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  1. #61
    Quote Originally Posted by DEATHETERNAL View Post
    No. Economic discrimination is not wrong on an individual level by an individual running a business. Your goal is to maximize your profits, and if charging the rich guy twice what you charge the other normal guy increases your profits substantially while maintaining your customer base, then it is the right business decision. Price fixing for the sake of equality (which would be what stopping those guys from charging the rich people more would be) is something Soviets do, not anyone who supports anything close to a free market.


    Government taxation policy is an entirely different realm of discussion.
    So you're advocating illegal activities?

    Or do you not realize you can go to jail for that?
    Quote Originally Posted by Raybourne View Post
    I think I would save michal jordan's life. That guy was just such a great singer
    Quote Originally Posted by Spectral View Post
    I don't pay for food for anyone I'm not sleeping with and you shouldn't either.

  2. #62
    Quote Originally Posted by Vyxn View Post
    remember rich people are rich for a reason they are not frivolous with their money or they wont be rich for long. Sure you can charge what you want but the question is do you want to be called back to replace the next door they need or want to be replaced so the extra money you might get for charging more might keep you from getting more money later on
    also remember rich people have rich friends and rich peoples houses have more doors then the poor
    Well, I agree and disagree. Not everyone is rich cause they were/are wise with their money. Perhaps you've heard of trust fund kids. Also, some just mooch off their rich parents for life until they die, and even then they get so much more money than they can reasonably use with inheritances.

    But, I wasn't comparing practice and theory. If the rich person was wise, they'd find what they wanted, exactly, to not get taken advantage of. But, you can't deny the possibility that, perhaps, a 10% increase isn't ALL that more than they are willing to pay. Some people don't mind paying more, especially with manual labor. That usually yields a better job than under-balling the quote or searching for the cheapest of the cheapest.

    Back to the charging aspect. That's why I said you charge what you "think you can get". That may or may not mean a one time deal. I've grown up around general contractors, and saw all how the bidding process works. I've been to upscale houses, and I've been to 2 room 1 baths. It's not at all unusual for me to see some unscrupulous individual to try and charge more because they know the guy can pay it. And I've seen them come back time and time again, doing more jobs.

    But, I'm taking the topic away from the point, and I've already stated my view.
    Quote Originally Posted by Shinra1 View Post
    ...because being black means you can't be racist only prejudice.
    Quote Originally Posted by Shinra1 View Post
    ...black people have no power, privilege they cannot be racist since they were oppressed.
    Quote Originally Posted by Shinra1 View Post
    Did you just compare slavery to the holocaust? Don't compare them. The holocaust lasted 4 years while slavery lasted for well over 200 years at least in the US FYI

  3. #63
    Titan Kalyyn's Avatar
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    It's a bit shady, at the very least. I'd just charge them the same and be grateful for the big tips.

  4. #64
    Quote Originally Posted by drwelfare View Post
    In my job I do a decent amount of work in some nice exclusive areas where houses cost 10-20 times what mine is worth. One customer today just openly admitted that people charge them more because of the neighborhood.

    I do not charge more and notice that a lot of the time they are actually really nice to you, on several occasions giving me tips of $50-100.

    Is it wrong to charge someone more for the exact same item or service just because they have a huge house and or $100K + car in the driveway?
    It could be seen as stupid, depending on the reason, and possibly immoral. However there's always another side. For instance my boss charges certain area's more for the services he provides. However that's because he has to travel further to get to them and has nothing to do with the customers income.

    In the end free market will decide who is right or wrong. And karma will always come around. If a business is charging people more based solely on their income, and the customer finds out, how do you think they will feel? Especially if their are cheaper options out there.

  5. #65
    Is not wrong, nor right, its circumstantial, think that if your business is located in the expensive zone, you are saving them time and money by not having to drive to the other areas for the service, plus you are paying rent in an expensive area, so everybody is even, stupid would be if you are charging twice as more for the same thing as the guy next store, you would lose costumers. What is wrong is to lie and say you are charging cheap, which is what many ppl say sadly..

    And believe this or not, but there are ppl that wont like a service if is cheap, some ppl think cheap means bad quality
    Last edited by Daimon; 2013-01-15 at 05:35 AM.
    "The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits."

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  6. #66
    Quote Originally Posted by Sicarus View Post
    So you're advocating illegal activities?

    Or do you not realize you can go to jail for that?
    100% wrong.

    It's done every single day in this country by every single corporation.

