[braden]

Hi Bennett,
I read your post twice. To my mind, this is clearly unethical conduct on the part of the other party. They have used you solely as a means to further their own end, of making money. This is never acceptable.

The problem is: what can you do? When legal rules are broken, there are clear courses of action one can take, and a clear punishment for such acts. (The punishment might vary from case to case, but there is a punishment nonetheless.) But what happens when moral rules are broken (e.g. "do not lie", "do not treat others merely as a means to an end")? What courses of action can one take, and what punishment is appropriate (and who is to administer this punishment)?

I'm a big believer that the most effective sanction against immoral conduct such as that you describe is public disapproval. This being the case, the appropriate course of action would be to name and shame, on this thread. Not only will this (justifiably) tarnish the person's name, but you might well be doing others a service by warning them of this person. And remember, truth is the best defense against defamation.

A lot of people would sit back and thing "what goes around comes around - this person will get what is coming to them". I don't believe in that karma nonsense. One has to take action to make sure that bad deeds do not go unpunished - one has to make what goes around come around. But then I might be more vengeful than most.

But if you're not willing to take this course of action, then the best thing to do (in my opinion) is to look in the mirror and remind yourself that you have not done anything wrong in this instance. Your character is intact.

On a more professional note, have you thought of getting your clients to sign a binding agreement to the effect that they will put their offers through you for properties you have introduced them to?

I hope this experience does not leave you with a bad taste in your mouth - unfortunately there's not really much we can do when others choose to act unethically.
Cheers