Normally, my ethics are very good, in fact, I generally say that my morals may be questionable...but my ethics rarely are.
Well...I guess this is why I say "rarely.:
Last fall, my neighbor was having an estate sale after his dad died.
I went over and bought a few power tools that I've been wanting, and noticed a Monster Home Theater power strip/surge protector.
I asked how much he wanted for it, and he told me that I could have it for free...it had stopped working.
I figured that at least, I could tinker with it and try to get it working.
A couple of weeks ago, I got it from the garage with the intention of taking it apart to see what was wrong. Sure enough, even though the lights came on...no power to the outlets.
I decided I had better try to find some kind of schematic and/or troubleshooting information before I opened it...so Google to the rescue.
I ended up at the Monster support site, and although I never found any schematic, I DID find out that it had a 5 year warranty...so I called.
(here's where the ethics falls down)
I talked to the rep at Monster for a few minutes, inquiring about a schematic and troubleshooting help. He asked where I got it..."Oh, I bought it at Best Buy about 4 years ago. () Can't find the receipt though." :twisted:
(my neighbor DID buy it at Best Buy about 4 years ago...that part is true)
"Hey, no problem," the Monster rep says, "Just ship it to us and we'll do a courtesy exchange."
I sent it by FedEx a week ago, and sure enough, a brand new HTS1000MKIII "Home Theatre Reference PowerCenter arrived today.
Like most of us here, I know Monster products tend to be highly overpriced, although USUALLY well made, and there's no way I'd have ever paid the $199 that is the MSRP/retail price for this thing...but in this case, the price was VERY right.
Now I have to find a band-aid for my wounded ethics...:biggrin:
The example has nothing to do with whether I was breaking the law or not. Just because its the law doesn't mean its ethical. Or unethical if you break said law. This thread is about ethics, the OP probably broke a law as well.
Ethics <> Law
Ethics is mostly about opinion, and I don't feel at all unethical if I light up a little before bed whether its illegal or not. The same as I don't when I chop up an MP3 I legally own to make a ringtone for my phone.
In fact, I could make a very solid argument that the laws themselves for the examples I've given are unethical in and of themselves.
Let me make this simple so you can understand. Keep in mind that I said I would have done the same thing as the OP but it was unethical.
Monster has every right to set whatever policy they want on warranties that isn't illegal. They only offer a warranty to the person who original bought the item.
The original owner has a contract with Monster in regards to the warranty. Now when someone gets the item used or second hand and calls Monster to replace it, they are technically committing fraud.
Just so we are clear:
Fraud = An intentional deception made for personal gain
This is fraud. It is just something most people don't think twice about but it doesn't change the fact that he was defrauding a company out of money essentially.
No difference than if someone buys a CPU, overclocks the hell out of it and fries it. Then turns around and gets it replaced under warranty. That is also fraud.
If it was only ever "original purchaser" all Christmas gifts warranty's would be void.
I shouldn't be surprised that MOST of ATOT sees no ethical issue...but I certainly feel somewhat better, knowing that MOST of ATOT has absolved me from any wrong-doing.
For me, the issue had nothing to do with the neighbor. He gave it to me with no strings attached.
The issue isn't whether the warranty is transferrable or not, although that could be a separate issue.
The issue is that I told an un-truth, a lie, to claim said warranty.
I set very high ethical standards for myself...and occasionally, I stumble...
NO, this doesn't bother me enough to send Monster a check...()
Nor will it keep me from sleeping at night...but I know that what I did was technically wrong...and that will bother me for...at least 10 minutes.
aren't morals and ethics pretty much the same thing? I'm not sure how you can have good ethics but bad morals...
Agreed. The "difference" is all but negligible, and can be more or less summed up as ethics being morals as applied.
Also, even though this may piss the OP and everyone else here in slacker, "s'all good" heaven, but if you fall below what you claim are your ethical standards, even for one day or one instance, then they are NOT your ethical standards.
Your actions establish your ethical standards, not what you think or say they are. In ethics, there are no days off, it simply doesn't work that way.
All that said, "Saaaaaaaaaaay, nice, shiny surge protector 'ya got there, Boomer!"
The OP is a liar and a cheat! I wouldn't trust him to mow my lawn.
I don't see an ethical issue here.
Warranties often only apply to the original purchaser; he lied and said he was the original purchaser.
I don't see any good reason why the warranty SHOULD only apply to the original purchaser.
I think you should offer it back to the neighbour, see if he still wants it. The way you posted makes it sound like the only reason he said you could have it for free was because it stopped working. So I think in all fairness you should ask him if he wants it back. If you both still want it, ask him how much he would want for it.
The OP is a liar and a cheat! I wouldn't trust him to mow my lawn.
He might steal your lawn.
Because it's his warranty. What belongs to the OP is a broken surge protector.Why would you give it back to him? If someone gives you a fishing pole and tells you free fish doesn't come with it, do you have to give him back all the fish you catch?