Is it wrong to accept a reward?
By Shar11
@Shar11 (419)
United States
January 22, 2007 3:08pm CST
The other day my husband found a very expensive cell phone on the side of the road..
It was dead but it took the same charger as we used so we charged it up and through some messages were able to locate a number to reach the owner..
She was extremely happy we found it and would return it..
She had a bunch of pictures on it and tons of numbers she couldn't replace..
She told my husband on the phone she insisted on giving him a reward or finders fee..
I said "that's great honey!"In which he replied " I won't accept that..You shouldn't be rewarded for doing the right thing"I agree you should try and do the right thing regardless of a reward and he would have either way..
But if someone wants to make a kind gesture towards you I didn't think it was wrong to accept it...
I know in the past I have given a reward for a watch I found and it actually gave me pleasure to give that to the girl who found it...
But he still thinks it's wrong to accept a reward and he wouldn't...
If it was me I would have accepted:) Do you think that is wrong?
29 people like this
154 responses
@shywolf (4514)
• United States
22 Jan 07
Nah, I don't think that it is wrong. But then again, it isn't wrong of your husband, either, to have his own views on the subject. If he would personally feel bad taking a reward for doing something nice, then he shouldn't take one. But you are also right to take the reward if you feel that it is okay to. I personally would take the reward if the person offering it truly seemed to want to give one. I mean, as you said, one time when you gave someone a reward (for finding your watch and returning it) you felt _good_ about giving them that reward. So you don't know, maybe you are bringing happiness to that other person by accepting their reward! ^_^ So there is nothing wrong with doing it. Just don't demand or _expect_ a reward. (Not that you would! But some people might. *laugh*)
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
22 Jan 07
No , I agree with you . It is nice to recieve but sometimes it really is nicer to give and if she really want to give him something it might have hurt her feelings to say no . I think a person should be just as gracious in recieving as they are in giving .
4 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
23 Jan 07
There is no right or wrong answer to this because it is a simple matter of personal preference.
I would not be inclined to accept a reward, although I would certainly thank the person for the offer. It would seem to be counter to my principles to take money from someone for doing what I know I ought to do.
This does not infer that a person who accepts a reward is behaving improperly, as I previously said it is a simple matter of personal preference.
3 people like this
@Golbatorix (157)
• Philippines
23 Jan 07
There is really nothing wrong on accepting rewards. Most people who give rewards are just thankful of the integrity that you have exemplified and for them, only few people have that level of honesty.
But accepting rewards as in the case of your husband for him it would forfeit the good act that they he has done. That is why he strongly refused the reward given by the owner of that cellphone. The only thing i could really suggest to you aboutt it is to just respect your husbands decision on not accepting the reward.
And on your part you should not feel bad that you and your husband are not having the same responses with regard to accepting rewards.
Again its not bad to accept rewards and it is also not bad not to accept rewards. The most important thing is that you have shown an act of Integrity to your fellowmen and thats the one that counts.
3 people like this
@XxAngelxX (2830)
• Canada
22 Jan 07
I don't think it is necessarily "wrong" to accept a reward. She was just trying to show her gratitude to your husband for doing the right thing. Not everyone would have returned the phone. However, I don't think it was wrong of your husband not to accept the reward. Sometimes it is nice just to do a kind deed and not get anything out of it. Either way, accepting or not accepting the reward, I don't think it is wrong. I think it is up to the person to make that decision for themselves. :) Great discussion!
3 people like this
@sachinbhosale21 (48)
• India
23 Jan 07
i think it depends upon whether u deserves it or not.
if you deserves the reward then there is nothing wrong in it.
but if you thinks that an another person deserves it more than u do then u should have that courage to dont accept that reward as that person have done a better work than you have.
then after u should have courage to oppose a desicion that have gone against you and if u have deserved that reward than the another person who have get it.
@victorwzj (539)
•
22 Jan 07
I am agree with your husband, Someone should not receiving reward for doing the righting. The reward is actually is to attract the finder to return the "thing" to the owner. In some culture if someone returning a lost item to them , They need to reward them. Usually a cup of tea as a gratitude. Time change, Society change. There are no more people holding up the moral values anymore. People nowadays aspect big reward for finding expensive stuff. There are very rare that returning out of the courtesy of doing the right thing. Congra, you grabbed a good husband there. He is a good man.
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
23 Jan 07
No definitely I dont feel it's wrong. There is nothing wrong in accepting a reward for a kind gesture. Your aim behind returning the lost item was not for receiving the reward. You did out of out your good will. The same thing happened to me a few years ago, I found a sum of money and I could locate its owner. He gave me a reward out of his own free will. There is nothing wrong in accepting such reward.
