THE DILEMMA
Malky and I are neighbors. Together, we saw an ad for Pirchei Pesach Cleaners (PPC). “Our reliable staff gets the job done fast and right!” was their motto. Malky said, “Sounds good to me. I think I’ll give them a call.” I never used PPC myself, but I heard from another neighbor that they’re not exactly fast or reliable. Can I warn Malky?
Tzippy
THE ANSWER
No.
Tzippy does not know for sure that PPC does not provide good service.
We’re allowed to give someone negative information if it will help them avoid a loss. But the first rule of to’eles is that we must make sure the information is true.
Just because someone tells you something – even if it’s someone you trust – that’s no guarantee that the person’s report is really accurate. For instance, Tzippy’s information might come from someone who is unusually picky about cleaning. Therefore, we’re not allowed to report something we haven’t verified. Doing so can cause an unfair loss to the subject being spoken about.
So, if Tzippy can’t verify her information, she can’t repeat what she heard.
