Self-Worth for Sale?

I had to call a plumber out to snake a clog from the kitchen. He quoted me $55, good price (a home warranty would have charged me the same), but when he came, he "added on" $10 for another action of opening the pipes underneath the sink. I could have argued with him or call out another plumber, get another quote, etc. but I didn’t. He seemed like a nice guy and it’s only $10.

His gave me an explanation but when I watched him do the job, I saw that he only snaked the clog from the outside and he could have just let the water drain through the pipes without having to open up the pipes underneath the sink. I realized that he didn’t need to open the pipes underneath the sink.  I could have argued with him and showed that he didn’t need to take another action besides what he was supposed to do, snaking it out from the outside, and the sink would drain without opening up the pipes underneath the sink, all for $10, but I didn’t. He seemed like a nice young guy, 27. In fact, after he was done, I even paid him extra because he did a good job and because it was raining outside and he was all wet from the job.

He even confirmed my assumption by explaining to me that the next time I get this kind of clog, all I would need to do is open the opening from the outside and the water from the sink would drain, obviously not needing to open the pipes underneath the sink to drain the excess water.

Later, I thought whether he up-sold me intentionally just for $10, or whether he felt bad for his business practice since I "tipped" him even after his ridiculous explanation.

This is not to say that I’m perfect, because I am not. If my assumption is true, technically, I just bought the plumber’s character for $10. Regardless, I didn’t keep it and gave it back with goodwill because I had seen through him and I know. I know and keep my own ego in check, because I learned that the person who loses is the person that sold out – not the person who overpaid or got scammed. I’m not here to preach about karma or bad business practice, but point out that it’s about self-ignorance.

When people sell out for any amount of money, they put a price on their self-worth, and that is always a losing battle.

Instead of a pot of gold, I rather find character at the end the rainbow.

Photo: Eyes Closed