Buckets of Small Change
Insurance broker pays out $21K settlement to 73-year-old in buckets of small change
This is not just a business ethics violation, it is a failure of judgment. This act is petty and vindictive.
Adriana’s Insurance Service agreed to a settlement but following the letter rather than the spirit of the law acted with the maturity of a seven year old. They delivered the money in buckets of small change.
Besides being simply foolish and a failure of civil behavior, the act calls into question the business judgment of those running the company.
I tell my students that if they act as reasonable people and bend over backwards to conciliate those few clients whose reaction to a business problem is overwrought, they are virtually never going to be sued. I tell them that this may involve apologizing when you’re not wrong and returning money when you don’t have to. But avoiding conflict is a good long term strategy for a business, and besides, shouldn’t at the very least businesses act reasonably? And you are not in business to make enemies, you are in business to build trust and make friends and allies who cooperate with you in a quest for mutual advantage.
This organization obviously doesn’t mind conflict even at the most childish level. Are they making other decisions using this kind of judgment? Would you feel comfortable as a client knowing that if you have a dispute with the company, this is how they are going to act?
Bad business ethics, poor judgment and a failure to act as ladies and gentlemen is poor business practice. It is a failure of that common duty of civility we owe all other citizens.
James Pilant
Pilant's Business Ethics Blog 
I believe acts like this are symptom of the radical capitalism that has become the American god and which is worshiped primarily by those in more powerful positions in business and government. I admit it would be interesting to see all those buckets of change, though.
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Definitely an extreme manifestation of neo-liberalism! Thanks for commenting – come by often!!
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You have actually commented at a very interesting point in my writing on this case. I’ve discovered that the company has a low rating from the Better Business Bureau, a C- and that there are good number of complaints from customers and angry former employees. So I’ve been trying to figure out if I should do one more post on this subject? jp
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