Terry: Months ago, I submitted a claim for my stolen bicycle to my insurance company. After hearing nothing for several weeks, I contacted the firm and found they had no record of my claim. Since then, I have resubmitted the claim twice and called the firm repeatedly, but I have yet to receive a settlement. Anyone can make mistakes, of course, but the persistence of the error makes me conclude that the company is deliberately avoiding paying up.
Question: Which one of the following principles is violated by Terry’s reasoning?
Options:
A. Consumers should avoid attributing dishonesty to a corporation when the actions of the corporation might instead be explained by incompetence.
B. Consumers should attempt to keep themselves informed of corporate behavior that directly affects their interests.
C. In judging the quality of service of a corporation, a consumer should rely primarily on the consumer’s own experience with the corporation.
D. In judging the morality of a corporation’s behavior, as opposed to that of an individual, mitigating circumstances are irrelevant.
E. Corporations ought to make available to a customer any information the customer requests that is relevant to the customer’s interests.
Answer: A