yeah im always honest with my bills/change

the old ladys purse i just robbed would be a different matter though

I would go back and explain a mistake was made with the change. I would tell them in no uncertain terms that I had given them $100. It is funny this question is even asked. Doing the right thing shouldn't be considered exceptional.

You did the right thing, especially (as somebody already mentioned) when the staff could be docked for it. I once had a tuktuk driver do the same for me. Accidentally gave him a $50 grouped in with a couple of singles for a $3 ride. Didn't notice until the following day that I was short of cash, but really had no idea exactly how much or where it might have gone. Wasn't even 100% sure I hadn't spent it. A week later I ran across the same tuktuk on the river. He came running over to me, handed me the $50 and explained what happened. I gave him $10 reward, took a $2 tuktuk ride somewhere, and gave him another $10 for the ride.

I once gave a tuk tuk driver $100 instead of $1.
I didn't realize until it was time to pay for dinner.
It was dark where he stopped, plus I was chatting and distracted. Valuable lesson learned.


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LTO wrote:You did the right thing, especially (as somebody already mentioned) when the staff could be docked for it. I once had a tuktuk driver do the same for me. Accidentally gave him a $50 grouped in with a couple of singles for a $3 ride. Didn't notice until the following day that I was short of cash, but really had no idea exactly how much or where it might have gone. Wasn't even 100% sure I hadn't spent it. A week later I ran across the same tuktuk on the river. He came running over to me, handed me the $50 and explained what happened. I gave him $10 reward, took a $2 tuktuk ride somewhere, and gave him another $10 for the ride.

That was nice of you to do. I am somewhat surprised he had any money left over a week later. In this case I would have probably gave him the $50 and would have asked him to just remember me and be reasonable on fares in the future. I am not saying he was ever over charging or that what you did wasn't a great thing to do. I guess what I would do is give him the chance to earn the money. This could put an end to be ripped off at night when going home from bars.

I would also have asked him for his phone number so I could refer him to others because of his honesty. In this way I could help him make more than the original $50 was worth. Again it isn't a criticism of how you handled it. I am just a bit wary of tipping too much these days, I would have kept the reward and the price of trips clearly separated. We know why you did it that way but sometimes the locals don't understand generosity for what it is. Obviously I wasn't there and he may actually have understood this distinction.

Actually, the whole reward and tip thing wasn't really well thought out. When he gave me the $50, I immediately thought 'this guy deserves a reward' and handed him $10. Then while taking the tuktuk ride I began to worry that I hadn't given him enough, hence the second $10. As I have used him several times, and the price of where I go is fairly well established, I think he understood the second $10. But even after that I wasn't sure if I'd given too much or too little. As for giving his phone number to others, that's a good idea. Unfortunately, this guy speaks zero English, so he's not the ideal candidate for that.

IraHayes wrote:Gloria Jeans on the riverside just gave me a $50 instead of a $5 in my change. I will have a shower and then go back and correct their mistake. Why? Because it is the right thing to do ... but (and please be honest) what would you do?

I'll be honest, I would have inspected my change and handed it back there and then.

Do what any Khmer would do, and take that extra $50 to KTV!

Why bother going back to the shop? Just give it to a policeman and he will do it for you. My instant reaction is always to correct the mistake. At least I was brought up properly as far as honesty goes. I must admit, if it was just a 1000R I may not be bothered to go and correct it, especially if I know they are charging me barang tax.
That brings about an interesting question; Would you return the cash if you knew the person was a thief?