A False Balance

By

August 4, 2006

Micah 6:8 says, “He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” The first operating principle we are discussing is about being and acting just. God says in Proverbs 11:1 that “A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is His delight.” It matters to God that we act justly in our business dealings. Not too many of us weigh things out on a balance to serve customers anymore, but the principle remains. You see, unscrupulous vendors would use lighter weights when selling something and if possible, use heavier weights when purchasing. What does a false balance look like today? I think it occurs anytime a vendor passes on a bogus expense or hidden expense to the buyer. It also occurs whenever a vendor fulfills an order, but provides something less than the buyer was expecting and may never discover. It might be poorer quality materials that the buyer would never know about. It could be setting back the odometer or selling something as new that was really old. For years, one large manufacturer of office equipment held a virtual monopoly on their type of equipment. Most companies only knew of one source to have that kind of equipment. The vendor, sitting in the catbird seat, would sell the equipment to companies on three or five year leases. When those leases expired, they would often just sell them the same piece of equipment, now five years older for exactly the same price as they paid the first time, but on a new three or five year lease. They didn’t refurbish them. They just resold them as is all over again. They would do this as often as the customer would agree to it. The customers didn’t know they had an option - that they could lease a new machine for the same price. If they didn’t know, they weren’t told. In my opinion, that is not “just.” Before engaging in any activity or recommending a course of action, let’s ask, “Is it just?” Do you have any examples of unjust balances? Or perhaps you are wondering if something the company is asking you to do is unjust. Post your experience on the blog and let some of the readers have a chance to offer feedback.

Comments (12) - Post a Comment
Your lesson today is very timely. I have seen and experienced what you mentioned today regarding warranties and the unjust way it is handled. Today, I choose to be aware ofany unjust activities in my profession and use the wisdom of Yahweh (God) to handle it.
g b at 5:03am EDT - August 7, 2006
I think rebates can be one of the unjust ways that businesses deal today. I have purchased many items, using rebates and failed to read the fine print. Often there are strings attached that are not disclosed by the seller. Also have had to make calls and argue with a rep to receive rebate. Sometimes they take so long, you just forget and they never show! If you wait too long to follow up, they will tell you it was paid and the file has been closed and they can't doing anything about it. There are some companies that I refuse to do rebates with for the above reasons.
gw at 6:23am EDT - August 7, 2006
Sometimes, all it takes is someone bringing the subject to the surface for discussion to give us the resolve to do right. You have made a good choice today gb. You have honored our Father with that choice and you are better prepared for the day! Blessings.
Michael Pink at 6:25am EDT - August 7, 2006
I believe most companies expect that very, very few people will actually try to claim their rebates. That part is ok with me. What's not ok, is denying the rebate, or making it difficult in their fine print.
Michael Pink at 6:29am EDT - August 7, 2006
I was approached by a sales person from one of our largest vendors. He is in the middle of a tough pricing situation he inherited. He called and asked if i would help him with some information, I have the information. What would you do? The mans job is basically on the line.I have prayed this through and I am not getting a clear answer at this moment.
DH at 7:57am EDT - August 7, 2006
I recently added a fee of $350 to a policy and although it is shown as a broker fee, I did not discuss it with my client. I will do this in the future as it can be an area of temptation and there is a lot of grey area to operate in. Thanks for the timely insight. I want to be just in the eyes of my redeemer more than anything on Earth.
keith at 10:47am EDT - August 7, 2006
DH Don't know what information he is asking you for so am not sure why it would be a problem. Ask yourself if this is something you would have to do in secret and if it came to light would cause a problem. If that is the case, you have your answer. Blessings.
Michael Pink at 2:31pm EDT - August 7, 2006
Keith; You have chosen well. Things we have to hide tend to get us in trouble. Keep working in the light my brother! Blessings.
Michael Pink at 2:32pm EDT - August 7, 2006
Michael, Thank you , the answer was right in front of me all the time. Your comments helped me see what God was already revealing. In HIS Grip!
DH at 3:33pm EDT - August 7, 2006
Last year I went into business with my dauther. I had 25 yrs exp. in that type of bus. and she used that to help start the bus. Then I found out clients that insisted on US workers she was switching them to overseas workers to make a bigger commission. I left everything to her to run because I didn't want to be a part of the corner cutting and backstabbing to the clients. Business is growing by leaps and bounds, however, with these tactics. I've been ostracized by my daughter for being a stickler for honesty. I know I did the right thing but it cost our family dearly.
SJS at 3:54pm EDT - August 7, 2006
Very wise and helpful advise. I find it very hard to find justice in my business where subcontractors are offered pay for services that are well below market value ... certainly each subcontractor can make their own business decision about whether or not they can afford to contract with us ... but when our company is the only game in town either they accept our rates or go out of business or take huge income cuts ... they may go out even if they accept our business. This is the nature of bidding and ratcheting down the costs of service production to improve profitability of the company and lower prices to consumers. Thoughts?
-DM at 10:00pm EDT - August 20, 2006
I work at a construction company. I do add things in that I don't show the customer. There is a lot of risk involved. The company doesn't pay the customer back if a big profit is made however I believe that now I better be careful on any hidden charges that I have on my pricing. I might look for work elsewhere because another situation is that customer A may get charged where my company makes 30% gross margin if no competition and then customer B might only get charged where my company only makes 10% gross margin if there is lots of competition on the job. So it depends on competition. Is that what an unjust weight is? I am willing to leave this job if need be.
Ben at 10:48pm EDT - April 1, 2007


Post A Comment
Name: (*Required)
Email: (*Required)
- Not Displayed With Comment
Website:
Comment:
 

« Back to Blog

Sign Up for Our Blog

Find Us On...

Facebook MySpace Twitter