BUYER BEWARE

What will these callers say?

• "Due to a computer error you were not notified of a price increase. However if you order now, we will honor the old price."
• "I'm the warehouse supplier for your dealer - you can get it cheaper."
• "You can buy now at a substantial savings."

For years, telemarketers have preyed upon unsuspecting consumers by selling office supplies, particularly photocopier toner, over the telephone. In the typical "toner phoner" scam, the salesperson contacts the potential customer, and will often speak to your receptionist or an employee not necessarily familiar with your company's purchasing policies. Many times, the salesperson will represent himself or herself as an employee of Select Business Systems in order to gain trust. The salesperson might state that a sale or special promotion is about to end, and if the employee would simply provide the make and serial number of the copier(s), then your company can place an order for toner before the sale or promotion expires. However, because Select Business Systems prefers to maintain good customer relations through direct contact whenever possible, we do not typically sell supplies over the telephone.  Normally if one of our representatives is calling, they will know the equipment ID attached to your equipment.  The very fact that someone is attempting to sell your company toner over the phone should be a tip that the call may not be legitimate. Particularly when the salesperson purports to be calling from your normal toner supplier, it is easy to understand how an unsuspecting employee might be inclined to oblige without realizing what is truly happening. The salesperson might call again to confirm the order and the proper shipping address. Sometime thereafter, a shipment for toner will arrive with an invoice bearing a price for greater than that which your company normally pays for toner when you buy it from Select Business Systems.  Even worse, if you have a full service and supply maintenance agreement on your copier, the toner supplied by Select Business Systems is covered under the cost of the agreement.

The purpose of this news item is to make you and your employees aware that "toner phoners" are out there, and they are constantly devising new ways to obtain information about your copiers in order to make a sale. Some of these salespeople will stop at nothing to close a sale or obtain payment for a shipment, making threats and abusive remarks to your employees. Obviously, Select Business Systems would never engage in such tactics in order to maintain your valuable business.

Because your satisfaction is our primary concern, we are here to help. If a "toner phoner" ever contacts one of your employees, please contact us right away. You should also contact Business Technology Association at (800) 869-6688, for guidance and advice about reporting any incidents.  It is important that you report these incidents to the proper authorities right away so that these fraudulent telemarketers can be stopped.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Here is a link to an article on Snopes entitled "Supplies Surprise" that shows just how long this scam has been around.