basement drain

[Wlightfoot]

My brother in law has a little water that comes into his unfinished basement, and a handy man said that he could cut a hole in the slab, and up in a drain. Nothing else, just a hole that would let water go in the drain and into the dirt below the slab. I said that this was not a good idea, that he should pipe it out from under the house(Very Expensive), or put in a sump pump, and have that pump the water out of the house. Suggestions?