My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him. It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon. I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money. How much of the money should I give to my client?
Hi, IMHO, all. It is his appliance. He is the registered owner with the manufacturer I believe. I think you should've filled out his name.
You used your resources to purchase the appliance and if you are so inclined, you could discount the price you charged your customer but with rebates, you have no idea how long you'd have to wait to get it and the cost of tying up your resources must be considered. If you have the monetary resources that are large enough for you to operate while waiting on a rebate check, you could discount your price, or wait until the rebate check comes in a refund that amount to your customer. Your customer would get a pleasant surprise and be inclined to recommend you to anyone he knows who may need your services. ^_^
TDD
How much of the drug company kickback does your physician refund to you for the Viagra you buy?
So if there was ever even a chance that you didn't intend to keep the rebate, why'd you bother sending it in?
You could have just turned over the rebate coupon to the client along with the receipt and spared yourself this agonizing moral dilemma.
OJ Simpson got off, for killing two people. Does that make it OK for you and me to go kill two people?
All of it. If it had been discounted in the store, he would have paid that price. This is no different. If you had to put a stamp on the rebate, you are entitled to that. You would be a cheapskate but entitled.
You got a rebate back? Keep it and pay to Uncle Sam his share. Consider yourself lucky. Rebates are like going to a casino, some winners but the risk is high. I never did get the 5 bucks from Staples or the 40 bucks from Tiger Direct. Rebates and gift cards are a pain in the arse but the companies love them, extra money in the bank for them.
I'd be tempted to at least split it with the client. What happens when he finds out about the company offering a rebate, and asks you about it? You tell him you filed and kept the money. He's bound to be upset.
Wish Dr. Laura Schlessinger was still answering questions. This would be a good question for her.
What if the customer knows there was a rebate available? Then it looks like the OP cheated him. Would the OP have picked that model if there was no rebate?
Several years ago, I hired someone to paint a room in my mother's house when I was selling it. He told me to pick the paint I wanted and he'd buy it. When I was looking for the right color paint, I saw that there was a rebate and figured great, I can buy a better quality paint for the same price as the store brand. He bought the paint and did an adequate job of painting. I asked for the sales receipt and he claimed he couldn't find it. My first thought was that he'd sent in the rebate, which cheated *me* out of the discount I was planning on. I wouldn't hire him again.
Bottom line, OP should have given the rebate form to the customer who may well have told him to keep it anyhow.
The mere fact that you post this question shows your conscience is bothered. Do the right thing.
First off, your services were hired...it was your decision what to buy. Tell him about the rebate and discount his fees however you think is fair considering that. As long as you let him know...it won't come back and bite you in the ass.
You are /absolutely/ not bound to give the customer /any/ of it.
You are the de facto vendor in this situation. You were the one who made the purchase and your are the owner until you resell it. For you to have gone through the work of selecting the item you are entitled to payment for your expertise. At any rate, a reseller is certainly entitled to a profit.
Once you purchased the item and resell it...you are only bound to sell it for what you quoted the customer.
Let your conscience be your guide and simply charge a /fair price/ for the job as a whole.
What people really care about is that the appliance works reliably and was installed properly. If you did that, then you did your job.
If you are bound by conscience on the one hand to do the right thing...and on the other by being a human being and wanting to keep the rebate...here is what you can do:
After you present the bill... tell the customer,
" By the way, I got a small rebate on the item, would you prefer me to deduct the amount from your invoice or shall I simply apply it to an extended warranty on the installation ?"
I stopped dealing with Tiger Direct due to a rebate I did not get.
I went back and forth with them /many/ times until the 30 days I had to apply ran out. Once it was too late to get the rebate, they finally told me to just download it from their website at the time of purchase. Up until then they simply told me they'd send me the form.
Hmmm, When I purchase an item big or small rebate has nothing to do on my decision to buy. I don't buy things because there is rebate. I buy what I want/need.
If you purchased through a standard credit card, like VISA, you go back to VISA and protest the charge, subtract your rebate and accept THAT as the cost. The key words are that you did NOT get what was purported to be your agreed upon purchased item. They should stand behind you and subtract off either the whole charge or the amount of the rebate. Again, you ordered such and such and did NOT receive such and such, therefore you are not liable under your agreement terms with your charge company.
He's not a reseller. The client asked him to pick out, pay for and install an appliance. We don't know the exact verbal contract that was struck, but it sure sounds like the expectation was that the client was expecting to get the same price that client would get if they went to the store and bought it themselves. I would expect that he presented the client with a receipt showing what he paid. In my world, that's not a reseller, it's a person providing a service and getting paid an agreed on amount for the service that has nothing to do with the cost of the appliance. Would he have been able to pick out an appliance for $300 and then charge the customer $350? I doubt the customer was agreeing to that. IMO, the customer is entitled to the rebated. And I would have just given the customer the necessary receipt/paperwork so they could file the rebate themselves.
1.You can?t get a rebate without a proof of purchase.
I specifically said "de facto". The OP made the purchase and he resold it. He is only legally bound to the terms he made with the end user.
That said: I agree there is a difference between what is legal and what is moral. OTOH: A contractor needs to be fair to himself as well as his customer.
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