give me yr opinion on ethical problem
 

So, on Mar. 6 I ordered a book from Amazon Marketplace (you know, the individual sellers through Amazon, not Amazon itself). By the end of March, it still hadn't come, so I emailed the seller, who responded, Oh, I sent it out 2 weeks ago. Hmm. After another week or two, the expected delivery date expired, I emailed the seller--no response. So I asked, and received, a refund from Amazon.

We're talking a whole $5.88 here, folks.

After I received the refund, I got the book. Postmarked 2 days AFTER the refund was processed.

So do I refund the refund? Send the book back? Am I obligated to, since the Seller actually mailed the book after he paid me back my money?

Either the money or the book does not belong to you.

Well, I tend to agree, and I haven't opened the book yet.

On the other hand, the Seller 1) lied to me; and 2) sent me the book on his own, knowing he had already forfeited the price.

I had a reseller send me the wrong product. When I called him on it, he sent me the right one, and asked me to keep the wrong one. It would cost him more to process the return (also a ~$5 product).

Try calling up the seller and asking him what he'd prefer. He may want you to keep the item as a token of good will and possible future business.
:2cents:

ooh, cute pennies!

SonofV lost his wallet. School id, his allowance (t'weren't much, but it was all his money), a couple of pictures and cards etc. Last seen at the grocery store a mile from the house and a mile from the school.

Crap.

Two days later, he was summoned to the office at school. Here's your wallet, son. With the pictures, id, cards *and* money.

Obligation is such a strong word. What do you think you *should* do?

Why haven't you done it yet?

I think I should refund the refund.

It feels right, but it feels wrong, too, since I was lied to.

I'd say the seller is either incompetent or a fraud. I would keep the refund and keep the book. Let Amazon clean its own house. They are the ones who need to deal with this behavior and get their $5.88 back from the seller.

Either way the seller needs to learn a lesson. If he isn't penalized then you're doing a wrong by making things "right." And if he gets double penalized, well, that's his fault. Fucking-up is bad for a reason.

I'm with grant in that the seller screwed up and had a chance to make amends when you contacted them. But they still ignored you until you got a refund from Amazon then they sent the book knowing what happened, with no apology or apparent remorse for your inconvenience.
Keep both.

I wouldn't bother returning either the payment or the book under these circumstances.

I personally suspect that the whole reason the book was sent after all is because Amazon already brought a beatdown on the seller. Amazon's reputation as an honest business is worth far more than $5.88, and no doubt this bookseller's relationship with Amazon is worth more to them than the book too.

Hmmm..

Forget Amazon and this other faceless bookseller for a minute. Naturally, being the self centered person that I am, I ask myself if I should keep both the book and the money. For me. I'd know. I may keep both, if I felt that it was fair to do so. The standard to which I hold Amazon, some stranger and myself may vary or overlap, but I can only affect my own behavior. And I cannot escape the consequences of that behavior (although in this case they do seem minor, either way).

To thine own self, be true.

That sounds pretty smart to me.

If Amazon gave you the refund after before the guy sent the book, then he probably IS a fraud in which case you should probably let Amazon know what's happened and see what they say.

I would send the cheque back to Amazon if I were in your place.

You'll never make the cut as a minion.

Damnit. Note to self. Can't count on BigV to help out with my plan for world domination. [/Plankton]