Do I need to pay for a gas station attendant's mistake?

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

Recently, I went to a gas station and gave the attendant $20 to refill my tank. When I glanced over at the pump, I realized that he had mistakenly put in more than $20 worth of gas. Should I have insisted on paying only $20 or paid the difference?

Vincent Mazzolla, New Arlington, N.J.

TECHNICALLY, YOU CAN REFUSE TO COMPROMISE. You made a clear verbal agreement and one party failed to fulfill his side of that bargain. If you insisted on not giving the station one penny more than $20, there's not much they could do.

But is that something you ought to do? I don't think so. The man made a mistake. These things happen. It's not as if he accidentally filled your...