Hertz rental upgrade at airport: bring cash

[vladimir]

My word "deserve" was perhaps too strong, but it's difficult to pity the business owner who has no cash controls, paper trails, or oversight.

I don't pity the owner with inadequate controls, I pity the person who thinks stealing from him is ethical.

Besides, ethics are cultural. When I went to Yap in 2000, we were told to keep everything locked up because the Yapese didn't have a very good sense of personal property and might take something they liked. If a Yapese cleaning woman had taken J's watch because in her culture that's OK, is it still theft?

If they have mechanisms for securing valuables, then they have an adequate sense of personal property, so yes, it's still theft. If property is held in common in Yapese communities, and you were living in such a community, the ethics would be murkier. None of which is relevant to the Cozumel Hertz.

In Mexico, where "tips" are routinely expected just about any place where red tape is involved, why is it theft that the rental agent accepts "tips" as well? If you call the cops on him, he'll just pay the cops their tip. In that case, is it really illegal?

There is an important distinction between extortion and bribery. I have been extorted by the Indonesian police, for example, and paid with no ethical qualms (but some anger). In that situation I did not have reasonable choices and did not solicit a dishonest transaction, I was coerced into one, and I was the only victim.

If you offer a bribe to the rental agent, you have initiated a conspiracy to defraud Hertz, the victim. If you accept the agent's offer of an upgrade in return for a bribe, you have freely entered into a conspiracy when refusing it would have cost you nothing.

In either case it's really unethical, and, I expect, really illegal as well.

---------- Post added at 01:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:45 AM ----------

The receipt, according to the people at the desk, can't be modified. I'll go into the reasons why that could be true (and why I think that it probably is) in a follow-up post, but presuming that it really can't be modified, the only way to do a paid upgrade would be via cash or CC, and if they can't take CCs at the desk then cash is the only answer to any upgrade.

I did have the guy write down the cost of the upgrade and the license plate # and VIN of the new car on the receipts and sign and date it. I may be dumb, but I ain't stupid. Maybe I should modify the OP to reflect that. It's an important point.

This is plausible. I would have no ethical qualms in your shoes.

 

[PeterNBiddle]

When a cashier makes a mistake when you're buying something do you point it out and pay the correct price or do you rationalize it, as 'oh well, they should do better, not my place to correct them", do you rationalize it by "they are a big company they won't miss it", or "they make plenty of money, they won't miss it" ?

Always. I'm painfully honest. It's a real PITA. If I find cash on the ground I ask people in the immediate area if it's theirs. I over-tip too.

You're either honest or your not.

I had my first real job the summer after 8th grade. God bless that employer for LYING and saying that I was a family farm-hand, it was the only way they could pay me. I needed that job - it was the only way I'd have any cash to spend and it paid for things like new eye-glasses. But I suppose that was ethically and morally wrong too? Should I have corrected them for lying about me and thus not gotten the job? Or reported them to the feds so that not only would I not get the job, several other people - folks who needed it way more than I did - lost their jobs too?

You either have a strong moral compass or it sways depending upon how likely you believe you are to get caught doing something you know you shouldn't, or how well you can rationalize being a thief.​

You haven't actually called me a thief. Yet. Can we just get that out of the way now? Can you just say it clearly one way or the other?

That helps shape the conversation and then I don't have to go to the bother of feeling like you are calling me names when you aren't - or vice versa for that matter.

 

[cgvmer]

Hmmm so all those gas stations offering gas for $.10 less means I'm bribing the attendant.

 

[Mike]

In Mexico, where "tips" are routinely expected just about any place where red tape is involved, why is it theft that the rental agent accepts "tips" as well? If you call the cops on him, he'll just pay the cops their tip. In that case, is it really illegal?

For some it doesn't make a difference what the answer to your question is. Some people their ethics are their ethics and 'opportunity', another culture, a situation...etc.. has no bearing on them. Momma taught a lot of little boys when they were growing up, the lesson of "if everybody was jumping of a bridge would you have to do it to?" Some little boys took the lesson to heart, some didn't. Some learned to do what's right regardless of what others are doing.

 

[nimoh]

what do I care if it is under the table or not? it is up to the business owner to police that, not me

 

[DandyDon]

Interesting discussion really. Not really black vs white.

 

[ReefHound]

There are a lot of self-anointed saints on this board...

 

[Mike]

what do I care if it is under the table or not? it is up to the business owner to police that, not me

I see. So if you forgot to lock your front door and someone walked in and stole your TV set, according to you, you would not want to be able to have that person arrested or convicted of burglary because it was up to you to police your homes security by locking the door, you didn't do it, so it's your fault he stole from you, you deserved it and he did nothing wrong.

Opportunity isn't an excuse for taking party to theft.

If an employee of a restaurant motioned you over to the cash register, did a couple of sideways glances over his shoulder to make sure nobody was looking, opened the register up and said, here take some, as he started stuffing 20s in his pocket, you'd be right there taking them out of the register with him, and your excuse would be "it is up to the business owner to police that, not me"

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It's unbelievable how full the world is with thieves.

 

[ianr33]

Candy seems to help in the US.

Candy from Dandy.

But Liquor is Quicker.

 

[DandyDon]

Candy from Dandy.

But Liquor is Quicker.

Can I do that at the airport rental counter?

Spoiler

You know, the idea that old saying is based on is now called rape?