• Software
    • All Features
    • Order Management
    • Shipping your Orders
    • Centralized Inventory
    • Sales Analytics Dashboard
    • Payments from Marketplaces
  • Services
    • Outsource your eCommerce
    • Enterprise Integrations
  • Clients
  • Integrations
    • All Integrations
    • Pepperfry
    • Amazon
    • Ebay
    • Flipkart
    • Rediff
    • Snapdeal
    • Mr. Voonik
    • Paytm
    • Vilara
    • Shopclues
    • Magento
    • Myntra
    • Shopify
    • Jabong
    • WooCommerce
    • Limeroad
    • Bigcommerce
    • Voonik
    • OpenCart
    • Firstcry
    • Seller Fee Calculator
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Videos
    • Seller Fees Calculator

Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm: Software: +91-95953-23155

Browntape Browntape
Sign up Login
  • Software
    • All Features
    • Order Management
    • Shipping your Orders
    • Centralized Inventory
    • Sales Analytics Dashboard
    • Payments from Marketplaces
  • Services
    • Outsource your eCommerce
    • Enterprise Integrations
  • Clients
  • Integrations
    • All Integrations
    • Pepperfry
    • Amazon
    • Ebay
    • Flipkart
    • Rediff
    • Snapdeal
    • Mr. Voonik
    • Paytm
    • Vilara
    • Shopclues
    • Magento
    • Myntra
    • Shopify
    • Jabong
    • WooCommerce
    • Limeroad
    • Bigcommerce
    • Voonik
    • OpenCart
    • Firstcry
    • Seller Fee Calculator
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Videos
    • Seller Fees Calculator

How to deal with customers trying to rip you off

Nov 4, 2015 | Posted by browntape | Blog |
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

‘The customer is always right’, goes the dictum. Some might say that this is a very naive way of looking at things, and they won’t be completely wrong. The customer-seller relationship is based on a simple economic transaction, but it can lead to some complicated scenarios. Both the consumer and the seller are ultimately vying profit. The situation is quite like two entities tied to opposing ends of a spring or an elastic band, each trying to pull away. As physical manifestations of demand and supply, the customer and the seller cannot survive without each other, while always being locked within negotiations. These negotiations have the potential to turn combative. What does one do in such a case?

Media tends to highlight cases where a customer is being cheated out of their resources. Consumers also get special status under law, and bodies such as the Consumer Court are set up to safeguard their interests in the legal arena. The seller, on the other hand, faces a very different situation. There already exists a social stigma against a seller, and it does not take long to spread like wildfire, especially in the age of social media. Plenty of cases can be cited where a seller lost sizeable customer base due to bad publicity on social media.

‘The customer is always right’, is a motto for the for the service industry that thrives on providing the maximum amount of customer satisfaction. It was a belief popularized by pioneering retailers like Harry Gordon Selfridge, John Wanamaker and Marshal Field. But the customer is not always right. In fact, the reality is quite the opposite, as many sellers would attest.

But the seller has to be tactful in situations like these. In cases where a seller is genuinely being duped by a consumer, what recourse do they have? How to handle a situation like this? These are the questions we are going to talk about in this article.

What to do if you are Being Cheated on by a Customer

  1. Take it Off Social Media

Social media is the breeding ground for controversy in today’s time, and if a seller indulges in a virtual shouting match with a consumer, it is only going to give them bad publicity. Your first job when you encounter a consumer complaint on your social media webpage, be it Facebook, Twitter, Reddit or Instagram, is to establish a safe private channel between the customer and yourself and initiate an inquiry. We generally tend to give unabashed opinions on social media, not realizing its power to form opinions. It is important to keep a cool head in a situation like this, rather than blowing it on your keyboard. One can analyze whether the customer is really trying to cheat you or not later. First step, take the discussion away from social media.

  1. Don’t React

We are sure you must have encountered a particular breed of netizens before, whose only purpose seems to be to pull you into the vortex of an argument. Beware of them. They are called trolls, and they thrive on chaos. It is a sensitive matter when you think that somebody is cheating you, and you need to keep your head on your shoulders in a situation like this. Get in touch with your attorney and take advice on how to proceed, rather than reacting with your ego. Give calm, measured replies and don’t get pulled into a fight.

  1. Keep Your Conversation Brief

If the customer is planning to cheat you, your conversations with them, either on social media pages or electronic mail, among other channels, are the first piece of evidence that you will collect. You don’t want to implicate yourself of any wrongdoing by writing a large, angry mail to your customer. So smile, be brief and courteous. Keep your lawyer in the loop.

  1. This is a Time Sensitive Problem

The more time passes after the initial altercation, the riskier it is for you. The customer is not going to sit quietly. They will have started their own vendetta against you on various forums. You will have to judge the pros and cons of the situation in that case. Either you can take the legal recourse, but it can turn out to be quite expensive to do so. In smaller matters, it is easier to settle things with a firm hand.

  1. Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Remember, if you push it too hard, you are going to lose a customer base. Balance out your priorities and decide what to do. You cannot please all your customers, but your customers are your basic necessity. Your actions will affect your customer base too. So you will have to be sensitive while being fair. Serving a customer to their satisfaction is always a good thing. Retaining a customer base is always better.

