 days later) I receive an email that the item was received broken. I'm pretty skeptical of this one and feel that I owe the guy nothing. I think I'll ask him to send me pictures of the box and the item. If its very obvious shipping damage (which is what it would take to harm this thing the way I packed it) then I think his complaint is with the USPS and not with me. I'll have to check and see if I sent it insured, I'm pretty sure I did since I send almost anything bigger than a video game insured.
 
Well I'd keep it. It's the same as if a store or at school they give you extra change or a better grade than what you should have gotten. I've learned my lesson not to bring it back, cause it usually just makes trouble worse when it's something that really doesn't matter to them. Just keep it...

And fshaia is right. That kevermin kid is just so anti-Christian, he always has been. Someone needs to give him a good spanking.
 
[quote name='Spades22']Well I'd keep it. It's the same as if a store or at school they give you extra change or a better grade than what you should have gotten. I've learned my lesson not to bring it back, cause it usually just makes trouble worse when it's something that really doesn't matter to them. Just keep it...

And fshaia is right. That kevermin kid is just so anti-Christian, he always has been. Someone needs to give him a good spanking.[/QUOTE]

When someone gives you extra change that isn't yours, and you keep it, that "extra trouble" in not returning it usually gets the cashier fired, FYI.
 
Just keep it. Its not worth the extra effort. The guy you sold it to obviously doesnt care and neither should you. If it was intentional it would be different, but you simply made an honest mistake.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']When someone gives you extra change that isn't yours, and you keep it, that "extra trouble" in not returning it usually gets the cashier fired, FYI.[/QUOTE]

I worked as cashier for most of my high school and early college career. It's almost impossible to have a balanced drawer every day. At least at my store, anything under $5 was ignored, anything over $5 marked in a log, and if you got marked 3 times in a month, you had to be put on your own drawer, and stay under $3 for 3 shifts in a row. Was it stressful? A bit, but I never felt at risk of being fired, except one time that a drawer that I and a supervisor were on was short exactly $100. But I was able to prove that I never opened the cash the entire time I was on the register and had cameras to prove it.

So I don't know. Keeping the change doesn't generally screw over the cashier, unless they gave you an extra $100 or something.
 
Keeping change doesnt screw the cashier at all...where'd you get that little tidbit? Well...maybe you've never experienced it, but often when I was a kid I'd be short a few cents and they wouldnt care at all...actually this happened just the other day. I was short like 25 cents...it really doens't matter.
 
[quote name='Spades22']Keeping change doesnt screw the cashier at all...where'd you get that little tidbit? Well...maybe you've never experienced it, but often when I was a kid I'd be short a few cents and they wouldnt care at all...actually this happened just the other day. I was short like 25 cents...it really doens't matter.[/quote]
Depends on the retailer, more often than not. I know a few that have stipulations that your drawer cannot be off by a few dollars, either for or against the store. The first time it happens, no biggie, since something could have just gone wrong. If it happens a second time, you'll get an earful and probably not go near a register again until you've been babied through it again or out of desperate need. A third time...well, that's when you hear from some higher-ups and most of those conversations end with "we're letting you go."

Once again, it depends on the place. In some places it doesn't matter much, in others it's almost everything. If you're short too often you're not paying much, if any, attention to what you're doing change-wise. If you're up too often eventually a customer is going to throw a fit or five or the potential at least exists for such. If need be and a kid is making one of those "it's my first time and I'd really like this with my own money" sort of deals and they don't know about sales tax I'll toss a quarter or two of my own their way. Some kids get so despondant when they are just a dime short and don't know what to do. Besides, what am I going to spend 10 cents on? I probably just saved $14 a minute ago on a CAG deal!


Back to the topic, just contact the guy and see if he's cool with the system and controller. He may already have his own setup and, in that case, you can offer him a reasonable amount of money for the controller you neglected to ship. Worst case scenario is that he wants you to ship it out which will cost you a few bucks and put you in the market for another controller. Best case scenario is that he may shrug the whole thing off, say it's no big deal, and not care for any extra money.
 
This is an interesting dilemma. There are really two ways to view the situation. One is from a business standpoint, the other, a moral standpoint. From a moral standpoint, yes, the fact that the buyer didn't get everything he paid for isn't right. This is not to say that him being an uninformed consumer is not wrong in and of itself though. But, if you're thinking of the guy as a fellow gamer, a friend, that's where your guilt comes from. Who knows though. Maybe he was so happy to get a great deal, he didn't even think about the controller.

The other side of the coin is the business aspect. As others pointed out, after 2 months, any store out there would tell the guy too bad. First of all, they're not going to come to you and say "Oh, we forgot to give you this!". And secondly, even if you did come to them about it, after 2 months, they'd make you jump through so many hoops to prove that it really wasn't included with the rest of your shipment, it just wouldn't be worth the hassle.

This leaves you with the decision of choosing your ethical stance on the topic. Are you a friendly, gamer to gamer regular guy, wanting to give the world a great big hug? Or are you a seller, a business man, in a kill or be killed, every man for himself captitalistic paradise? Personally, I don't think there's a right or wrong answer. It's all in how you want to live.
 
Your title says it all. If you have a guilty conscience about the matter, do what your conscience directs. It's as simple as that. Why listen to others?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top