Date: October 12th, 2018 12:02 PM
Author: zippy talented market mood
The Millers rented an apartment for Sukkos in Yerushalayim. Before leaving, they came to pay the landlord.
“We owe you $1,500 for the apartment,” said Mr. Miller.
“How many were you?” asked the landlord.
“We were six,” replied Mr. Miller.
“The apartment was $1,500 plus an additional $250 for each person beyond four,” replied landlord. “The total is $2,000.”
“I don’t remember that,” said Mr. Miller. “I remember that my wife told me $1,500.”
“The price is for four people,” replied the landlord. “That is what I tell everyone when they call. I assume that I told her also.”
“We had asked you to send an email confirmation of the price and you didn’t,” said Mr. Miller. “At this point, there’s no record of what we arranged. I’m willing to split the difference with you and pay $1,750.”
“OK,” agreed the landlord.
When the Millers returned home, they tried to locate their initial communication with the landlord. Finally, Mrs. Miller found a paper with various rental options and price quotes. “I see that I wrote $250 per additional person,” she said. “We owe the landlord another $250.”
“At this point, it’s over,” said Mr. Miller. “We already compromised with the landlord and settled with him.”
“Do you think that’s fair?” asked Mrs. Miller.
“All compromises are like that,” he answered Mr. Miller. “You might gain; you might lose.”
“But the compromise was a mistake,” said Mrs. Miller. “Had we had this paper with us, we never would have questioned the price. He wouldn’t have settled for $1,750.”
“I hear your point,” said Mr. Miller, “but I’m not sure it matters. I’ll consult Rabbi Dayan.”
Mr. Miller called Rabbi Dayan. “I had a dispute with the landlord about the rent,” said Mr. Miller. “We settled with a compromise, but I later discovered that he was right. Must I pay the remainder?”
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4104177&forum_id=2#37007991)