Office Supply Schemes Hit Abilene
By: Steve Abel, Better Business Bureau
Updated: March 18, 2009
Our thanks goes out to Art Demone, with Accredited Business Innovative Business Systems, alerting us to the latest round of Toner Pirates preying on unsuspecting employees. It seems these schemes have gone into overtime. Complaints about these types of calls include misleading sales calls, unauthorized shipments and over priced / poor quality toner.Train your employees or volunteers, especially new ones & those who answer the telephone or who provide maintenance or support services. If your employees are not familiar with certain callers, advise them to say something like, "I am not authorized to order anything. You will have to speak to the person in charge of ordering supplies and get a purchase order."
What to do if you are victimized:
- If possible do not accept delivery of unordered merchandise
- If you have already accepted the shipment, send the shipper a certified letter with return receipt requested, demanding proof of your order. If there is no valid proof, inform the sender that unless the merchandise is picked up within thirty days, you will dispose of it. By giving the sender an opportunity to recover the merchandise, you invalidate any claim that you accepted an offer of sale merely by keeping the shipment.
- If an invoice for the unordered merchandise arrives, withhold payment and do not use the merchandise. If the firm fails to respond to your letter, contact your Better Business Bureau for assistance at 691-1571.
