Fraud, Dishonesty And Your Reputation
It appears that there has been a rise recently in the amount of online fraud - both in the form of phishing type emails and fake or fraudulent websites selling goods or services which you either
never receive or if you are lucky, you eventually receive them after weeks or months of complaints and hassle
Unfortunately I seem to have found myself caught up in one of these dodgy businesses again this month - and I am annoyed at myself for letting it happen.
In short - I bought a product I saw advertised in a Facebook ad. The product was a solar powered outdoor security light. I had seen the advert on FB for over a week so obviously the company was throwing a bit of money into advertising. The ad looked legit and clicking through it took me to a website that looked legit too.
It had a .co.uk domain so I presumed it was a UK company and the product would be delivered in a few days. There was nothing to say otherwise in the ordering procedure and I paid by PayPal. This was on 1st October
After 10 days I emailed the company to inquire about my order and was sent a "tracking number" which when I tried it showed that the package was allegedly coming from China!!
I emailed again to complain that this was not made clear during ordering and I would not have ordered if I knew that was going to take the 10-15 days they were now suggesting for delivery.
Clearly this is some sort of dropshipping setup where the "entrepreneur" sets up what appears to be a UK business and advertises to UK residents but they are then forwarding the orders to some dropshipping company in China. This may well be a legitimate way to do business but at least be honest with the customer and explain what will happen with an order!
Anyway, it's now day 24 since I ordered and when I checked the alleged tracking number today it tells me the package arrived in UK on 15th October and somehow made it's way back to China on 20th October.
I don't think I will ever see my security light and of course there is no reply from the supplier. I looked at their Facebook page earlier and unsurprisingly it has been getting a lot of angry comments recently.
This is the second time I have experienced one of these dodgy dropshippers this year. In March, I saw another product advertised via FB ad - "a neck hammock" for relieving neck pain, which I ordered for my wife. Same story - it never arrived so I had to charge back via PayPal.
I try to support the "little guy" online rather than order from the likes of Amazon but I am growing reluctant to do so again if I keep running into this kind of bad customer experience.
It's a reminder to us all about doing business online. Remember:
It takes a long time to build a good reputation, but only a second to destroy it or create a bad reputation!
Don't be tempted to cut corners and give bad service to your customers or set up dodgy deals with dropshippers who let your customers down. It's not their reputation that suffers - it's yours!
Have a good weekend everyone.
I'm off to start a PayPal dispute and find a new supplier of a security light - after all the clocks go back tonight!
Cheers
Dave
Recent Comments
55
Hi Dave,
Sorry for your unfortunate deals with a questionable supplier. There are so many companies that want the quick "buck" and figure they can fool you or maybe they are legit but not as sharp about all the details. At any rate, you certainly have a good attitude toward this situation.
A great lesson for all of us to be sure to inform our customers of all the important details.
Thanks for sharing.
Bill
Hi Bill
Yes it’s so important to look after customers rather than look to take advantage and make a quick buck. Who wants to have to deal with angry people after all!
Thanks
Dave
I worked hard on e-bay to do dropshiping.
People started buying but the profit was very small.
Twice I had in a short time people say they did not want the item.
Isaid to return them but they were never returned and paypal returned their money.
Online shoplifters so I gave it away.
Tom.
It is like you said, dropshipping is a legitimate way of doing business. But not telling your client that there is a delivery time of x days because this product comes from an international partner they work with (before the purchase is made) is horrible service. Thanks for the share.
Hi Luc
Yes its the deception which really bugs me.
If that's how you run your business then at least be honest about delivery time. Who wants to have to deal with angry customers?
Thanks
Dave
Sad to see this happening. Some people have made up their mind still from people without thinking. I went through the same thing. I ordered some stuff on fb and I never got it. I tried trucking but it wouldn't allow me, even I couldn't log to view my order. I thought I was the only one who got scammed, but I realized there were lot of people complaining that they have not gotten their items. It is really bad, that is not the way to make money. I have learnt my lesson.
It's a shame people act this way and ruin the reputation of small businesses in general. Scams can make a quick buck but are rarely a long term option.
Those who run them are just lazy and deceitful.
We live and learn!
See more comments
Hi Dave,
That’s unfortunate. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen those in the past year. I even fell for one of them a couple of years ago- so I get what you’re saying.
You make a great point about building a good reputation rather than making a quick buck here and there. That’s what I love about WA- we’re here to build long-term, honest/legitimate businesses. It takes more time and effort, but it’s well worth it.
Thanks for sharing, and hope the PayPal thing works out for you.
Best,
-Eric
Hi Eric
Yes the WA ethos of building a business for the long term is what we all need to aspire to rather than the quick buck that others chase.
Getting customers who know, like and trust you leads to repeat business and growth.
Thanks
Dave