Cleaned Up or Cleaned Out?
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 http://www.TheHappyGuy.com
David@TheHappyGuy.com
MORE RESOURCES:
 |
 |
 |
RELATED ARTICLES
Are You Inviting Misery into Your Life?
Often, I've come across individuals who, while in conversation, will stumble into a rendition about 'how miserable life is.' The adult children are wrecking havoc in the home, the job's not going well, money is short, and a whole other slew of treacherous stories.
How Gratitude Can Be Your Partner in Life
Gratitude is one of the most important things you can practise if you want to manifest unlimited wealth. One of the best ways to keep abundance and wealth flowing into your life is to give thanks for what you have today.
It Is All About Attitude!
Why do we really need the experiences that we have to deal with in our day-to-day life? Does anyone know who can answer my question? Somehow, at heart I do know and understand the answer to this question. However, I have no discipline to do something about it in respect of applying the principle in dealing with my own life experiences.
Prisoner of Attitude
"Thinking is responsible for man's primacy on earth today. Existence is therefore co-terminus with thinking.
Life, The Greatest Ride of All
Life is the greatest roller coaster ride we will ever take. The ups and downs, the unexpected changes, the twists and turns, are all a part of living.
How to Experience Life as a Thrilling Adventure
"Adventure isn't hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life - facing new challenges, seizing new options, testing our resources against the unknown, and in the process, discovering our own unique potential.
Business Career, Executive Coaching - The Top 10 Tips to Begin the Practice of Positive Affirmations
Positive Affirmations are things we say to ourselves that build us up and make us strong. They empower us to take chances and to be our best.
Internet Tip of the Week: The Power of Positive Thinking
The late Norman Vincent Peale was a controversial preacher who burst into public consciousness with his best-selling book, "The Power of Positive Thinking". He believed that ordinary people could become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things, and when they believe in themselves, they have the secret of success.
Beware: Your Mind is a Battle Field!
WhenWhen we have feelings for someone or something, we have given birth to those feelings through thought. Proverbs Chapter 23 verse 7 reads: "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
Personal Assignments for Great Self-Esteem
Do you wish you had high self-confidence? Some of us go through our life fighting against that feeling that we are just 'not good enough'. We convince ourselves that we don't matter and that we don't deserve to amount to anything?.
Fear Is Nothing To Be Afraid Of
Several years, I was listening to a radio talk show hosted by a psychologist. A young woman caller said, "I just got accepted to medical school!""Congratulations!" said the host.
Release Your Agression In Your DIARY OF EMOTIONS
In order for you to make positive ground daily you need an avenue of escapism that allows you to shed the emotional baggage that we all carry around with us. The largest and indeed the most dangerous aspect of failure is your emotional status.
Change Your Attitude, Change Your Life - Books to Help You Find the PMA Inside You
Many of the books on this page were inspired by the late great Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, God rest his soul, who encouraged us all to have a PMA every day!Failing Forward
John C.
Is Your Glass (Ceiling) Half Empty or Half Full?
The infamous "glass ceiling" is blamed for business issues for women from poor salaries to lack of corporate advancement. This invisible barrier holds many women captive in unpleasant work environments, settling for pay which is far below industry averages, accepting weak titles and agreeing to poor advancement opportunities.
The Illusion of Failure
The most dangerous thing is illusion.
~ Ralph Waldo EmersonFailure is impossible.
Positive Attitude is Not Enough
Contrary to the popular saying "attitude is everything" attittude is not enough. You can have the right attitude and all the motivation in the world and still wind up playing "dead atheist.
Self-esteem Boosters: 5 Action Points
? Make a list of all your accomplishments in life so far. Whatever you consider an accomplishment qualifies - your education, successful parenting, promotions, and skills you have acquired, overcoming adversity, a happy marriage, weight loss etc.
Down On Your Luck? Heres How You Get Over The Hump!
It's time to put a bad rumor to rest right now. Good things don't happen to you because you have "good luck.
Learning To Embrace Change
The only constant is change. If theres one thing we can count on in our life it is that whatever is going on now, will change.
5 Proven Ways to Safely Make Positive Life Changes
One of the most important aspects of living a healthy and
prosperous life is understanding "risk." By this I mean knowing
how to understand and analyze situations in life that affect
health.
|