    Two people make the exact same amount of money per year, have the exact same amount of debt/payouts:

    Guy with a 590 credit score gets a credit card - 18% interest, he goes and gets a bank loan for a 2012 honda accord - 11% interest. He gets a home loan - 11% interest.

    Guy with a 760 credit score gets a credit card - 6% interest, he goes and gets a bank loan for a 2012 honda accord - 4.5% interest. He gets a home loan for the exact same house - 2.7% interest.

    There's an assumed amount of risk with each one without knowing the individual story, but it's the same exact thing as the op's question. If you think it's not, wait until you get out of econ 101 then come back.
    Apply blizzards model to any other subscription service,you'd be outraged:
    Netflix adds no new movies for a year, you click a new movie, there's a $5 fee.
    You're in an accident, click your onstar button, but there's an addition $20 fee for them to help.
    You turn on your tv only to find all you get are the infomercial channels. Every other show is pay per view.
    See how dumb that model is?

  7. #67
    Dynamic pricing is not something new. Amazon got busted a while ago charging repeat customers more than new sign ups a while back, basically cashing in on loyalty. There are many other methods like geographic pricing models which will sell their products to poorer countries for less to maximise profits. I seem to recall an example of books being sold in Canada for less than in the US. Don't expect people to be happy when they find out what you are up to is all I will say.

    edit: by busted I mean people got wise to their act and it was more a public humiliation, not illegal.

  8. #68
    In Denmark you in general get overall better deals if you are rich. Primarily due to the way banking works.
    The prices seem overall the same everywhere, except some brands are of cause more expensive than others. Its not like you can go to a ghetto like area and expect lower prices than the wealthiest neighborhoods if you look at a simple kiosk or something like it. And a Big Mac costs the same everywhere.

  9. #69
    Quote Originally Posted by DEATHETERNAL View Post
    No. Economic discrimination is not wrong on an individual level by an individual running a business. Your goal is to maximize your profits, and if charging the rich guy twice what you charge the other normal guy increases your profits substantially while maintaining your customer base, then it is the right business decision. Price fixing for the sake of equality (which would be what stopping those guys from charging the rich people more would be) is something Soviets do, not anyone who supports anything close to a free market.
    And if the rich guy was smart he'd be shopping around and comparing prices, paying more doesn't mean your paying for better service or more experienced contractors and paying less doesn't mean your getting a worse service or less experienced contractors and if charging the rich guy double your normal price increases your profits substantially why aren't you charging everyone double? It may not be illegal but if your going to do it to one costumer why not do it to all.

  10. #70
    It depends on what type of service. If it's a difference of $50 a week and they know you do a good job then a lot of them wouldn't care. If there difference is in the thousands then you'll have problems IMO.

    If you're a tradesman it can definitely pay to get your foot in the door with rich people by giving an honest price & good service/workmanship. My dad is a builder/joiner, did a job for a upper-middle class fella (not crazy rich, just well off), which in turn got him recommended to others etc., which in turn got him marked as a preferred tender for work on a private school (even ahead of people with a lower price), which in turn exposed him to teachers/parents there and got more work beyond that. By always giving a fair price & doing a good job he has a stream of customers coming back to him and it's rare that he isn't booked out 3 months in advance, even during the lowest point of the recent economic downturn.

    Pretty good for a man in his 60's charging $55/hour ($50-60 is normal), in the city with the highest unemployment in Australia. On top of that a number of them give generous tips, and for a few years running now he's even been getting Christmas presents from customers.


    On the other side I have a friend who is a doctor and was talking about this same thing, how doctors in upmarket private hospitals will often charge 2-5x as much for the same procedure and the patients actually feel better about paying more because in their minds more dollars = better doctor.


    Ethically I'd say it's dubious at best, and depending on the field you can yourself in the long run by having less repeat customers.

  11. #71
    Titan Kalyyn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dazzy View Post
    There's an assumed amount of risk with each one without knowing the individual story, but it's the same exact thing as the op's question. If you think it's not, wait until you get out of econ 101 then come back.
    The credit rating thing is completely different, but getting in to that would require writing a block of text so long that nobody here would ever read it.

    Now, for the econ 101 thing, I'm guessing you're alluding to the practice of price discrimination. Which is a completely fair and legitimate practice. But not the way you're presenting it. A good example of price discrimination is Microsoft's operating systems. Microsoft has one price for businesses, one price for schools, and one price for individuals. Now, each of those can pay more for a premium service (like windows 7 ultimate), but at no point does Microsoft sell it to them based on income. That, while not illegal, would certainly be bordering on unethical. And pointlessly difficult to implement, in many cases.

