What To Look For When Selecting a Supplier
We are happy to have competitors who are honest in their dealings however just like people being more aggressive on the roads it appears that some will do anything to win a sale irrespective of whether it’s a quality product or service that meets the client’s needs
To reduce the risk we have compiled the following checklist
- Phone Number Should always show a phone number, if something goes wrong – who do you contact – not just a 1300 number (can be diverted to anywhere) – some sites have phone numbers in each state all are diverted to one phone – attempting to provide the illusion they are national some you can only contact via email
If in doubt always call to purchase via phone or prior to using on line – at least you have made contact and have a feeling of whom you are dealing with
- Physical Address (some suppliers have images of buildings and addresses that are not theirs or their address does no match their ABN address details – others just show a Post Office Box
- ABN numb er should match company name – (some don’t show) (check ABN lookup) see if they are registered for GST and also do a whois search on the domain name – all should match
- Technical support – very important – if there is a problem – do they know how to address – is it the product or the printer – they should know and be able to guide you
- How long have they been in business – we see companies start up and then disappear, generally they sell on price – whilst price is a factor, sales support, tech support are just as important should something go wrong.
- Site Security – we don’t know what others have – they may advise encrypted security, which may be true ( to a point), – checkout page should start with https/ – however they may receive your cc details via email and manually process payment though EFPOS machine. (if they don’t ask for CVC on site this may be a indication of manual transaction – leaving you susceptible to email internet fraud as well as your cc details being filed on a hard copy order somewhere.
CartridgeMate do not have access to your details –Card details are never stored and only passed securely to the Payment Gateway
Original Toners & Inks – why are some sites a lot cheaper – it could be old stock or redundant stock (they have a use by date). To be honest there should be very little difference between suppliers
Compatible Toners – some original equipment suppliers have additives that are required to work in conjunction with other components – if they are not added to compatible cartridge then damage may be caused to other components within printer – important that you are comparing the same product – if it’s cheaper then it’s possible that additives are not present
Compatible Inks – some original equipment manufacturer have for example several black inks – all very specific to each cartridge and printer type – if you select a supplier that does not provide the correct ink – eventually the print head may block or fail – a very costly component
We happily price match (where possible) however here are some of the factors we now have to take into consideration when quoting like for like simply because these extra costs are hidden
Supplier may not show GST – until checkout
Charge up to 4% for using any credit card
Charge delivery insurance (where you have to opt out rather than choosing yourself)
Charge excessive freight cost
Add these surcharges and compared to other suppliers prices you may paying more. These sites simply hope you get to checkout and cannot be bothered going elsewhere
Testimonials
We have seen a number of companies use trust pilot and note that all reviews were all from overseas (USA UK etc) and all reviews seem to be drip fed at odd times throughout 24 hour period – none of the companies that use this service ship outside Australia.
We contacted trust pilot as we were concerned as to how legitimate the reviews are, we received no response, however suddenly all reviews changed on these sites to being Australian only – to make up your own mind search reviews on trust pilot themselves and whirlpool feedback
Below is statement for Department of Fair Trade Website
It is unlawful to make false or misleading testimonials. Testimonials are statements from previous customers about their experience with a product or service. These can give consumers confidence in a product or service on the basis that another person – particularly a celebrity or well-known person – is satisfied with the goods or services. Misleading representations can persuade customers to buy something to their detriment, based on belief in the testimonial.
It really is a case of buyer beware – whilst price is a factor you should consider, after sales service, product knowledge, security.
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