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Posted on October 24, 2007 by Jason Petrina | Posted under Business
How to Avoid Being Scammed on your Office Supplies
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Unfortunately, there are many ingenious individuals out there who would like nothing better than to take a good portion of the money you've worked so hard to earn by taking advantage of your unsuspecting nature. One of the most common ways they do this is by tricking you into believing that you have ordered some of your most typical office from them. These office supplies typically include toner for your fax and copy machines, copier paper, equipment maintenance contracts and other supplies such as advertising. The scam may begin with a phone call. The person on the other end of the line may claim that you have ordered items that you have not. The techniques used by these scams can be quite devious. For example, the caller may actually claim to be your regular supplier and use very vague, but insistent language, to try to persuade you. They may also claim they are offering you a lower price, but that it is only good for a limited time period and you must take advantage of it now in order to get the good price. Another common technique used by many scams comes from legitimate enough companies from which you have ordered supplies; however, they may try to run a fast one by you by trying to get you to pay more money than originally agreed. One of the worst aspects about the scams practiced by these unscrupulous people is that the services and products they try to pawn off on you are typically of very poor quality. In the case of equipment maintenance contracts, they may not even exist at all. When you experience a problem with your equipment and try to access the repair service, you realize you've been duped. In addition, the products and services offered by such scams are usually priced far higher than the going rate. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to protect yourself and your business from such unscrupulous business activities. First, make sure that you have an airtight supply purchase procedure. This is one of the most common ways that such scam artists are able to take advantage of unsuspecting businesses. Employees who are not familiar with your procurement procedures or businesses that do not have a good procedure in place are far more likely to be susceptible to such scams. Take the time to incorporate a strong supply ordering procedure and make sure all your employees are aware of it. Secondly, don't be afraid to challenge telemarketers when they call and claim to be either offering you a special deal or even worse, claim they are your regular supplier. Remember, it's your business and it's your right to protect it. Ask for specific names and always request a firm, specific price quote. Even if the price sounds good, be sure you know exactly what is being quoted for how much. You may be surprised to learn the 'great price' is for a smaller amount that you might have been led to believe. Finally, if you believe that you have been duped or scammed, do not hesitate to report the matter to the Federal Trade Commission. Such activities are highly illegal. About The Author: Jason Petrina is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit - www.articleclick.com |
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