  1. Check for Legal Loopholes

Check your company and product policy for legal loopholes. If you don’t do so, you might get scammed because of a glaring hole in your legal armor. One must always be self-reflexive in the online world. This way you don’t leave much room for yourself to get cheated.

To know more about the online market and e-commerce, get in touch with Browntape. We are India’s leading e-commerce solutions providers, and we are always happy to help!


  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
Tags: E-commercehow to deal with difficult customershow to handle customer complaintshow to tackle cheating customersonline marketplace salesonline retail
Share

You also might be interested in

Is Your Online Retail Business Healthy?

Dec 31, 2014

So you started with an idea to try online retail[...]

How to Categorize Your Products on Your Online Portal

May 28, 2015

Think of it this way - when you enter a[...]

5 Ways to Improve Abandoned Cart Emails

Jul 1, 2015

Imagine a typical shopping experience. A customer is on your[...]

1 Comment

Leave your reply.

Leave a Reply

Your email is safe with us.
Cancel Reply

Subscribe To Us

Seller Strategies Videos

A Browntape initiative to make eCommerce easy for sellers in India.

https://youtu.be/pp0rtqVgVJ8

Account Reputation & Pricing

A video about account reputation, pricing products & managing discounts

https://youtu.be/lqvoknVTTVA

Share

Advertisment

Recent Posts

  • Make Some Noise for the Courier Boys
  • Guide to Understanding Influencer Marketing
    Guide to Understanding Influencer Marketing
  • How does Amazon’s seller payments system work – from order to money in the bank
    How does Amazon’s seller payments system work – from order to money in the bank

Posts by Topics

Advertisment

Browntape on FB

Contact Us

2nd Floor, Alvaro Avenue, Alvaro Gardens, Above Bata Showroom, Chogm Road, Porvorim, Goa, India – 403521
+91-95953-23155
Mon-Fri, 10am -6pm (IST): +91- 95953 23155

Offerings

  • Self-use Software
  • Enterprise Integrations
  • Outsource your Ecommerce
  • Sales Channels
  • Resources

Features

  • Multi-Channel Orders
  • Centralized Inventory
  • Shipping your Orders
  • Sales Analytics Dashboard
  • Payments from Marketplaces

Info

  • About us
  • Customers
  • Careers
  • Team
  • Contact Us

Selling Tips

  • Which all marketplaces are there in India?
  • Why sell on multiple websites?
  • Why is technology important for your online sales?
  • 5 ways to streamline your online sales
  • What is an SKU and why is it important?

Software

+91-95953-23155

(Mon-fri, 10am-6pm)

Outsourcing

+91-95953-23155

(Mon-fri, 10am-6pm)

© Copyright Browntape 2012-2019. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Prev Next
×
  • I want to use..

  • Self-Serve Software (Starting from Rs 2/order)
  • Outsourced Services (Monthly Fee/Commission%. Talk to us)
  • Enterprise Integrations (Talk to us)

Signup for Software Demo..

Name

Email

Phone

Company Name

Live Marketplace Accounts

Orders per month

Number of SKUs
How do you currently manage orders & inventory

City

Cancel

Tell us a little more to provide a solution suited to your needs..

Your Name

Company Name

Company Website

Your Mobile

Your Email

City

Cancel

Connect your ERP to ecommerce

Name

Work Email

Phone

Company Name

Orders per month

Number of SKUs
Integrations Required

Cancel

You are in good company..

signup-client-logos

  • In just 6 months, Browntape turned things around. In a snap I went from B2C to K2K (Kashmir to Kanyakumari). Today my online sales are far more than my store sales.

    -Guru Bichu
  • From nothing to flourishing on more than 10 marketplaces, in just 6 months! Kudos to Browntape.

    -Renka Fashions
Get IFB Case Study - Enter Email

Enter your email address and we'll send you a link to download the casestudy.

Case Study: How Lego India utilised Amazon CPC Ads to meet growth targets

Enter your email address and we'll send you a link to download the Lego case study.

Enter your email address and we'll send you a link to download the casestudy.

×

Sign up for free now

Full Name *

Mobile Number *

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

Cancel

Key Points

Price Battlefield
Competing Seller’s Ratings
Seller Stockouts
Lowest Price Winner
BuyBox Winner
×
  • I want to use..

  • Self-Serve Software From Rs 1/order
  • Outsourced Services From Rs 10,000 monthly+% of sales(software included)

Get started with your self-serve software in 60 seconds..

Your Name

Your Mobile

Company Name

Your Email

Password

Repeat

Live Marketplace Accounts




Cancel

Tell us a little more to provide a solution suited to your needs..

Your Name

Company Name

Company Website

Your Mobile

Your Email

City



Cancel

You are in good company..

signup-client-logos

  • In just 6 months, Browntape turned things around. In a snap I went from B2C to K2K (Kashmir to Kanyakumari). Today my online sales are far more than my store sales.

    -Guru Bichu
  • From nothing to flourishing on more than 10 marketplaces, in just 6 months! Kudos to Browntape.

    -Renka Fashions