BE WARY OF SALES CALLS ON OFFICE EQUIP.

[Anonymous]

Be wary of sales calls for office equipment
BBB warns not to give out info when inquiry unsolicited
If
you get a call at the office asking for information about your office
or computer equipment, you might want to think twice about giving it.
Some
local businesses have gotten calls asking for serial numbers to their
equipment and, sometimes, the names of those in charge of ordering
office supplies, said Michele McDaniel, president and CEO of the Better
Business Bureau of North Alabama.The callers often say they are calling
from “business systems” or a similar name. They ask for the model
numbers on printers and other office equipment, McDaniel said.”They
have all this information and call you back and act like they’re your
service provider,” she said.Sometimes the callers send supplies that
the business didn’t order and expect to be paid. Other times, they send
out used toner “that could harm your machine,” McDaniel
said.Office-supply scams have been around for years, she said.”In the
past that has been one of the top three or top five complaints we hear
from businesspeople,” she said.Every year, businesses lose millions of
dollars to con artists, according to the Better Business Bureau.
Businesses from 27 states have registered complaints with the BBB about
the schemes.Small businesses in particular need to be alert to “toner
phoners,” “paper pirates” and other less-than-ethical salespeople who
use tricks to peddle office supplies.According to the BBB, a
telemarketer typically asks to speak with the person in charge of
ordering supplies. The caller than asks questions which usually require
a “yes” response from the employee. Afterward, a shipment is sent to
the place of business, usually containing paper towels, credit card
slips or something similar, accompanied by an invoice that is about 10
times the value of the shipment.If the business contacts the supplier
to question the invoice, the supplier plays a tape recording of the
employee agreeing to order the product. If the business files a
complaint with the BBB, the complaint is immediately addressed and
resolved.But many small retailers never file a complaint and may not
realize they’ve been the victim of a scam, according to the bureau.The
BBB offers these tips to protect your business from office scams:Train
your staff. Advise employees who are not authorized to order supplies
and services to refer any such salespeople to the purchasing
department.Instruct the purchasing department not to respond verbally
to unsolicited phone offers for office supplies. Require that all sales
pitches be made in writing.Do not deal with unknown sellers without
first verifying the reliability and complaint history of the seller.
Every purchase should be documented by issuing a purchase order to the
supplier with an authorized signature and a purchase order number.The
handling of invoices and the like should be centralized and
authorization closely checked.Keep a list of regularly used vendors.
This will help protect your business against schemers who claim that
your company has used their services.

[Author]

December 7, 2006 at 1:28 PM