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The email clearly says that the excess purchase will be refunded. He lost me here; I was mystified when he decided to purchase another $9975.

scarface74 5y ago
If I have a $10K credit limit, I charge $9975 and then I pay $9975, my credit limit is automatically increased back to $10K before the payment goes through. She didn’t have a completely incorrect mental model. But the credit card company is being a lot more lenient than the government is being and the government should be more strict.
adrianmonk 5y ago
Oh, I think the email is ambiguous! I had a totally different interpretation, although I absolutely see yours now. I interpreted "refund of the excess purchase" to mean that it is a refund of the whole purchase. If it were a partial refund, they could have just written "refund of the excess". By adding "purchase", they made it sound to me like there are two categories of purchases (excess and non-excess) and that this purchase belongs to the excess category. That is, I saw "excess" as an adjective that says why the refund is happening, not how much is being refunded. The more I analyze the wording, the less I'm sure which interpretation is right.
- leephillips 5y ago
  Me too! My interpretation was obvious to me at first, but after reading your comments and others I can easily see it the other way. I still think my interpretation is more natural, but there’s no question that they should have been less ambiguous. How easy it would have been to use a few more words for more clarity. Also, ideally, the actual amounts in question should have been spelled out in the email.
sam1r 5y ago
Wait a second, does that mean that his original plan to invest $10k, after the excess refund, was accomplished? The last statement of the post mentions how he will not get any return. But he's only going to be refunded the excess. So ultimately, did he, or will he still make his $850, as initially intended?
- leephillips 5y ago
  The author is invested, but there is some question about whether he or she has realized that.

scarface74 5y ago

If I have a $10K credit limit, I charge $9975 and then I pay $9975, my credit limit is automatically increased back to $10K before the payment goes through. She didn’t have a completely incorrect mental model. But the credit card company is being a lot more lenient than the government is being and the government should be more strict.

adrianmonk 5y ago

Oh, I think the email is ambiguous! I had a totally different interpretation, although I absolutely see yours now. I interpreted "refund of the excess purchase" to mean that it is a refund of the whole purchase. If it were a partial refund, they could have just written "refund of the excess". By adding "purchase", they made it sound to me like there are two categories of purchases (excess and non-excess) and that this purchase belongs to the excess category. That is, I saw "excess" as an adjective that says why the refund is happening, not how much is being refunded. The more I analyze the wording, the less I'm sure which interpretation is right.

leephillips 5y ago
Me too! My interpretation was obvious to me at first, but after reading your comments and others I can easily see it the other way. I still think my interpretation is more natural, but there’s no question that they should have been less ambiguous. How easy it would have been to use a few more words for more clarity. Also, ideally, the actual amounts in question should have been spelled out in the email.

sam1r 5y ago

Wait a second, does that mean that his original plan to invest $10k, after the excess refund, was accomplished? The last statement of the post mentions how he will not get any return. But he's only going to be refunded the excess. So ultimately, did he, or will he still make his $850, as initially intended?

leephillips 5y ago
The author is invested, but there is some question about whether he or she has realized that.