The Honesty System: Part 1

Beautiful Plants with droplets of water in the park.

I’ve always considered myself an honest person, and in my home, we have one principle: always tell the truth. I grew up with this mindset, and while it served me well, nothing could have prepared me for the honesty system in the Netherlands.

In many places in Europe, particularly in countries with low unemployment rates, you often find that people are expected to do more for themselves. For example, in Dutch stores, we usually check out our own items—this even applies to clothing stores like Zara and H&M.

There’s a trusting atmosphere where both people and systems rely on each other to do the right thing. Do not get me wrong, there are people who will find a way to exploit the system no matter where you are and how low the unemployment rate, but the system works because there are more people working with it than against it.

As you can imagine, we have online stores similar to those in South Africa. One of the most popular ones, similar to Takealot, is called Bol.com. Since I was new to the country and wanted to get some special chocolate for the arrival of Sinterklaas, I decided to give it a try base on the recommendation of a colleague.

I placed my order, expecting to be taken to the page where I could enter my payment details, but instead, I was shown a page that said, "Order received, will be delivered on...". At least that's what I thought because of my limited Afrikaans knowledge. This was confusing because I hadn’t entered any payment information. So, I tried again, and the same thing happened. Naturally, I assumed it was some kind of scam. Feeling insecure, I double-checked all my banking apps, even though I hadn’t given any payment details.

Determined to try again, I went through the process more slowly this time. That’s when I noticed at the bottom of the order page: my payment method was listed as "achteraf betaling"—payment after delivery. This means I could pay for the item up to 14 days after receiving it. As a matter of convenience it is, you can receive an item, decide if you want to keep it and then pay for it instead of paying upfront and going through a lengthy return. I was so stressed, the moment I realized my mistake and quickly called their customer service. They were so understanding, and after explaining the situation and why they have this policy , they canceled two of my orders for me.

I was left speechless. As a South African, I still cannot fathom the idea of paying for something after receiving it, especially after having experienced so many situations where you pay upfront and do not receive what you paid for. It’s just such a different way of doing business.

Looking back now, I can’t help but admire the trust embedded in this system. It’s a concept that is both refreshing and a little daunting at first, but I’m starting to understand it more. It’s a leap of faith, but one that seems to work well in a society built on mutual respect and integrity.

Until next time. ♥️