    On top of that, you can only do what the OP is describing for services. If you try to price discriminate with a product, you'll find people reselling your product, and your high-end customers will just buy from your low-end customers instead of you.

  12. #72
    Quote Originally Posted by Schattenlied View Post
    It's your right to charge anyone whatever you want, but don't be an asshole and charge someone extra just because they are successful. You should be charging everyone the same amount.
    In general I wouldn't charge more, however if said customer were some self important snobby ahole that wants to be at the top of my priority list, they will be charged more.

    I read a sign somewhere that sums it up pretty nicly

    We do 3 types of work here
    Cheap
    Good
    Quick
    You can choose any 2

    Cheap/quick = wont be good
    Good/cheap = wont be quick
    Good/quick = wont be cheap

    The wealthy normally go for #1 or #3 as they value their time moreso than most others.
    Last edited by skrump; 2013-01-15 at 05:36 AM.

  13. #73
    Not in the least.

    During disasters, prices of hotels go up, despite people being in need.

    this is a fundamental aspect of free markets, never mind that for example living in Downtown Vancouver CHEAP rent for a small building can easily be around 1600$, Going about 8 KM east that price drops to 700$.

  14. #74
    Certainly nothing wrong with that, you charge as much as you can without losing business. Why shouldn't you?

    If I can't charge more then 100 from person A because they are poor then thats what I will charge, if person B can pay 300 then thats what I would charge him.

    Redicules notion that you need to charge the same for everyone.
    Last edited by Jackmoves; 2013-01-15 at 09:18 AM.
    The nerve is called the "nerve of awareness". You cant dissect it. Its a current that runs up the center of your spine. I dont know if any of you have sat down, crossed your legs, smoked DMT, and watch what happens... but what happens to me is this big thing goes RRRRRRRRRAAAAAWWW! up my spine and flashes in my brain... well apparently thats whats going to happen if I do this stuff...

  15. #75
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Grakey View Post
    How so? Are taxes not paid in order to provide the government with the ability to provide a service to people? Its fairly obvious that the more wealthy are paying more for the same service, if you chose to look at it that way.
    Because Taxation is not a service in of itself. You have more money, you can easily contribute more to the government without losing more as a majority.

    Not everything is Equal in this world.

  16. #76
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by drwelfare View Post
    In my job I do a decent amount of work in some nice exclusive areas where houses cost 10-20 times what mine is worth. One customer today just openly admitted that people charge them more because of the neighborhood.

    I do not charge more and notice that a lot of the time they are actually really nice to you, on several occasions giving me tips of $50-100.

    Is it wrong to charge someone more for the exact same item or service just because they have a huge house and or $100K + car in the driveway?
    Considering they're doing it themselves and are in essence paying more for your service I see no problem.

    In a way that happens in Nordic welfare states with progressive taxing and large public social services: even though we're going away from that day by day.

  17. #77
    Living in a free market I would say that this is implied.

  18. #78
    Quote Originally Posted by Laize View Post
    Not illegal at all.

    if it were, stores in wealthy neighborhoods wouldn't be allowed to charge more than in other neighborhoods. Yet they do.
    Usually in those areas the costs of running a business is higher. Higher rent etc. So they raise the prices. Also those stores won't sell their stuff to poor people that walk through the door cheaper than they would a rich person.
    Quote Originally Posted by Traknel View Post
    Yes it is. In fact, the next expansion is going to be called "Mists of Metzen" and is just going to be various mobs with his face stuck on them.

  19. #79
    Legendary! Vargur's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by drwelfare View Post
    In my job I do a decent amount of work in some nice exclusive areas where houses cost 10-20 times what mine is worth. One customer today just openly admitted that people charge them more because of the neighborhood.

    I do not charge more and notice that a lot of the time they are actually really nice to you, on several occasions giving me tips of $50-100.

    Is it wrong to charge someone more for the exact same item or service just because they have a huge house and or $100K + car in the driveway?
    If it's because of the neighbourhood, then it's not wrong. It's just like prime habitable space, it costs more in some areas to maintain.
    Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings.
    To resist the influence of others, knowledge of oneself is most important.


  20. #80
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by The Fiend View Post
    Because Taxation is not a service in of itself. You have more money, you can easily contribute more to the government without losing more as a majority.

    Not everything is Equal in this world.
    One easily could but it's a whole another thing if your scenario actually happened in any case.

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