"Printer cartridge scam"

I'd send them a registered letter saying I'm not interested in their products, and should any further products be delivered they will be disposed of (without further notice), and the charge of the disposal will be added to Haltrex's newly opened account, which is invoiced monthly, and has 7-days for settlement after which it'll attract interest.
 
and interest will be accrued according to the NCA at a monthly figure of 5% :p
 
So I just got a call from Faye at Haltrex today the first time in many months.

They are demanding their money even though I did not take delivery or sign for anything. But now they want to know from me what happened to the goods :mad::mad:

I told them that is not my problem and they should check with their couriers.
 
I've been expecting Faith to call me too, and sure enough heard from her again today.
They sent me some more carts last month, which I just RTS'ed back to them, so she seems surprised that their PO called them about a returned parcel.
Jislike, that btch must have helluva thick skin for all the abuse she must take over the phone, yet Faith faithfully keeps phoning people and pssing them off :eek:
 
we need to send our stories here too : She also apparently looking into Haltrex

WENDY KNOWLER - CONSUMER WATCH - EMAIL ADDRESS
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim P View Post
Hi guys. Wendy Knowler is the Newspaper's equivalent of "Isobel Jones" the TV consumer watchdog. She already has these guys in her sights, more emails from other people who have had bad dealings with the guys you are talking about, will give her more ammunition. Find Wendy's email address by Google search.

[email protected]

http://www.ecr.co.za/kagiso/content/en/east-coast-radio-blogs-consumerwatch
 
Sent my story about Haltrex to Wendy Knowler.

Hello *****,

I have had one other complaint about this company – time to investigate, I think!
Click to expand...

Hope more people will email Wendy about this company.
 
New name

Hey guys, just a headsup... I understand Haltrex are changing their name (again), so don't fall victim to another company that pushes cartridges & chemicals.
By the sounds of it, its now "Newtek International"...
So if a salesperson from Newtek Int phones you to push cartridges, its not a new company, just new name, same old dispicable biz practises.

I wonder if they now planning to go global with their ways :sick:
 
It's clearly fraud. So open a case of Fraud against the CEO (or sales manager) and/or Faith(Faye)?
 
CeeBee said:
Hey guys, just a headsup... I understand Haltrex are changing their name (again), so don't fall victim to another company that pushes cartridges & chemicals.
By the sounds of it, its now "Newtek International"...
So if a salesperson from Newtek Int phones you to push cartridges, its not a new company, just new name, same old dispicable biz practises.

I wonder if they now planning to go global with their ways :sick:
Click to expand...

Just got a call from Newtek today. Same MO as Haltrex.

This is still going on it seems :mad:
 
:) had a few calls from Newtek about a month or so ago, (again) telling me that they would like to 'thank me for the survey I took part in about cartridges' and would like to send me a gift voucher... and of course can they send me an introductory pack of great new cartridges"... hehehe... you just know whats coming next!
meanwhile I know for a fact that I did not speak to a soul about cartridges... I've learnt the hard way... if anybody phones me about offering any cartridges, I tell them clearly to "go away" with capital F :D

Sounds like they got new salespeople... perhaps the old crowd couldnt take the bad vibe from the agry 'customers' anymore.
Seems to be standard routine to tell u they spoke to u a few weeks ago, hoping u've been so busy that u cant remember.

the main man behind this company must have some b@lls, to keep going like this!
I don't see this thing coming to an end soon, at least not until this dude and his co is exposed and busted.

So we've gotta stay alert
 
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Lol, Newtek even phoned a company a friend works for, who have multiple devices all under contract (incl. toner), and they still insist on pushing their services on you.... they are more than welcome to try send me toner, and try to get their invoice past our finance people without an associated purchase order.

B
 
why don't you guys play their game? Take every piece of toner they are prepared to give you, and just keep it. But, don't agree to any contracts. If / where possible, take a recording of the conversation where they say it's a free gift and then tell them to "see me in court" if they insist on payment for the "free gift" - if there was no mention of payment on that, or any other conversation about the said products then they don't have a leg to stand on.
 
Just found the article about Haltrex by Wendy Knowler:

When you get more than you really want

By Wendy Knowler

I got a call the other day from a company selling greeting cards on behalf of a well-known charity. The woman was persistent but not pushy; I figured it was a good cause and I agreed to buy a set.

