Business Building, Marketing, Personal Development

I just had a friend of mine call me up to ask whether or not something was a scam. He had clicked to purchase a $3 informational brochure. The brochure wasn’t great, but it was probably worth the $3 he paid. He decided that continuing with that company really wasn’t going to give him what he wanted, so he left and didn’t buy anything else from them. Sounds simple enough, eh?

Two months later, when doing his bills, he noticed an $89 charge on his credit card that he didn’t remember charging. He looked at the bill and something jarred his memory. He looked at the previous month’s bill and that same charge was there again. He called the company (the name of the company and website had already changed in that time period) to find out what was going on.

Evidently, he had not read the fine print when he bought the $3 brochure. In the fine print was an agreement to be enrolled in an $89 per month program following the purchase of the informational brochure. He wasn’t just signing up for a $3 item, he was buying into an $89 per month course (of indefinite duration).

Wow, that’s a sleazy way to do business. Is it a scam? Not according to Visa, who would not cancel the charge since he legitimately signed up and received potential benefit from the program. The program was real. Overpriced and without much substance, but a program nonetheless. Since he agreed to the terms (without reading the fine print), he was liable for the charges.

Sad, but true.

ALWAYS know who you are dealing with and that they can be trusted. Call them on the phone. Email them first. Anonymity is NOT your friend when you are buying something. Even a $3 item can turn into an expensive lesson about the internet if you don’t use a little common sense. If it is too good to be true, it probably is. When someone makes claims that sound unrealistic such as “Learn how to make $10,000 in 10 weeks, guaranteed”, run away quickly.

I believed Mother Teresa when she said she wanted to help people. When a self proclaimed multi-millionaire says that he can make me instantly rich if I pay him $1,500 up front for his “secret formula”, my vision blurs into a huge red neon warning sign. To me, anyone who brags about money, probably doesn’t have it, but wants you to think they do. Real wealth is when someone gives anonymously to a charity and never tells a soul about it.

Anyone hawking a “get rich quick” scheme is not worth talking to.

Someone who tells me that its going to take several weeks and a lot of work to build up a user base, but my site can double its current traffic, now has my attention. I am cynical by nature, so I always try to figure out how the other person is going to profit off of a situation. Profit, can be enhanced networking, new channels of marketing, helping out a friend, gaining good testimonials or donating to a worthwhile cause, not just money. A good example is that Chaz and I give really hefty discounts to build websites for churches. The difference in payment is in good Karma. I’m definitely no mother Teresa, but I do have a few soft spots.

There are people who do things out of the goodness of their hearts. They don’t use fine print, and they don’t need written guarantees because their word IS a guarantee. They will always give an honest product and will never stoop to sleazy techniques to make a quick buck.

Face it. We are in life for the long haul. Don’t miss out on long term success by chasing after short term dollars. If you have to ask yourself whether or not something is a scam, it probably is. Get your information from people you can trust, rather than a fancy brochure. Talk to them or meet them in person if you can. You’ll be better off for it.

Who knows, you might get some good Karma along the way.

Toff Ward
OpenSourceMarketer