You got $100.00 extra in a refund. What do you do?

[SeattleGirl]

Poll question: You got $100.00 extra in a refund. What do you do?

This happened to me today. I had made an electronic payment at a local supermarket, and the company I made the payment to hadn't received the money (which was paid on 12/22/06). I went to the store today, trying to straighten things out. The Customer Service Clerk was very helpful, and finally discovered that Western Union had returned the money to the store's account (why they didn't notify the store, I don't know). We decided I would just get a refund and go to a place where the payment would register right away to this company. The CSC counted out the money to me (over $500.00).

I went to the other location, and was able to pay the bill using a payment kiosk, which is sort of like an ATM. I started feeding the money in, and discovered the CSC had given me an extra $100.00. Two bills had stuck together. So, after I finished, I drove back to the supermarket, found the CSC, and handed the $100.00 back to him. I thought he was going to fall over, partly in relief that his till wouldn't be $100.00 short, and partly because I brought the money back. It never occurred to me NOT TO bring it back.

So, that brings me to my question: If you discovered you got extra money in a refund, what would you do?

[anti-everything]

1. Returning the money is the right thing to do,

plus, you don't want to get the clerk in trouble. $100 isn't goint to hurt the store that much, but the poor clerk could lose his job over it.

[SeattleGirl]

2. Absolutely.

MrSG told me that he has been overpaid in change before, and when he went to take the money back, some of the clerks tried to talk him out of it. They didn't want to get in trouble for giving too much money to a customer, but apparently they are not concerned about their tills being short. What's up with THAT?

[anti-everything]

4. That is strange,

every job I had working a register, there was an automatic write-up if the drawer was more than a couple dollars short. Perhaps those clerks were trying to get fired?

[SeattleGirl]

5. I know, it is strange.

And $100.00 is quite a bit to be short.

[Missy Vixen]

3. You did the right thing, SeattleGirl, but of course you would!

I know that $100 is going to come back to you exponentially ;-).

I'll bet the clerk never forgets your honesty, either.

:hug:
Julie

[SeattleGirl]

6. Aw, thank you Julie.

:hug:

[SPKrazy]

7. Hi Sis!

you are an honest person that's why it never occurred to you.

You did the right thing

:yourock: :loveya: :hug:

[SeattleGirl]

8. Hey bro!

Great to see ya! :loveya: :hug:

[SPKrazy]

9. Absotively!

good to see ya!

my night just got better!

:hug: :loveya:

[struggle4progress]

10. I'd return the money. But in general, watch out for a related scam.

It's surprising to me how often I get the wrong amount of money in a transaction, and I straighten it either way. Curiously, I (and several people with whom I've spoken) have sometimes gotten into arguments with clerks who gave us too much change, upon trying to return the extra dollar or whatever.

But there is a petty scam involving wrong change that cost me a few dollars once: I bought a burger with a $10 bill and got in addition to some paper rather more change than was appropriate -- the change should have come to 15 or 20 cents and I got something like 80 or 85 in change. I carefully counted the extra change back to the clerk, who stared at me like I was some zombie who had flown back up from hell, then drove off -- before realizing that the fellow had stiffed me $2 or $3 on the bills. The scam, of course, assumes the rube will snicker at the clerk's stupidity and walk away quickly thinking he just got something for nothing. In my case, it worked evenb better than expected, since I was so obsessed with giving him his extra change back that I forgot to count the paper.

[Generic Brad]

11. If it's cash, I return it

I would hope someone would extend the same courtesy to me if I made a mistake like that. People can get fired for having their cash drawers out of balance. You would not want that on your conscience.