@mzbubblie (3839)
• United States
22 Jan 07
I agree, I would accept the gift, It would be something I could look back on and have nice thoughts, or if money buy something nice for myself knowing I did a good deed...again another nice thought...did he explain why he wouldn't accept it?
2 people like this
@creavin007 (131)
• India
23 Jan 07
Well there is nothing wrong to accept a reward because this is something you have done good by returning the phone but to accept the reward is nature of the person what he feel and it not that every thing what do good should get reward.
1 person likes this
@Lemo1987 (48)
• Romania
23 Jan 07
No I think nothing is wrong in accepting a reward for a favor you have done to somebody (like you actually tried to found the person who is the owner), it totally ok you shoul be rewarded...it your right in fact.What is defenetly wrong and unpolite is to actually ask for a reward, that will be totally rude and bad...it also happened to me that many times I did favors for my friends (like repairing something) and I have been offered a drink or a pack of smokes or anything else...but I never had the nerv to ask for a reward...it will be rude. So in conclusion he should accept a reward if one is handed to him, but not ask for one :)
1 person likes this
@sammo4real (2)
• Nigeria
23 Jan 07
Now i will start by saying that it is not wrong to recieve or accept reward for helping someone out.assuming i were you i would recieve the gift because i didn't beg for it and moreover,i helped my neighbour.Now if i lost a valuable item and somebody somewhere found it and brought it to me i will give that person anything i have and if such person refuse, i woun't be happy with him/her because he has done me good.Remember one good turns deserves another.
1 person likes this
@quispy (572)
• United States
23 Jan 07
I would accept the reward. I have rewarded people for things of mine. I would gladly give a reward for things that I have lost and still have not found! I think that people are so grateful to find an honest person around and that they do not have to spend full value to replace something, that they offer you a reward! I say take it and say thank you! I once found a wallet and when I got home, called the woman up. She was very grateful, as it had tons of credit cards in it. Well, when she came to pick it up, she was very annoyed because there was NO money in it and just assummed that I took it!
1 person likes this
@afreddy (182)
• India
23 Jan 07
Firstly it was a very decent gesture of your husband to go through the trouble of tracing the owner of the phone and returning it...a lot of people would not bother, from your husbands stand point all he did was his duty and one does not take a reward for doing ones duty, that is crystal clear to him, from the point of view of the lady the value of the phone was beyond money and she wanted to show how grateful she was.
What your husband could have done is to take the middle of the road approach and ask the lady to give whatever she wanted to give to his favorite charity. In that manner all would be happy.
@emarie (5442)
• United States
23 Jan 07
i mean, it depends on what it is. for something like that, you don't need the reward. you should tell them you don't need a reward and just helping them out is rewarding enough. maybe that will give them a need to help others as well. i remember my dad returning a cell phone that was lost. he was real happy to get it back. my dad didn't accept anything. also, my husband helps a lot of people with their car. sometimes they give him money, like if its friends, but strangers that he helps in a parking lot, he wouldn't accept anything.
1 person likes this
@jtmblossom (470)
• Philippines
23 Jan 07
To receive a reward is not wrong. We are usually rewarded for the good things we do,rather than doing bad.But,receiving reward must be in the right place or right time.
1 person likes this
@rsa101 (38166)
• Philippines
23 Jan 07
I guess it's not worng to receive rewards but its up to him if he wants to receive it or not. He is the one to decide for it coz he made the deed. If it was you then you can get it yourself but it was your husband that did it so let him be what he wants. Somehow you'll be rewarded by that gesture of his. And I salute your husband for doing such a great deed no matter how simple it may be. Instead of convincing your husband getting the reward just be proud you have a very honest husband.
1 person likes this
@ashjoe76 (1422)
• India
23 Jan 07
I guess it is ok to receive the reward if the person insists. Otherwise, they would feel bad. You haven't done anything to get reward, but if it is given in a friendly gesture, you can avoid hard feelings by accepting it. But if I am in that position, I would accept something nominal, and anything big.
1 person likes this
@earth2jacq (1502)
• Philippines
23 Jan 07
I think there is nothing wrong in accepting a reward. For me a reward means a person appreciates you. Your husband did the right thing (kudos to that) and the owner of the phone thinks he deserves the reward so accept it. Rewards are graces from heaven.
Do I think it's wrong? Heavens no.
