Honesty is still around and it pays off

Honesty is still around and it pays off.
This morning I took a cab from the Radisson Hotel in Ashford Avenue to the airport at 5.30 in the morning so as to catch a 7 am flight to Miami. Having attended the introduction of Frances Rios wonderful book, The Glue Factor in Borders and then going to dinner with the whole team, I went to bed rather late so getting up at 5 am was no fun at all.
I decided to catch a cab and a very nice driver named Jose Torres drove me to the airport. We had a great conversation, and it impressed me when he said to me “you write for the PR Daily Sun, correct.” When I said yes, he said he loved my articles.
Well, right there he was already on the way to getting a good tip after reaching our destination.
This gentleman had to reinvent himself. Like thousands of other
workers in today’s economy, he was laid off from a very well paying job around
a year and a half ago. Remember, we have been in a recession for the last 6
years, so people have been losing their jobs from six years ago to yesterday
when someone in the island, somewhere was laid off.
He decided he had to survive and through an aunt that owned an SUV
taxi that wasn’t being used because the driver she had driving the cab was
cheating her out of money, his aunt gave him the taxi to drive an earn a
living.
He has cut back on his living style, moved to a smaller apartment,
reduced his expenses and he has been surviving until things turn around in the
future. Everything turns around; everything has a cycle so it is just a matter
of time.
When we got to the airport, it was a 15.00 fare and I took out my
wallet and gave him $20.00 and told him to keep the change. I also gave him my
million dollar business card telling him that it would bring him luck and to
keep it in case he ever wanted to get in touch with me for advice or anything
else.
I am standing in the first class section of American Airlines
waiting for my turn to step up to the ticket counter when my cellular phone
rings.
I say “Joachim de Posada, may I help you” as I always answer my
phone and I hear a voice saying “Joachim, it is Jose the cab driver. You gave
me a$50.00 bill instead of a $20.00 so don’t worry, I will keep your change and
when you get back, call me and we will meet up so as to return it to you”.
What a pleasant surprise! This guy could have kept the money and
said nothing and instead he decides to do the right thing, call me to tell me
about the mistake.
I am choosing to write about this because now a day’s all we read
in the newspapers, hear on the radio and see on the news channels, are stories
about crime, corruption, theft, etc. and we never ever read about all the
Jose’s out there that day after day work hard doing an honest day’s work,
proving their honesty when situations such as the one that happened to me come
up.
It is obvious that I will recommend Jose to all my friends and
even though I own my own car, whenever I have to use a taxi such as this
morning, I will give Jose a call. If my editors allow it, here is his number
787 326 8053 in case you need an honest driver to take you someplace.
In fact, today (Wednesday when I am writing this article that will
come out on Monday) I will be in my weekly segment in the Show de Fernando
which can be seen on Channel 24 in Puerto Rico and I am going to tell thousands
of television viewers about Jose.
What would have happened to Jose if he had kept the extra $30.00?
Nothing! He would simply have $30.00 extra which he would have spent in a day
or two. If he has a conscience, he would have probably felt bad about taking
the extra money but he would probably have rationalized it by thinking, “this
guy has more money that I do” or “I need the money more than he does” or “what
the hell, we are living in a world full of piranhas and I have to take
advantage of opportunities whether they are ethical or not”
Instead, he made a choice: Be honest and do the right thing.
So, what happena to Jose as a result of being honest and calling
me to report the mistake? I am writing about him in my column, I am giving out
his name and where he works as a taxi driver and I will mention it on my
segment in the television program. How much do you think is this publicity
worth to him? A lot, not only in increased business but also as a future
testament when he shows a copy of the article to his children and grandchildren
to teach them to be honest and live by principles so that our society becomes a
better society. He will prove to his family that he walks his talk.
What counts in life is not what you say, but what you do. Your
actions are the ones that determine whether you live by principles or not.
By the way, I gave a talk yesterday (Tuesday) to the executives of
Econo Supermarket, they are doing such a good job serving people all over the
island with quality items and great service, and I told them that I had
mentioned in a business I visited prior to my talk that the owner of the
business when I mentioned Econo, said that she thought the store in Altamira
was fabulous and she shopped there all the time.
Well, believe it or not, Jose told me during the ride to the
airport when I told him that I had given a talk to Econo, that he shops at the
Altamira store because of the great service they offer. In fact, he said that
if he goes to the store and asks for an item, the clerk will walk him to the
shelf and show him different brands so that he can choose the one he likes
best. Wow! That is good service. In most places the guy will say “find it on
aisle 7”.
That is customer service, and everyone reading this column should
take note that when you offer excellent service, people will talk about you and
will recommend you to other customers.
In summary, being honest, following your principles when you do
business and giving good customer service, pays off in more ways than one.