moral question

[louie12]

i have a business,and i am dealing with an insurance guy,which i have been with for 15 years.during these 15 years i had at least a couple insurance agent who approached me and save me money on health insurance,but as soon as i tell him that somebody beat yor price,he asks me what is the name of the new insurance company and he researches it and comes back with the same company at the lower price that i had been given from the new agent.when i tell him i might leave him,he almost begs because his business is slow.the question is it just or fair to stay with him.since the other agent came up with better price after spending some time working on it.like i said this happened mor than once).

thankyou

 

[kristie_m]

Think of it this way…

You’ve been buying toilet paper at Wal-Mart for 15 years, because they have great prices. Then you see an ad for Target offering the same brand for less. You go to Wal Mart and tell them you can get a better price at Target. Wal Mart says they’ll match it because they don’t want to lose your business. So you buy from them, but think it’ll really be easier to just go to Target, rather than haggle over prices all the time.

You have no moral obligation to stay with any particular agent. You are not responsible for his business being slow. Perhaps it is slow because he is not doing his job well.

True story…

I know someone who keeps losing her job because she doesn’t show up for work. Because she has no income, she is now in danger of losing her home. Do I have an obligation to house her?

 

[puzzleannie]

there is no moral issue here that I can see, but a business problem. You have a responsibility to buy the insurance you need with the best price, and also the service you need. You will also find it beneficial to maintain a good working relationship with all your vendors and suppliers, so yes, sometimes it might be good to pay a bit more for better service or other factors. You as a businessman make your best prudential judgement.

 

[OraLabora]

I think the person with the moral issue is the insurance agent.

He’s paid by commission right?

So he’s only willing to try to find you a lower price when he risks losing your business, otherwise he wants to maximize his commission which is a percentage of the price you pay.

In short he’s cheating you out of the best price in order to maximize his income.

I have an insurance agent that I use. Every year about two months before renewal of the policy, she asks me to confirm the coverage I desire, and then she proceeds to shop around for the best rate. She then submits me two or three quotes and I pick the best one. She clearly understands that retaining my long-term business means that I am the client and she works for me, not the other way around.

You need to dump the guy and find a more honest agent. I think his approach to business might explain why things are so slow. The way to gain business is to get more clients, not screw the ones you have.

I know someone who keeps losing her job because she doesn’t show up for work. Because she has no income, she is now in danger of losing her home. Do I have an obligation to house her?

Absolutely not. But you do have an obligation to be unconditionally charitable towards her. But that doesn’t mean housing her. It means perhaps, driving her into town on your way into work if she needs to go to a job interview or see a counsellor, it means praying for her, it means perhaps helping her look presentable for a job interview if she wears similar-sized clothes, and if she’s hungry, it means bringing over some food for her.

She clearly has serious personal issues. God calls us to be charitable, unconditionally, to anyone. But that does not mean “enabling” either and it doesn’t mean forcing your own family to go without. And it might mean helping the person to face the music…

 

[kristie_m]

Absolutely not. But you do have an obligation to be unconditionally charitable towards her. But that doesn’t mean housing her. It means perhaps, driving her into town on your way into work if she needs to go to a job interview or see a counsellor, it means praying for her, it means perhaps helping her look presentable for a job interview if she wears similar-sized clothes, and if she’s hungry, it means bringing over some food for her.

She clearly has serious personal issues. God calls us to be charitable, unconditionally, to anyone. But that does not mean “enabling” either and it doesn’t mean forcing your own family to go without. And it might mean helping the person to face the music…

Sorry, I should have been more clear. That was a rhetorical question.