# Let's warn each other of scammers and business secrets **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 20, 2005, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918 "2005-11-20T11:06:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918/21 "2005-11-22T02:44:32Z")
Gawd, I hate the Toner Scam People, thanks to my stint at on the reception desk at a busy real estate office. Here’s a hint: the legitimate toner supplier doesn’t get incredibly rude on the phone, and tell you to f\*ck off when you question their legitimacy, and then hang up on you. Also, those formally-phrased emails and faxes from people in foreign countries who have suffered a loss of a loved one who happened to have seventeen kijillion dollars that needs to be moved out of the country… Hard to believe, I know, but people are still falling for the Nigerian Scam. **Business Secret:** Don’t be rude, snippy, haughty or anything other than polite and respectful to the receptionist or the secretary at a company. If you are, we, I mean _they_ will make sure the boss never, ever gets your message, or that you ever get whatever you’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918/22 "2005-11-22T03:19:19Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > The only tactic that I can say I wasn’t expecting when I went new car shopping was when the car dealer tried to convince me I was stupid for doing the math to see what the monthly payments would come out to be, like if I was afraid he would think less of me I wouldn’t sit down and do the math. He offered me a new car for $14,000 and when I didn’t want that one he offered me a used car for $19,000. When I told him I wouldn’t pay 5000 dollars more for a used car, he told me he hates it when ignorant people try to total up their monthly payments to see what they are being charged. He explained that **buying a car is like buying a house, it is something that builds up value over time.** Yeah, he actually said that. Needless to say, I didn’t buy a car from him. A good salesman will ask you what your price range is, what you want the payments to be, and how much you want to put down. With that information he can then tell you if you’re wasting your time, i.e., if you want a $60K Escalade, want your payments to be $200/mo and want to put $0 down, you’ll never get there. The guy you talked to was an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918/23 "2005-11-22T04:28:00Z")
I say no to buying virtually EVERYTHING when it is initially offered. It is a rule of mine. This applies to any kind of sales pitch down to a $1 dollar charity ticket at the grocery store. I go back and research things that might be of interest and come back to the seller if it works out. I don’t know why more people to use this strategy. Just have your mind made up that you are going to say no at the end of whatever pitch or deal is offered. If it is legit and a good idea, it will be there tomorrow and check out fine. I almost look forward to salespeople approaching me with any deal. The decision is set in stone and they can struggle with it at their peril. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918/24 "2005-11-22T15:48:07Z")
The simple solution that I have adopted is to never, never buy anything that is offered via phone solicitation. If I accidently answer a sales call because I didn’t check the caller id first, then if I’m in a passingly good mood, I’ll say, “Please take this number off your call list” and then hang up. If I’m not, I’ll screw around with them and waste as much of their time as I can. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918/25 "2005-11-22T16:07:26Z")
Sometimes, some seedy looking guy might try and sell you speakers from the back of his van. The implication is that they were stolen, and you are (illegally) buying expensive speakers at a fraction of the price. In fact, what you are actually doing is completely legal. You are buying homemade speakers the guy put together himself. Problem is, he makes real crappy speakers. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918/26 "2005-11-22T16:17:48Z")
> [@KJ](#): > > The salesman was counting on the fact that I didn’t know what a dirty filter looked like, and he would’ve gotten away with it if I didn’t already know it was clean. I bet a lot of people threw away perfectly good car filters because they didn’t know any better. A good rule of thumb is that if you can see through it, it’s okay. So ask him to hold it up to the light. If you see light through it, have him put it back in. If one side is dirtier just have him rotate it 180 degrees before replacing. I was at Best Buy one day looking for something and decided to evesdrop on a salesman selling a naive family a home theatre setup. He actually told them that unless they upgrade from composite video cables to s-video they WON’T be able to use surround sound. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918/27 "2005-11-22T16:44:21Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Newsflash: The saleman gets diddly squat on warranties. Extended warranties are sold to the customer by someone who is very good at convincing people they are necessary. Profits go to the company, with a percentage to the guy that sold you the warranty. **Chefguy** , can you elaborate on this? Specifically, are you referring to extended warranties on automobiles only? If so, then I agree that the car salesman is never the one who offers this; it is offered when you fill out the paperwork with … I don’t know … I call him “The Closer”. But I know that extended warranties for household appliances at department stores are most definitely offered by the same salesperson who rings up the sale. And I overheard a salesperson gloating once over his success in selling warranties, dwelling particularly on a $25 dollar warranty for a $40 toaster. He was claiming that a large part of his income came from these warranties. