Taking advantage of others

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Della

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I know someone who has a very trusting nature and wants to believe the best of everyone, but it makes him vulnerable to people taking advantage of him. Just how wrong is it to take advantage of another person’s weaknesses, especially in business? Is being cutthroat all right? I wouldn’t think so, but it seems most companies/bosses are, even those run by people who profess faith in Christ. I think that’s wrong. Or am I just being naive?
 
Della said:
I know someone who has a very trusting nature and wants to believe the best of everyone, but it makes him vulnerable to people taking advantage of him. Just how wrong is it to take advantage of another person’s weaknesses, especially in business? Is being cutthroat all right? I wouldn’t think so, but it seems most companies/bosses are, even those run by people who profess faith in Christ. I think that’s wrong. Or am I just being naive?
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I think it’s very situation-specific.

At one extreme, there’s fraud, cheating, etc. That’s wrong in any context. You don’t lie to someone or stretch the truth just to make a sale, for example.

Then there’s honest but aggressive dealing. IMO, there’s nothing wrong with being cutthroat (in this sense) when dealing with cutthroats. You might even say that you owe it to yourself and your employer/clients/family/etc. to push back hard against hard bargainers.

Then again there’s aggressive dealing with the inexperienced, non-aggressive, uneducated, and the like. I think it’s wrong to use your bargaining advantage to strike an unfair deal with someone.

For example, an older woman is having a garage sale. She’s offering a tea pot for sale for $10. You’re knowledgeable about silver and can tell that the tea pot is sterling and is worth many times what she’s asking. I think it would be wrong to buy it for $10. Instead, you should take her aside and explain to her how valuable the tea pot is and suggest that she take it to a reputable dealer to be appraised. OTOH, let’s say you know the tea pot would probably be priced in the neighborhood of $500 in a reputable shop, and she has it marked at $400. There, you’re getting a good deal, but the price is not unfairly low.

Just my gut sense in response to your question!
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The situation I have in mind is a business owner taking advantage of his employees. He knows they depend on him for their living, but instead of giving them a living wage, he pays them low, gives them loans when they need more to live on, and then demands they pay all their back pay to him when he lays them off–with no way of doing it except to hand over to him value their property he’s had his eye on all the time. Should business owners be treating people like that?
 
Della said:
The situation I have in mind is a business owner taking advantage of his employees. He knows they depend on him for their living, but instead of giving them a living wage, he pays them low, gives them loans when they need more to live on, and then demands they pay all their back pay to him when he lays them off–with no way of doing it except to hand over to him value their property he’s had his eye on all the time. Should business owners be treating people like that?
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Absolutely not. There isn’t anything legally you can really do, unless the business ownder is paying under minimum wage, but I wouldn’t support this company, and encourage others to do the same. You could also probably report them to the Better Business Bureau. I worked for a company like this. The owners were complete scumbags. I quit after 9 months, and I have been telling anyone relevant to the business NOT to shop there.
 
Della said:
The situation I have in mind is a business owner taking advantage of his employees. He knows they depend on him for their living, but instead of giving them a living wage, he pays them low, gives them loans when they need more to live on, and then demands they pay all their back pay to him when he lays them off–with no way of doing it except to hand over to him value their property he’s had his eye on all the time. Should business owners be treating people like that?
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No, this sounds abusive to me.

IMO, paying people below a living wage is not by itself necessarily wrongful. With some positions, the choice is between paying below a living wage and eliminating the position altogether. I think it’s better for people to have at least the option of a low-paying job, even if it’s not ideal.

Making loans to your employees could be a charitable act, depending on the terms of the loan. However, if you know the employee will not be able to pay it back any time soon, yet you make him/her the loan anyway and then demand payment when s/he loses his/her job, you’re really using your superior bargaining position to rip people off.
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There are so many things like this that fall outside the boundaries of the law. As Catholics we know what we’re not supposed to do, but how do you deal with people who have no qualms about taking unfair advantage?
 
Della said:
There are so many things like this that fall outside the boundaries of the law. As Catholics we know what we’re not supposed to do, but how do you deal with people who have no qualms about taking unfair advantage?
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I don’t have a great solution. I try to avoid people like that, and I should pray for them.

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