By: Staff Contributor
So, picture this: I found myself in a bit of a pickle the other day. My son wasn't feeling so well, so I hailed a ride to get him to the pediatric clinic. The driver seemed like a decent enough fella, and we got to chatting about how everyone on the road acts like they're in their own little race, pushing and shoving instead of just, you know, letting folks pass.
Anyway, we finally pulled up to what I thought was the clinic, only to realize it was now just a general medical center. Talk about a head-smack moment! I mean, I'd been to that area just a week prior, so I totally kicked myself for not paying closer attention. So, there we were, needing to head to a different clinic, not too far from where we were.
Now, usually, in these situations, you'd just extend the trip on the app, and the meter keeps ticking. That's how it's always worked for me. But this driver, he had a different idea. He insisted on closing the meter and just having me pay him "whatever I wanted" for the extended ride. I was a bit puzzled, asked him why we couldn't just keep it on the app. He just shrugged and said that wasn't a thing anymore and that I'd have to order a whole new ride if I wanted to go that route. It was inconvenient, but hey, I agreed.
Once we finally arrived at the second clinic, I asked him, "Alright, so, how much more do I owe you?" (I already knew the initial fare from the app). But again, he just hit me with that vague "whatever you want" line. I tried to be direct, "Look, I can't just guess! You're the driver, you know what the distance costs. Just tell me the price so I can pay you." Yet, he wouldn't budge, just kept insisting, "It's okay, whatever you want, don't worry."
So, I figured, "Okay, if that's how you want to play it." I calculated what the total fare would have been if the second clinic had been my original destination on the app, and that's what I paid him. Then I told him I'd transferred the money. You could see the disappointment on his face. He mumbled something like, "You could have sent more."
I was like, "Hold on a minute, I asked you to name your price, and you told me 'whatever I want.' So I made my best guess, and now you're not happy? This wouldn't have even been an issue if we'd just kept it on the app! Plus, I repeatedly asked you to tell me, and you kept saying 'whatever I want.' How is this my fault?" He kept grumbling, "You could have made it this much." Just then, my phone rang, and I had to pick it up, leaving him to his mumbles.
Here's the kicker: the difference between what he wanted and what I paid was only about 20 Birr. I honestly would have just added it if he hadn't made it seem like I was the one who messed up by not estimating correctly. And because he gave me the "power" to guess and then made me feel like I was shortchanging him, all while he was pocketing the entire amount after the first trip, I just didn't feel like adding more.
This kind of thing pops up quite often with certain professionals. You hire someone to fix something or take on a project, and when you ask for the price, they hit you with that "pay whatever you think is fair" line. It's almost like their subtle way of saying, "Hey, pay us a little more than you think is fair."
As a customer, it's incredibly tough to accurately estimate these things. We don't always know the intricacies of the process or the cost of materials involved – like, what goes into fixing a plumbing system, for example, or how much different plumbers charge for their services. So, these professionals avoid naming their price, but then when you pay what you genuinely believe is a fair amount for both sides – not too pricey for you, not too low for them – they end up unhappy and complain that you haven't compensated them well enough.
Honestly, how about we just cut to the chase? Tell me your price. If it's a bit steep, then we can always negotiate to find a figure that works for both of us. Otherwise, I'd rather not play this guessing game, only to find out you're not even happy with what I've paid.
Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation where you were asked to "pay what you want," only to have it backfire?