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918/28 "2005-11-22T20:03:34Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > [Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5691662&postcount=13) is the post I refered to above. > > Good one, **ivylass** :o We used to get these calls all the time. The funny thing was, we had our copier on trade, including supplies, in exchange for commercial advertising time. So I got to play dumb with the toner pirates, “I’m sorry, we have a barter agreement with you. Why are you now charging us for the toner?” > [@KJ](#): > > Then he says I should pay a little more for something else, and finally he takes out the filter, looks at it for a few seconds and says “You know, your filter is really dirty. You can replace it here for just $20.” Now I know he’s lying to me to make a sale, because when my stepdad checked the filter just a few weeks earlier he said it looked fine. The salesman was counting on the fact that I didn’t know what a dirty filter looked like, and he would’ve gotten away with it if I didn’t already know it was clean. I bet a lot of people threw away perfectly good car filters because they didn’t know any better. It takes two seconds to change an air filter. _I_ could do it. It’s nothing more than a wingnut you have to screw off. Buy the filters at AutoZone and have done with it. > [@Sternvogel](#): > > Also, it’s highly unlikely that any legitimate company has ever sent a truck to deliver a huge order of meat to a customer, only to find that said customer has moved out of town or just wasn’t at home, and the driver now (as he tells you when he knocks on your door and you answer) has all kinds of steaks and chops he can sell to you at irresistibly low prices because the food can’t be returned to the warehouse once it leaves the premises… Why would _anyone_ buy food out of the back of a truck? I shudder every time I pass one of those “shrimp” stands on the road. How long have those shrimp been sitting out in the sun? If I get food poisoning, who do I sue? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918/29 "2005-11-23T02:15:36Z")
> [@Plynck](#): > > **Chefguy** , can you elaborate on this? Specifically, are you referring to extended warranties on automobiles only? If so, then I agree that the car salesman is never the one who offers this; it is offered when you fill out the paperwork with … I don’t know … I call him “The Closer”. > > But I know that extended warranties for household appliances at department stores are most definitely offered by the same salesperson who rings up the sale. And I overheard a salesperson gloating once over his success in selling warranties, dwelling particularly on a $25 dollar warranty for a $40 toaster. He was claiming that a large part of his income came from these warranties. Yeah, I was referring to the car business, which is what I’m familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918/30 "2005-11-23T04:32:56Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It’s more likely that you won’t even see much of it coming, depending on the level of experience of the salesman. There is a large arsenal of sales techniques that are extremely effective (far too much to describe on a message board); the days of “what would it take to put you in this car today”, or the old “If I could, would you…” are long discarded by all but the most unsuccessful salemen. Generally, if a salesman can get you emotionally invested in the interaction, you will be much more likely to buy something. And one you are invested in buying something, you are less likely to walk away once all the hidden charges are revealed. One thing I encountered a lot when I was a recent college grad was these so-called sales jobs which were really more like a Ponzi scheme. You join this “company” and have this sponsor or mentor or whatever. You put down some money to buy some merchandise to sell - knives, tupperware, makeup, crap, whatever. You go door to door selling this crap but you also seek out new salespeople who you can mentor. You get a % of their sales and they buy merchandise from you, you buy from your mentor and so on. These people can be almost cultlike in their sales pitch too. * * * My cell phone company called me to let me know that my contract is up for renewal. Good thing because without that contract, they can’t guarantee my rates. So what? If my service changes, I’ll just go to another provider. Idiot. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918/31 "2005-11-23T06:52:15Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Newsflash: The saleman gets diddly squat on warranties. Extended warranties are sold to the customer by someone who is very good at convincing people they are necessary. Profits go to the company, with a percentage to the guy that sold you the warranty. More breaking news: I worked for an electronics store that sold televisions, stereos, VCR’s, etc. I was taught to sell the item with the most bells and whistles, explaining it was the best damn thing on the market. After I sold them, I immediately had to turn around and tell them the problem with all electronics is that it would break down and cost a fortune to repair and we had 1, 5 and 10 year warranties that would cover everything. The longer the warranty they bought, the larger commission I got - and it was close to 50% of the price of the warranty! So I guess it depends on the product you are selling - but trust me, do NOT buy a 10 year warranty on a $100 television. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918/32 "2005-11-23T07:42:04Z")
A co-worker has a cellphone number 1 digit off of a local radio station, so he’s gotten used to calls from strange numbers. While at work last week he got a call from a number that registered as “out of area”, and being in a short lull of productivity at the time, we decided to have some fun with the caller. Turns out it wasn’t a 14 year old looking to request the new Eminem tune, it was a guy from L.A. with a buttload of money… Guess that poor guy wasn’t finding takers through email and has taken to calling random phone numbers :rolleyes: But at least he’s moved to L.A. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-warn-each-other-of-scammers-and-business-secrets/331918.md?page=1)