What are the "unwritten" rules?

[trainspotter]

Father in law is 83 years of age. Gets a telemarketer on the phone flogging solar panels for 14 grand !! minus the Govt rebate he has signed up for a 6 panel 9kw/h solar power generation system which is going to take 7 years for him to get his money back on saving electricity. He has signed up for it and paid a $1000 deposit. Now the situation is not that I am anti solar and I am all for the system. 2 things - 1) He is 83 and can ill afford to spend 7 grand or so such a device !!!!!!! 2) I can buy the same thing from another company for $4317.00 !!!!!

Does the Govt rebate still stand? I thought it had been abolished and being investigated like everything else due to rorting??

What is the cooling off period? I have searched on the consumer protection website and I think it is 48 hours? OR do I go to A Current Affair and get them involved to rescind the contract?

I guess I am just a bit miffed the old boy did not even consult me or ask advice prior to rushing in all guns blazing !

 

[Julia]

Father in law is 83 years of age. Gets a telemarketer on the phone flogging solar panels for 14 grand !! minus the Govt rebate he has signed up for a 6 panel 9kw/h solar power generation system which is going to take 7 years for him to get his money back on saving electricity. He has signed up for it and paid a $1000 deposit. Now the situation is not that I am anti solar and I am all for the system. 2 things - 1) He is 83 and can ill afford to spend 7 grand or so such a device !!!!!!! 2) I can buy the same thing from another company for $4317.00 !!!!!

Does the Govt rebate still stand? I thought it had been abolished and being investigated like everything else due to rorting??

What is the cooling off period? I have searched on the consumer protection website and I think it is 48 hours? OR do I go to A Current Affair and get them involved to rescind the contract?

I guess I am just a bit miffed the old boy did not even consult me or ask advice prior to rushing in all guns blazing !

TS, re the cooling off period, probably best to contact Fair Trading in your State and ask what the law is there. It varies from State to State, but I think there has to be sufficient of a cooling off period for the purchaser to reasonably change his/her mind.

Not sure about what rebates still apply. This might help:
http://www.energymatters.com.au/government-rebates/

Even if you and he do decide it's a good idea, there would have to be a pretty good reason to go ahead with the much more expensive telemarketed product.
They probably exist on the basis of being able to sell to people like your father in law.

 

[trainspotter]

What do you do if you know that a lot of money has been placed into your account by mistake and you know where it has come from and it is unlikely to be traced back to you.

Do you fess up to the bank and ask them to give it back or do you ring the original owner of the funds and tell them you have the money safely in your account.

OR DO YOU JUST SHUT THE HELL UP ( and wait )

 

[AngusSmart]

Re: What are the "unwritten" rules ?

Well thanks guys and gals for the input. To explain the situation I loaned a jet ski to an associate of mine who promptly blew it up. No problem so far. Berak terjadi. I asked what happened and he said it went clunkety clunk clunk and he stopped riding it. Well after pulling the motor apart and finding one of the pistons has melted and there is so much damage that the barrel is beyond repair it would seem that it did a bit more than go clunk. It was flogged to death and died a horrible, noisy and beyond repair kind of slow death.

"Not my fault" was the reply and "I am not paying for it" was the other. So from here on in I have taken a new attitude towards loaning my "stuff". THE ANSWER IS NO !

What fuel was he using? Caus that motors ran so very lean. what are the other pistons like? it would have been going off its nut before it went "clunk"

its either going to be blocked injector, or jet? not too sure how jet skis look. i do however race go karts and i would think its a similar concept/

 

[trainspotter]

Re: What are the "unwritten" rules ?

What fuel was he using? Caus that motors ran so very lean. what are the other pistons like? it would have been going off its nut before it went "clunk"

its either going to be blocked injector, or jet? not too sure how jet skis look. i do however race go karts and i would think its a similar concept/

Normal 25 to 1 ratio two stroke motor. This one is oil injected so the mixture MIGHT have been running lean due to incorrect calibration. Other 2 pistons are fine (it is a 3 cylinder motor)

You are absolutely right ... there would have been a helluva racket going on in there prior to the "clunk". It would have been screaming to cause this much damage.

Anyhooo $780.00 worth of parts later and it lives again. No oil injection this time. Premix fuel is the go from here on in.

 

[Julia]

What do you do if you know that a lot of money has been placed into your account by mistake and you know where it has come from and it is unlikely to be traced back to you.

Do you fess up to the bank and ask them to give it back or do you ring the original owner of the funds and tell them you have the money safely in your account.

OR DO YOU JUST SHUT THE HELL UP ( and wait )

How do you know it's 'unlikely to be traced back to you'?
Banks are usually pretty good at tracing the money.

What's your first inclination about what to do?
(Honestly, now)

 

[robusta]

How do you know it's 'unlikely to be traced back to you'?
Banks are usually pretty good at tracing the money.

What's your first inclination about what to do?
(Honestly, now)

If we are going to be honest does it make a difference if the momey belongs to a person or a faceless corporation?

 

[trainspotter]

How do you know it's 'unlikely to be traced back to you'?
Banks are usually pretty good at tracing the money.

What's your first inclination about what to do?
(Honestly, now)

Because the person in the bank told me so. Came from Westpac into ANZ so cannot be taken out again without my authority. Asked ANZ to contact Westpac and they did not want to know about it ?? They reckon they have placed it in the right account.

If I did not know the intended recipient I would be inclined to shut up and wait to see what happens. Very tempting to plunder a bit into the short term money market !

