ethical dilemma

Frank Fusco

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Mountain Home, Arkansas
Living in a retirement community, and being retired, we get a lot of 'invitations' to attend seminars on how to invest our money :rofl: for retirement security. These 'invitations' always include the inducement of a free dinner, often at a very fine restaurant. We will get about three of these per week. So far, we haven't attended any of these. But, the prospect of eating out at a nice restaurant, free, two or three times a week is very tempting. The question: Even though we would have no plans to do any investing, would it be ethical to still accept the 'invitation' and attend?
 
They invited you. You did not ask to go. If it was not worth their investment they would never invite you or any of us so I would not feel bad. I never attend though as I do not want to waste my time, even for a nice dinner.
 
Frank, if they weren't making money, they couldn't afford to make the offer. Corporate greed in America has run amok of late and folks like these are making their profits from the many fixed income retirees that currently make up the population. I don't begrudge anyone from making a living, or even a profit. Just don't take advantage of the American public (like the bulk of corporate America seems to be doing). Having said that, my philosophy is go ahead, have a nice meal. You deserve it. You worked hard, made it to retirement only to have someone try and use "your" money to make "their" profit. Yes, you "might" benefit from their service, but you could just as easily loose.

Ethical, prolly not. But I'm becoming more and more synical.
 
free dinner:D......i`m just brash enough to tell `em thanks for the free chow now it`s back to the homeless shelter for me;)....just don`t give `em any more information than they allready have...ie; name and address....maybe give `em the address of the local aarp chapter....
wonder why i don`t get those invites?
 
free dinner:D......i`m just brash enough to tell `em thanks for the free chow now it`s back to the homeless shelter for me;)....just don`t give `em any more information than they allready have...ie; name and address....maybe give `em the address of the local aarp chapter....
wonder why i don`t get those invites?

Well.....son ;) .....it's like this.....in 20 or 23 years, you will get them. Around here, it's assumed that a retiree is one of those who came from 'up nawth' with a million dollar checking account and $5,000.00 (or more) a month pension check. Those are the folks who invest.
 
Hi Frank,

Take the dinners. Take as many as they're willing to put out for. They have already calculated the cost of those dinners into the "cost of sales" for their investment schemes, right down to the last penny and they're taking a expense as a deduction, so you might as well fill a chair for them. As Jeff says, you'll pay in boredom from listening to them "sell" while you eat. After you've been to a few, they'll mark your name as an "eats but does not buy" :), then the invitations will stop.

cheers eh?
 
Add another vote to the "take the meal" pile. As others have said, the company is already building the cost of the meal into their cost of doing business, and who knows...they might actually have something of interest to talk about.

Years ago my first wife and I accepted a free two-night stay at a ski resort in NM in exchange for sitting through a couple hours of a timeshare sales pitch. We had no intention (or means) of buying a timeshare, but we appreciated the free mini-vacation. They also gave away a little 13" black and white TV, which we also took with no regrets.
 
Margaret and I have had a few such "free" dinners (3 that I can remember) and I certainly feel that it was ethical to do so. I think that we earned the free dinners because we sat through the sales pitch that went along with the dinners. But, even though it is ethical to attend such dinners, I very much doubt that we will go to any more because, as we get older, we are getting less and less tolerant of people who are trying to sell us stuff we don't need.
 
I would also vote for take the free meals. Several years ago, I received a phone call about getting 6 days and 5 nights in Orlando, FL for $125.00 total cost. My question was "What is the catch?". It was the same type of thing as Vaughn. Needed to spend 90 minutes listening to why I should buy into a timeshare. I told them on the phone that I was not interested in a timeshare. I'm sure that they get this type of objection all of the time. But their statement was that it was ok. I'm sure that enough people that say they are not interested go ahead and buy anyway. Wife and I listened to the 90 minutes told them no thanks. And went on our way. They still call once in a while to see if we want to come back or go to another of their timeshare locations. The real question, is listening to a high pressure sales pitch worth the free meal?
 
There is no free lunch, or dinner.

My time is worth a heck of a lot more than any free dinner, even with a GOOD bottle of wine :rolleyes:

I guess if you got the time, and some ear plugs............:rofl:

Personally, I'd tell you to get back to that lathe and learn to master that bowl gouge!:thumb:
 
I don't find it unethical - though unappealing might be more appropriate.:D:D I cannot stand high pressure sales pitches. Needless to say, I avoid them at any cost. I would rather go hungry - too much stress for me.:rolleyes:

Have fun no matter what you decide!

Wes
 
Nothing wrong with doing the dinner... - but whatever you do, don't invest any money in their schemes. A good investment doesn't have to be marketed that agressively and at that cost. You can be almost sure that the investment will have some hefty fees, and will tie up your money for a long time.

Reasonable investments are available from your broker or financial advisor. Let someone else pay the fees necessary for them to offer those expensive dinners.

Mike
 
My folks get these invites all the time. My mother recently recounted how they wound up walking out of a presentation because the idjits running it just kept repeating themselves. My father has some medical issues, and while they went for the meal, they too found that it wasn't 'free'. Getting that meal meant they lost the better (worse?) part of a whole day between driving to/from plus the several hours of time sitting through the presentation.

I worry about my folks nowadays, with the telemarketers etc... Nothing I can do for them, other than hope that they continue to be wise enough to say 'go away, and 'no' often.
 
Absolutely! It's their offer, and their requirements...or lack of. As long as there's "no obligation" going in, and your not cheating them somehow, the chance of providing a free dinner is a risk they knowingly take. I suppose it could be taken to the extreme and overdone, but a free dinner now and then...why not? ... :thumb:
 
Frank, I agree that you shouldn't feel it's unethical to accept a free meal, knowing full well you have no itention to buy anything. These companies are looking for weak willed people who for the most part are looking for something for nothing, or at best very little.

I've only been to a couple of these high pressure sales schemes, as I don't care to waste my time listening to the drivel and them nearly tieing you to the chair to make a sale.

Also, be aware that even if this meal is at a really good restaurant, you more than likely won't have a choice of entre'. More likely you'll get a chicken dish, not that that's bad, and maybe one rather inexpensive beef dish. What you get may not be on the menu even. Just a special meal the restaurant puts together for this sales pitch.

Now here's a little trick you may employ to get you out of there right after dinner. Just before the sales pitch starts, one of you, excuse yourself to go to the restroom. After using the restroom continue out of the building to your car and wait for your spouse, who should leave the table within a minute of your leaving the table. Meet in the car and go home. :D

Remember that these sales pitches border on unethical, so you shouldn't feel bad about not listening to their "sales pitch".

I rather enjoy butting heads with these mental midgets, however I don't feel it's worth my time anymore. Since retirement my time has become every bit as valuable as a doctor's or lawyer or even Trump's.

Karl
 
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