Doing the Right Thing

I had a one of those reflective moments the other day, and I did what was the right thing, even though my first impulse was to embrace cheating and try to beat the system. However, I've found that when you live in a community that you like, this is akin to cheating your friends and neighbors.

We got new skis for A and tuned up her old ones for N. We buy equipment used at Henderson's, they sell their rental equipment at massive markdowns, upwards of 75%, and even let you trade in certain pieces in order to trade up to a bigger size. It's an amazing deal. Sure, the equipment isn't shining and brand new, but you realize that it doesn't take $500 equipment to be a good skier and have a good time. This is a good thing to teach your kids. Also, can you really tell the difference between a $500 pair of skis and a $200 pair? I've been skiing for over 30 years and as far as I'm concerned, the answer is no.

Anyway, I know the guys are Henderson's, they're a great group of guys, and about a month ago I took the kids in and we upgraded A's equipment. This entailed a new pair of skis and two tuneups. I waited to pick them up because there's no snow, so no hurry to get them. When I went to pick them up, the guy behind the counter made a big mistake.

He only charged me for the tuneups, and the total came to about half of what I was expecting. I was stoked, but new in the back of my mind that something wasn't right. I took the equipment and loaded it into the car, excited that I'd saved so much money, but as I sat there and thought about it, I realized that what I was doing was essentially cheating my friends out of what was rightfully theirs.

So I went back inside and told the guy he undercharged me. Even after that, he said no, it was all fine. I had to literally press the issue and explain to him that he hadn't charged me for the equipment. He picked the receipt out of the trash and upon closer inspection, realized that he had in fact undercharged me, and we settled the bill properly. He was grateful, and I felt better.

Truth be told, they would have probably never noticed the mistake, because the paper trail was removed, and I was home free, but again, it just felt wrong. People are trying to make a living here, and I still benefit from getting a great deal from a great bunch of guys who I can turn to and trust. You can't put a price on that.

I hate to admit this, but if I were living in New York or LA, I probably wouldn't have said anything. It just would have been reminded of my bad deed every time I hit the slopes, thus compromising my enjoyment.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Davide Guglielmo for the pic.