Daylight Robbery !!!!

Everyone beware....

Dower Business Systems are in the EXTORTION Business !!!!

Can someone please give me advice on the following situation:

This company phoned me last week wanting to sell me some new kind of ink cartridge that supposedly lasts 5 times longer than a standard cartridge. They then asked me if they could send me a couple of these cartridges to test, an HP nr. 15 black and 78 Colour.

Being in the IT industry myself, I'm always willing to try a new product and agreed. Admittedly I was in a bit of a hurry so I might not have been thorough enough and neglected to ask the price.

The 2 cartridges arrived the next day and a couple of days later a quotation for R1798.92 !!!!! OMG... I nearly fell off my chair

For this same price I could go buy 8 HP ORIGINAL cartridges and still save R200, so even if these cartridges can print 2000 pages (which they claim, but I HIGHLY doubt), they would still be more expensive than normal cartridges.

I googled their brand (Jetprint) and another company in SA also sells jetprint.(51649A HP Tricolour JetPrint Cartridge 350pgs R185.00)
Note the 350pgs claimed here versus the 2000 claimed by Dover. That is in fact LESS than an original HP cartridge (415pgs), and they expect me to pay R699 for it.

I phoned these people wanting an explanation for the rediculous pricing to which I got some verry hostile responses. They now expect me to pay their rediculous prices.

My question then is do I have to pay or can I just send their ripoff products back. Our office lady signed a delivery note, but other than that there is no documentation proving that I agreed to these rediculous prices.

Apparently there's a law regarding cash purchases which protects the consumer, which might be helpful.

Any legal or other advice would also be much appreciated.

Edit: My bad.. i quoted the wrong prices, here is my little comparison:

Normal Retail:
C6615A HP Black Ink Cartridge for 840 / 845C 495pgs R141.00
C6578D HP Tricolour Ink for 930C / 950C / 970CXI 450pgs R157.00

Dover Retail: (This is Theft !!!!)
C6615A HP Black Ink Cartridge for 840 / 845C 495pgs R699.00
C6578D HP Tricolour Ink for 930C / 950C / 970CXI 450pgs R879.00

Where is it written that their cartriges can print 2000 pages ? If you have this in writing, relax, use the cartriges and if they fail to produce 2000 pages, send them back empty indicating that the product testing failed. Also send them a bill from you to the value of R1798.92 as fee's for the testing of their product. Add an extra R70 for the "your product does not meet our requirements" letter. If they blacklist you, blacklist them straight away, and get a court order to remove yourself from the blacklist.

If the cartridge does actually print 2000 pages, then you're out R200 - school fee's - move on.

If you do not have this in writing - send the product back by faxing them and demanding that they come and pick up their property otherwise you will begin to charge them for storage.

But - thanks for the headz up ...

I heard of this from someone, as far as i can remember...your must just wait, cause next you will get a laywers letter from them saying you failed to pay them, and you would be unable to give the catridges back, cause you wont find them. There is alot of **** coming your way.

@ Farquaon.

Why must he just wait? I agree with Stoke.. It's things like this that make me sick. People forgoing their legal rights when confronted with the threat of 'blacklisting' As consumers we have rights, or at least should do, and this sort of behaviour (extorting money from Joe Public) needs to end. From Telkom right down to these Dover people, everyone in this country is doing it and I for one am heartly sick of it..

Seems these days when you buy something you are forced to give up your rights. My GF bought an MP3 player (some kuk called Riva) and when it disintergrated a week later took it back and was told that it's tough **** the thing is crap and we wouldn't get a refund no matter what.

It's behaviour like that we have to act against!

Please..

I want to send them a Fax requesting they collect their stock but I need some legal opinion...

Could some legal fundis help me out here with regards to my options.

Just send the fax. If the stock is unopened/unaltered and it's within a few days of purchase they shouldn't complain.

In addition I'd threated legal procedings against them for fraud.

Quick - here is a similar scam I posted a while ago. Different company but same rip-off prices.

http://www.mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=29773

In the end the advocate told them they are not paying a cent. They used the scare tactic of going to court, but the advocate told them he will see them in court. A week later they came to collect the cartridges without charging a cent.

My advice - do not pay them a cent. If they want to they can take you to court. See how the judge will laugh at them for fraudalent business practices.

Me thinks this is actually the same company. Look at the prices.
BEC - R799 and R979
DBS - R699 and R879
Coincidence, I think not!

Just a legal tip. Nowhere did you agree on a price for the items. They have no case to begin with. Make sure the delivery note did not also contain a order confirmation. Just do not open the cartridges.

PS: Put a link to the scanned image of the delivery note on this thread and I will tell you if it is the same company.

@schitz011 - I did not mean...wait...i meant...they are gonna send you a letter from their lawyers.

Even if you send them faxes or e-mails or phone calls or anything, you will get no response, i cant remember what the outcome was with the other person i heard it from, but as far as i can remember they just ignore you, and claim they send you invoice after invoice and you failed to pay them, so keep everything you do on record, when you phone them, when you fax them, plys the transmittal receipt everything to prove in court (if it goes that far) that you did try but your prayers were ignored.

