Here is my second real story relating to the above. Last week, I was looking for a locksmith to duplicate an additional key for my car. In case you are wondering, I am driving a Citroen C4 Picasso and this is one of those cars where it has a unique looking key that needs to be initialized before you can start the ignition. Like everything else in Sydney, the cost for duplicating the key is really high. I was faced with a dilemma. Not every key-maker can duplicate the key and even if they can, they are charging a bomb.
I finally found a key-maker who is a well established locksmith in Chatswood. When I asked the person whether he can duplicate the key, he took the key and ran through a few tests with the key using a machine. After that, he checked the catalogue and said he can do it but I need to bring in the car in as he needed the car for at least an hour or so. I asked him, how much would it cost? He said “One forty”. I then asked, “How about for two?”. He replied “Two eighty”. It didn’t strike me then, but looking back, if I am a literal person, I would think one key is for forty dollars and for two, well, eighty dollars. Apparently, that would probably be what the person was saying according to a literal person.
To avoid this kind of confusion, what do you think the person should have said? Well, the person should have said it in full, “One hundred and forty dollars” rather than “One forty”. What created even more confusion was that for 2 keys, it will indeed be two hundred and eighty dollars or as the person said, “Two eighty”. If the key is for fifty dollars each, the literal person would know straightaway the actual amount as 2 keys will be one hundred dollars and there is no other way to say it except that. Therefore, like stated earlier, there should be no “short-cut” language, so “don’t be lazy, say it in full!”.
I finally found a key-maker who is a well established locksmith in Chatswood. When I asked the person whether he can duplicate the key, he took the key and ran through a few tests with the key using a machine. After that, he checked the catalogue and said he can do it but I need to bring in the car in as he needed the car for at least an hour or so. I asked him, how much would it cost? He said “One forty”. I then asked, “How about for two?”. He replied “Two eighty”. It didn’t strike me then, but looking back, if I am a literal person, I would think one key is for forty dollars and for two, well, eighty dollars. Apparently, that would probably be what the person was saying according to a literal person.
To avoid this kind of confusion, what do you think the person should have said? Well, the person should have said it in full, “One hundred and forty dollars” rather than “One forty”. What created even more confusion was that for 2 keys, it will indeed be two hundred and eighty dollars or as the person said, “Two eighty”. If the key is for fifty dollars each, the literal person would know straightaway the actual amount as 2 keys will be one hundred dollars and there is no other way to say it except that. Therefore, like stated earlier, there should be no “short-cut” language, so “don’t be lazy, say it in full!”.
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