“Reasonable” Usually Means “Unreasonable”

This is a bit of a vent…

rea•son•able  adjective \ˈrēz-nə-bəl, ˈrē-zən-ə-bəl\ a :  being in accordance with reason <a reasonable theory>

b :  not extreme or excessive <reasonable requests>

c :  moderate, fair <a reasonable chance> <a reasonable price>

d :  inexpensive

According to Merriam-Webster, that is the definition of reasonable.  However, in the business world it seems to meet this definition:

un•rea•son•able adjective \-ˈrēz-nə-bəl, -ˈrē-zən-ə-bəl\

: not fair, sensible, or appropriate : not reasonable

a :  not governed by or acting according to reason<unreasonable people>

b :  not conformable to reason :  absurd <unreasonable beliefs>

:  exceeding the bounds of reason or moderation <working under unreasonable pressure>

For example, when someone says that they are looking for ABC service at a reasonable price, it usually means at an absurdly low price or free.  I understand that a reasonable price is relative to what that person perceives the cost should be, but it seems that most people that use the word “reasonable” perceive the cost to be well below industry standards.  In my personal experience, it seems to be the perceived cost is low because a) the person does not see the value in the service to begin with; or b) they do not understand the amount of effort, time and energy that may be put into such a project to achieve their desired result.  Either way, when someone uses the word reasonable when inquiring about my services, a red flag is waved.  More than likely, they have received other quotes and did not like the pricing or did not feel them to be reasonable.

Time constraints seem to be another area I often hear the word reasonable used.  For example, someone needs a project/service completed in a reasonable amount of time.  Usually this tends to mean an unreasonably short amount of time.  Sometimes the offender is the service provider with an unreasonably long amount of time to complete the project.  Again, I understand that perception may play a large role in what someone deems to be reasonable or unreasonable, but I have to believe that deep down they know it may be a bit absurd.

Have you had a similar experience with the use of the word “reasonable?”