Real moral dilemmas

[ZiSunka]

Okay here are two real scenarios in my life right now. Help me understand right from wrong:

When I needed a moving truck last week, I went to the rental truck website and put in the information to get a price commitment. The price came back too high, so I asked for a smaller truck returned to a larger city and the price came back in line with what I could afford. A little box at the bottom said that during busy times the rental truck company might up-size the rental truck without additional cost, if the smaller trucks were all busy. I thought, well good, I really need the larger truck but I can't afford it so I will book the smaller truck hoping that they will all be busy and I will get up graded to the larger truck. And it worked! They were all out of small trucks and they gave me a bigger truck, more mileage allowance and I got to return the truck in my new small town instead of having to drive it 30 miles to the larger town. When I told my BIL what happened, he said that it was stealing for me to book a small truck and then accept a larger truck without paying more. He feels I should write a check for the difference to the rental company.

Is he right?

Okay next scenario:

In my neighborhood, there is an old farm house that has been purchased by a development company that is now out of business. The farm house was supposed to be torn down to make way for high-end houses on a golf course. The development has halted and all the buildings on the property are still standing until the development can be resold and construction can start up again. Inside the old farmhouse, the family that lived there just abandoned all their stuff, everything. Clothes in the closets, books, dishes, home movies, etc. When the houses are torn down, all this stuff will go to the landfill, even though it is good stuff. My question: is it wrong to go into this house and rescue some of the stuff? I know the stuff doesn't belong to me, but if I don't take it out of the house, it is all going to be crushed and wasted.

 

[Gold Dragon]

Okay here are two real scenarios in my life right now. Help me understand right from wrong:

When I needed a moving truck last week, I went to the rental truck website and put in the information to get a price commitment. The price came back too high, so I asked for a smaller truck returned to a larger city and the price came back in line with what I could afford. A little box at the bottom said that during busy times the rental truck company might up-size the rental truck without additional cost, if the smaller trucks were all busy. I thought, well good, I really need the larger truck but I can't afford it so I will book the smaller truck hoping that they will all be busy and I will get up graded to the larger truck. And it worked! They were all out of small trucks and they gave me a bigger truck, more mileage allowance and I got to return the truck in my new small town instead of having to drive it 30 miles to the larger town. When I told my BIL what happened, he said that it was stealing for me to book a small truck and then accept a larger truck without paying more. He feels I should write a check for the difference to the rental company.

Is he right?

Hey lambslove. I support you here. You paid less and carried the risk that the company may have enough small trucks and you would end up with one. That isn't stealing when it is their company policy to upgrade trucks like this. An exception may be if you had inside information that they were already out of smaller trucks. Even then, I'm not so sure it is wrong given their policy.

Okay next scenario:

In my neighborhood, there is an old farm house that has been purchased by a development company that is now out of business. The farm house was supposed to be torn down to make way for high-end houses on a golf course. The development has halted and all the buildings on the property are still standing until the development can be resold and construction can start up again. Inside the old farmhouse, the family that lived there just abandoned all their stuff, everything. Clothes in the closets, books, dishes, home movies, etc. When the houses are torn down, all this stuff will go to the landfill, even though it is good stuff. My question: is it wrong to go into this house and rescue some of the stuff? I know the stuff doesn't belong to me, but if I don't take it out of the house, it is all going to be crushed and wasted.

I believe this is stealing. When a party buys a property, the agreement usually has something about owning everything found on the property at the time of closing.

If you keep tabs on when a new developer starts things up again, you can negotiate with them about taking things they don't want. If it goes towards a charitable organization, they may be able to get a tax write-off on it at no cost to themselves, although I'm not an accountant so don't take my word on this. If it is worth something to them, they may consider giving it away.

 

[jcright]

I agree with GD on both points.

You aren't cheating the moving company...they wouldn't set up the contract so that you could.

The stuff in the house does belong to the new owner. Find out who it is and ask them. I'd be very surprised if they said no.

 

[SumTinWong]

When I told my BIL what happened, he said that it was stealing for me to book a small truck and then accept a larger truck without paying more. He feels I should write a check for the difference to the rental company.

Is he right?

Nope. It happens all the time. It is not your fault that they cannot keep smaller trucks in stock. If they were smart they would have more smaller trucks since they know everyone will be renting themanyway.

My question: is it wrong to go into this house and rescue some of the stuff? I know the stuff doesn't belong to me, but if I don't take it out of the house, it is all going to be crushed and wasted.

Yes. It belongs to the company, not to the people who left it behind, or to you.

 

[Angel of Harmony]

Hey, I agree with everything people responded with on this thread, so far. You can't be charged with "stealing" something that is freely "given" to you through a contract.

It wouldn't hurt to ask the owner of the property if they are willing to give, or even sell the items in the house to you. The objects belong to whoever owns the property.

 

[ZiSunka]

Thanks folks, you confirmed what I already was thinking. I just wanted to be sure. Many wise counsellors and all that.

 

[ps139]

When I needed a moving truck last week, I went to the rental truck website and put in the information to get a price commitment. The price came back too high, so I asked for a smaller truck returned to a larger city and the price came back in line with what I could afford. A little box at the bottom said that during busy times the rental truck company might up-size the rental truck without additional cost, if the smaller trucks were all busy. I thought, well good, I really need the larger truck but I can't afford it so I will book the smaller truck hoping that they will all be busy and I will get up graded to the larger truck. And it worked! They were all out of small trucks and they gave me a bigger truck, more mileage allowance and I got to return the truck in my new small town instead of having to drive it 30 miles to the larger town. When I told my BIL what happened, he said that it was stealing for me to book a small truck and then accept a larger truck without paying more. He feels I should write a check for the difference to the rental company.

Is he right?

No, I think he is wrong. The company offered you the upgrade, correct? If it was offered to you how can you be guilty of stealing?

In my neighborhood, there is an old farm house that has been purchased by a development company that is now out of business. The farm house was supposed to be torn down to make way for high-end houses on a golf course. The development has halted and all the buildings on the property are still standing until the development can be resold and construction can start up again. Inside the old farmhouse, the family that lived there just abandoned all their stuff, everything. Clothes in the closets, books, dishes, home movies, etc. When the houses are torn down, all this stuff will go to the landfill, even though it is good stuff. My question: is it wrong to go into this house and rescue some of the stuff? I know the stuff doesn't belong to me, but if I don't take it out of the house, it is all going to be crushed and wasted.

If you could donate all of the goods to charity and keep none for yourself, I think this would be perfectly fine.
Some kids are so poor they have no clothes. Christ said, "Whatever you did to the least of them, you did to me." If that includes clothing them with clothes that would be wasted if you didnt take them, which option do you think Christ would pick? I would contact the company first to be sure that this scenario (that it would all go to waste) is accurate. But if it is, what will you do? It certainly is a tough question, its something to pray about, and its something between you and the Lord only.