Question:
I was having trouble getting a passport appointment for my son. I was told that this is because certain people have a computer program which gets them the availble appointments and they then go and sell them to other people for 500-1000 shekels. I reached out to one of these people and requested an appointment. Two weeks later he sends me an email with an appointment giving me only two days notice. I sent back an email that I don’t want the appointment do to the short notice. He never responded. Do I have to pay him for his service or is it considered his own loss for not notifying me enough time beforehand?
Answer:
Based solely on what your are describing, you would not and should not pay this person. First of all, you didn’t use his service as you told him that you don’t want the appointment. However more important than that, what this person is doing is illegal, and stealing from the embassy and from the public. Therefore by using his service and paying him for it, you are encouraging him to continue stealing, which is being “machzik yidei ovdei aveiro”. Therefore you can’t pay him.
Hatzlocha
