Deadline dilemma.

• Author: Klosterman, Chuck
• Position: The Ethicist - Brief article

A package I recently sent via Express Mail was guaranteed to be delivered the next day by noon but instead arrived at 12:03. Though I'm fully satisfied with the overnight delivery, I'm technically entitled to a full refund. Is it ethical to ask for my money back?

Ross Nizlek, Burlington, Vermont

YOU'RE NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT the package arriving three minutes late; you're questioning an organization breaking its own rules. If the situation were reversed-if the post office closed at 5 p.m. and you showed up with a letter at 5:03-you'd be given no grace period. However, in your case, you shouldn't ask for a refund.

Technically, the service did "fail." But there are many reasons someone might be 3 (or even 23) minutes late, and it's wrong to ignore those factors simply because the...