Here's another post inspired by an assignment, this time from Informal Logic:
Consider a recent argument and present it in a premise/conclusion format.
The following is a true story.
Just a few hours ago, I was reminded of a bitter dispute
between my family and, of all places, a karate studio. We were sent a collections letter seeking
payment in the amount of $1400, despite attempts to negotiate directly with the
owner of the studio regarding the cancellation of a two-year contract for
karate classes once my husband’s medical treatments and the costs thereof
created a long-term shortage in our budget.
When the issue initially came up, following a robbery of our
apartment and subsequent purchase of expensive medication to replace what had
been stolen, we spoke to the owner of the karate studio with the hopes that he
would be understanding of our circumstances and make arrangements to buy out
the contract or, even better, forgive the remaining obligation completely. Our premise was simple: we could not afford
to continue paying for karate classes.
In response, the karate studio owner’s premise was that we
had signed a legal contract and were obligated to continue paying him for the
duration with no exception. However, he
advised us to pen a letter to the “customer service department” explaining our
circumstances and that “they” would consider further action, implying that
there would be some resolution if we followed this course.
We wrote the letter as he advised, stopped bringing our
five-year-old to karate classes, and were surprised to see additional payments
taken from our bank account via the debit card he had on file. We followed up with the studio owner,
insisting that we had written the letter as advised and were expecting
resolution, not more charges, and he restated his initial premise in harsher
terms: that we signed a contract and were obligated to pay at any expense,
regardless of our circumstances. Further, we discovered through subsequent phone calls that there was not a separate "customer service" department, as he was the sole owner of the studio and was obligated to no higher power.
Facing
this staunch opposition, we chose to cancel the debit card he had been
charging, thus removing his iron grip on our finances. Yes, I've been sleeping soundly.
This exchange took place several months ago, and the letter
of collection came today. The conclusion I have drawn is that, despite being in
the business of teaching honor and respect, the karate studio owner values
money over people. He may have concluded
that we are liars or deadbeats, but I value his perception of me as much as he
seems to value mine of him.
Clearly, the fight is far from over.