Honestly ...... I know it is not mine and I know it is a crime to keep it so therefore I will contact the rightful owner and fess up. Gonna be fun explaining this one to the ATO !!!

 

[Julia]

Because the person in the bank told me so. Came from Westpac into ANZ so cannot be taken out again without my authority.

I wonder how often this sort of thing happens?

Asked ANZ to contact Westpac and they did not want to know about it ?? They reckon they have placed it in the right account.

Amazing.

If I did not know the intended recipient I would be inclined to shut up and wait to see what happens.

I would too, given you have cleared your conscience by contacting the bank about it.

Keep us posted on the outcome.

 

[robusta]

Well done trainspotter I wish there were more people around like you. It is great to see some integrity.

 

[jbocker]

If we are going to be honest does it make a difference if the momey belongs to a person or a faceless corporation?

I remember long time ago, a young teller giving me an extra $10 once, when I figured it out went back and gave it back about 1/2 hour later. She was really relieved and pleased, I asked what would happen if I hadnt, and I recall her saying that she would have to pay it back.
Giving that $10 back was great to see her relief.

Always wondered though if an ATM slipped me an extra $20, how I would react. I dont think I would be anywhere near as considerate.
Justify it by saying it was the machine paying me back some fees
However I know I would be whinging if if didnt give the right money!!

Robusta I confess to thinking I might be different.

 

[basilio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julia View Post
How do you know it's 'unlikely to be traced back to you'?
Banks are usually pretty good at tracing the money.

What's your first inclination about what to do?
(Honestly, now)

Because the person in the bank told me so. Came from Westpac into ANZ so cannot be taken out again without my authority. Asked ANZ to contact Westpac and they did not want to know about it ?? They reckon they have placed it in the right account.

If I did not know the intended recipient I would be inclined to shut up and wait to see what happens. Very tempting to plunder a bit into the short term money market !

Honestly ...... I know it is not mine and I know it is a crime to keep it so therefore I will contact the rightful owner and fess up. Gonna be fun explaining this one to the ATO !!!

Bit of a concern about the banks not wanting to get it right.

It does make a difference when you feel you are stiffing another real person doesn't it ? Makes me think a little about some of the stories that conmen use to persuade people to get involved in what turn out to be scams. The nigerian scam and the 1001 variants come to mind quickly.

 

[robusta]

I remember long time ago, a young teller giving me an extra $10 once, when I figured it out went back and gave it back about 1/2 hour later. She was really relieved and pleased, I asked what would happen if I hadnt, and I recall her saying that she would have to pay it back.
Giving that $10 back was great to see her relief.

Always wondered though if an ATM slipped me an extra $20, how I would react. I dont think I would be anywhere near as considerate.
Justify it by saying it was the machine paying me back some fees
However I know I would be whinging if if didnt give the right money!!

Robusta I confess to thinking I might be different.

Not so different I have had a ATM give me $100 when I only drew out $50. I took it and drank it. Would like to think I would do the same as you with bank teller, I have told shop assistant they have given me too much change in the past. Does that make me only 1/2 honest?

 

[trainspotter]

Well ......... $28,627.33 is going back to it's rightful owner tomorrow. Just got to get them to sign a letter explaining what happened. Westpac wont back down. ANZ was very helpful. All good in the end.

 

[Julia]

And long may you enjoy the sense of righteousness that comes from honesty, TS. Goodonya.

 

[pixel]

If we are going to be honest does it make a difference if the momey belongs to a person or a faceless corporation?

Where persons are concerned, I'm rigorously honest. Whether it's a bank teller or a check-out operator, doesn't matter.
But one differentiation I have to admit - and explain:

Has it ever happened to you that you went to a supermarket and bought a "special"? Bananas for baking, for example - a little brown in places, marked down to $2 the bag. Cheese close to "best before" date - hence "just ripe". And then you find the computer has charged you the full price.

So, you stand at the service desk for what seems like forever, until the staff checks and counter-checks, before begrudgingly giving you the change.
It's probably not worth standing there and wasting your time for a couple of dollars - but it's the principle. And worse, when you come home and only then discover that the $3.99/kg apples you bought have morphed into $9.99 Nashi Pears. Again, it's the principle that gets you upset. And isn't it nearly always the case that the error is to your disadvantage?

So, here is my confession: When - once in a Blue Moon - the error checks out to my advantage, I accept it as "evens out" and decide NOT to waste my time at the service desk.

 

[trainspotter]

So pixel - it is a yin yang thing for you? Does this make it OK? A coupla dollars here, a coupla dollars there? Swings and roundabouts kinda thing?

For me ... foremost and everytime ... DO THE RIGHT THING ! ok ok ok .. enough high horse pontificating, what you are talking about is socially acceptable. What you drop, you pick up eventually. Agreed.

What you have mentioned has happend many times in my life ( not that I keep checks and balances mind you) but it does work out pretty even in the long run.

 

[KurwaJegoMac]

For those that wouldn't go back to a bank teller to return an incorrect payout just perhaps bear in mind that a teller's pay is linked to their ability to balance their cash drawer every day. Tellers receive a low base salary, but they also get $5000 per 6 months provided they balance every day.

So if they give you an extra $10 and you don't return it you're actually doing the bank a favour - they dont have to pay the $5k bonus while the teller is now $5k poorer.

That being said, the ATM is not linked to a tellers pay so do what you want