Post date: Oct 26, 2011 4:14:34 PM
If you go to buy a food item in a store, how much will you be charged? Maximum retail price or less than that, right? What if you are an outsider... same. Even if the price is not printed on the item, I think a shopkeeper will never charge you three-four times.
But in some cases, people don't behave like a shopkeeper when prices are not regulated. They don't charge a fair price, but based on how much you can pay!
They don't realize (or don't care!) that sooner or later, you will know about the truth. But as they are making a profit in the short-term, and most likely they have nothing to lose in the long-term, they don't care. Especially if you are a one time customer... how possibly can it hurt to overcharge?
...sometimes it doesn't even matter to you, for example, if you are paying far less than what you expected earlier?
if coincidentally, all these 'ifs' and 'sometimes' occur together - there seems to be no problem!
...The same thing happened to me in Patna.
Do I care that I paid extra money! No...
Do they feel guilty that they charged me at least four times with half of the service they should have provided? No...
Can they do something meaningful with that extra money? I know for sure they can't :)
Although money was the root of the problem, I don't (and will not) remember the money part... that was not that significant and more than that was spent on many days without any plans on people I don't even know.
It was a lady and when I inquired her about it she told me 'You are not my friend or a relative and I charged more because you were in need at that time and you can pay more ! you came from America !'. I was shocked by her plain explanation and all I told her was 'in that case you missed a big opportunity ! I would have paid 5 times more than this ! and thanks for being clear otherwise I wouldn't have appreciated motiveless love and affection of people I am meeting daily...'
then whats the point? !
The point is you feel fooled. The point is she single-handedly ruined the image created by many people for that city. City of many simple, innocent, lovely and helpful people... thousands of them...
The point is whenever I think about my experience, her image flashes in my mind...
This is what remains at the end... think how you want to flash in memory of others and how you want to create an image of yours and your place.
It no longer looks like a mini post. :)
Happy Diwali.