Buyer Beware
Millions of dollars are conned out of businesses each year by office supply schemers. Always be alert to questionable marketing practices used by callers that may be offering you special pricing, etc.
TACTICS OF A SCAM
- They may mislead you to solicit an order
- They might try to con you with a fabricated tale of a “disaster”.
- They may claim to be conducting a survey of office equipment or updating their records.
- They may try to pressure you into placing an immediate order.
- They may offer free gifts.
- They may misrepresent merchandise, including the quality, type, size, and brand name of their product.
- They may refuse to accept returned merchandise.
YOU SHOULD DO THE FOLLOWING:
- Get everything in writing
- Refuse to make commitments with the unknown.
- Alert employees in your department to the supply scam.
- NEVER GIVE ACCOUNT NUMBERS OR PERSONAL INFORMATION TO ANYONE CALLING OR EMAILING YOU!!!!
- Only give your PCard account information to vendors that you trust.
If you are the victim of a scam, you should:
- Alert your supervisor
- Contact Purchasing
"Toner Phoners"
The College is currently under contract with Office Basics. Visit the Office Supply Page for more information.
PHOTOCOPIER/PRINTER TONERS AND SUPPLIES - “Toner Phoners”
All toner for copiers is paid for through a maintenance contract so beware of “Toner Phoners”! There are several unscrupulous businesses out there who attempt to sell you outrageously priced toner over the phone. They may start with asking you what is the model or ID# of the copier near your desk. They may say they have extra stock of the toner you need or the price is soon to increase. They may offer to ship you a toner on trial. Regardless of what they say, don’t give them ANY information. You will never need to purchase toner for machines in your area. A quick way to ditch these “toner phoners” is to tell them you would like to transfer them to the person in the organization who purchases toner – they will hang up before you can transfer them!