Common Cents
VERNAL, Utah-
We’ve all been there…….so upset at a bill that we knew was completely unjust that we’d do just about anything to get it corrected. I know I’ve been there and in many cases it’s not really about the amount of money owed, it’s about the principle. How many times over the years have I talked about “the principle of the matter” in different StrangeRush posts? I’m big on principle, so when a story comes up involving it, I truly get it. Of course there are two sides to every story, and any case involving “principle” is subject to human perception, and in some cases lack of it.
When 38-year-old Utah resident, Jason West walked into the Basin Clinic in Vernal, Utah, he didn’t feel he should have to pay the $25 bill he had from them. In the medical world, $25 is a mere pittance, and in many cases it’s more difficult to dispute such a small amount than to go ahead and pay it. I do not know the details of West’s issue with the clinic, so I have no opinion on whether he was right or wrong, and in the grand scheme of this story, it’s completely irrelevant. Jason felt he should not have to pay the bill, and as a man of principle myself, I respect him for fighting for what he believed was right.
When Jason entered the Basin Clinic, he had a solid plan. The first thing he did was ask the staff if they took cash. When they confirmed they did, Jason West took 2,500 pennies (about 14 pounds) and dumped them on the desk, then demanded the staff members count them for payment. Like I said earlier, we’ve all been there……that mad, that is. But actually going as far as dumping 14 pounds of pennies onto someone’s desk is pretty ballsy. But when someone is convinced they’re right, you never know to what extent they’ll go.
This sort of occurrence is actually not all that uncommon. I have several other similar stories to draw from where people pay bills with extraordinary amounts of pennies, and in most cases those bills were far more than $25. But there was something about this particular story that, in my eyes, set it apart from the rest. When Jason West dumped the 2,500 pennies on the desk, which became strewn out everywhere, clinic staff took offense to the act and called police, who came and cited West for disorderly conduct.
I wonder how long it’s going to take Jason West to save 14,000 pennies, because that’s likely how much his fine is going to be.
The moral of the story: When paying in pennies, nicely place them down in front of the cash register, smile, and politely ask for a receipt.