Franna said:

Quick - here is a similar scam I posted a while ago. Different company but same rip-off prices.

http://www.mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=29773

In the end the advocate told them they are not paying a cent. They used the scare tactic of going to court, but the advocate told them he will see them in court. A week later they came to collect the cartridges without charging a cent.

My advice - do not pay them a cent. If they want to they can take you to court. See how the judge will laugh at them for fraudalent business practices.

Me thinks this is actually the same company. Look at the prices.
BEC - R799 and R979
DBS - R699 and R879
Coincidence, I think not!

Just a legal tip. Nowhere did you agree on a price for the items. They have no case to begin with. Make sure the delivery note did not also contain a order confirmation. Just do not open the cartridges.

PS: Put a link to the scanned image of the delivery note on this thread and I will tell you if it is the same company.

Click to expand...

WHAHAHAHA !!!!

That is EXACTLY what they did...

These are definately the same people, right down to the woolies voucher.

The ONLY signed document is a Delivery note with the following (My scanner is broken atm so can't provide an image )

Honey Coastline Investment 120 t/a
Dower Business Systems CC
Postnet Suite 29
Private Bag X11
Birnam Park, 2015

Tel: (011) 372-3700
Fax: (011) 452-9189

Reg Number: 2005/000184/23

Click to expand...

No mention of price...

Good - did sound very fishy to me.

Do not pay them a cent. They obviously got hammered for fraud and had to use a different company name to continue the scam.

The advocate told me there is no way the will go to court, even if they threat you with it, because there whole business is a scam. Unfortunately most people will just pay the exorbitant prices to avoid legal action. This scam must be stopped ASAP.

I advise you to open a case of fraud at the police, and let them investigate it.

here is a copy of the fax i sent them:

Attention: Dower Business Systems
Date: 22 November 2005

To whom it may concern
.
Please be informed that the product delivered to our premises is to be collected as soon as possible. If your product is not collected within 48 hours we will bill you for the storage thereof or the shipping costs of return, as according to the Consumer Protection Act any cash purchases may be reversed if the client is not satisfied with the product. In this instance there was not even a sale!

Please also be advised that no price was confirmed before delivery and that our company was given the impression that the products were provided on a testing basis without any purchasing obligations. You also have no proof of purchase confirmation, as a delivery note hardly suffices. We would be glad to settle this matter in court should you wish to do so but please take note of the following:

We have been informed that you have “conducted” other businesses into paying exorbitant prices for standard products in the past and we will proceed to the South-African Police Department to lodge a complaint of Fraud.

I am sure they will find the fact that the following company has conducted business in a similar fashion to you very interesting, as a number of witnesses have already come forward, willing to testify:

Business Efficiency Consultants CC2003/021912/23

I would not be surprised if other companies are discovered and linked to you in the process, and will continue to pursue this matter should you not cease your idle threats and abusive business practices.

Your rude demeanor and threats do not phase us, and your unethical business practices are shameful.

You have wasted enough of our time and any further correspondence is to be directed to our lawyers

***
***

Best Regards

Click to expand...

Nice one quick.
/me would like to borrow you for some legal stuff here ...

I would love to hear how they reply.. or if then even do!

stoke said:

Nice one quick.
/me would like to borrow you for some legal stuff here ...

Click to expand...

hehe, thanks...

I charge R450 ph j/k

I also ended up adding this to the fax before I sent it:

We have been given quotes on your brand of product (Jetprint C6615A HP Black Ink Cartridge) from other suppliers, and R141 (Retail) quoted versus the exorbitant R699 charged by yourself can hardly be justified. They have also confirmed that the product is NOT oil based as you claim and only produces approximately 495 pages per cartridge, which is FAR from the 500% increase you claim. Your representative was therefore misleading in their provision of product information. We are also currently communicating with the manufacturer to ratify these findings.

Click to expand...

you guys all sound civilised!

i would not answer any correspondance and chuck the cartridges in the bin.

if they came to collect their stuff, they would be met by a shambok

These people have waisted enough of my time !!!

I've lost so much productivity today due to this nonsense.

I'm still shocked at how underhanded people can be

Kalvaer said:

I would love to hear how they reply.. or if then even do!

Click to expand...

I will post their response here if they do reply...

I will also record the conversation should they phone.

Yes quick im very impressed with you, i would surely back down if i received a letter like that, maybe you can make one for me???

Here it is in simple form -

1 - Phone them tell them to collect the products as you no longer want them.
2 - DONT PAY BILL
3 - Wait for them to send their lawyers round…(Most likely will not happen as they know they will lose)
4 - If they do this, go to court present your case and tell them that you could buy the products at the cheaper price and that the products were not as they claimed and did not print 2000 pages.

Things to do now - take photo's of the ink cartages (make notes of serial numbers) go the other co. that has the same ink but cheaper and get them to give you a written Quote NOW (make sure its dated). (This way you can prove the cheaper price for the same thing at the same time.)

My bet is they will never send their lawyers round...
(and if they do - they will have to cover lawyers fees win or lose)

This scam has been around for years and even reached us in Maritzburg!

From what I can see you have handled it right. I would send a copy of your fax by REGISTERED MAIL to them, and for heavens sake do not open or use the stuff.

They will never come after you.

I suggest you also lodge a complaint about this harmful business pratice with the DTI at:

http://www.dti.gov.za/protectingconsumers/recourse.htm