The cards were duly posted to me. They're lovely, and I paid for them happily. End of story.

But my happiness about this deal would turn to anger and frustration if I got another set of cards in a few months, and then another, with demands of further payment.

That's what's been happening to scores of small business owners across the country, who, on getting a call from a telesales agent from Joburg-based Haltrex Systems, agreed to buy one printer cartridge, only to have repeat orders delivered and being threatened with legal action if they refuse to pay for them.

Earlier this year Gail Lambert of Howick Protea Farm told me how she'd got a call last August from Haltrex Systems, offering her printer cartridges.

She agreed to place an order for one colour and one black cartridge, she said.

They were posted to her, she paid, and thought that was that. But five months later, another parcel arrived from Haltrex, containing two colour and two black cartridges.

"I immediately phoned the company to say I had not ordered these nor did I need them and that I would return the parcel. I was firmly told by 'Mark' that this was a 'back order' and that I couldn't return the cartridges."

Lambert posted them back anyway and was then called by "Mark", who told her that she'd been "handed over" for nonpayment.

Pretoria psychologist Linda Blokland has been using Haltrex cartridges in her practice for a few years.

"My receptionist dealt with the orders. Haltrex would deliver cartridges - often when she was not in - and leave the boxes on her desk," Blokland said. "The cupboard was filling up with them."

When she asked the company to cease delivery, she was told that she had a binding contract to buy bulk cartridges.

"That was the first I had heard of it!" she said.

In March Blokland insisted that they close her account and she paid all her allegedly outstanding amounts. But the cartridges kept coming.

"Haltrex Systems manager Tony told me I couldn't close the account without a reference number and I couldn't get a reference number as I had a contract with them to continue!"

When she posted a complaint about Haltrex on consumer website hellopeter - joining a long list of others - he agreed to stop the "account".

In August I contacted Haltrex Systems manager Tony Dharmiah, who named the company owner as Michael Skry but said I could e-mail him (Dharmiah) about the complaints I'd received.

This I did, and it was Skry's lawyer who responded. "Our client's directors are in fact abroad and will investigate what has been contended upon their return," he wrote in an e-mail on September 1.

Finally last week, Skry called me from Australia. He said he was aware of the "problems" and had put various systems in place to rein in his sales staff.

"Trading is tough and sales are down, so some of them are acting in a stupid way," Skry said. "I have given them a warning."

There were no binding agreements or contracts, he said. "We give discounts depending on the size of the order. That's where the misunderstanding could come in." But it was not the company's intention to "force or pressurise anyone", Skry said.

Skry said he'd appointed two new directors who would be responsible for the day-to-day running of the company.

He has also changed the name of the company to NewTech International.

The Consumer Protection Act has a section that deals with what so many people accuse Haltrex Systems of doing - demanding payment for unsolicited goods.

It states, among other things, that if "a supplier delivers any further goods to a consumer, other than in terms of a different agreement or transaction, those further goods are unsolicited goods".

The same applies to the delivery of "a larger quantity of goods than the consumer agreed to buy".

And the person who has received the unsolicited goods can either keep them without paying for them, or send them back at the expense of the supplier.

If a consumer pays for unsolicited goods, for whatever reason, they are entitled to a refund from the supplier, plus interest.

So come next August, when the act becomes binding on companies, such tactics will be risky business for those who try to get consumers to buy more than they agreed to.
Click to expand...

http://www.iol.co.za/general/news/newsprint.php?art_id=vn20091022042526117C366568&sf=
 
The key here is that no one pays them. It's really as simple as that. Someone must still be paying these people, hence they go on as it's profitable.
 
Seems like they are operating under a new name: Laser Direct.

Their new story is that they are manufacturing a new "max cartridge" that is filled to the maximum giving you 40% more yield than other cartridges.

They initially offer you a voucher for completing a survey. I do occasionally answer telephonic surveys from time to time, so realise it was them right away. When they offered 2 cartridges to try out, I knew it was them.

Beware!
 
Beware of this type of scam.

1) The sales person calls your company and asks for the person who does the ordering
2) They tell you that you completed a survey a few months back
3) Now they are going to give you a free voucher or complimentary coupon.
4) They are also going to send you one of their "printer cartridges" to "test"
5) The call is recorded and they record your agreement to accept the vouchers and the cartridges.
6) Once they deliver and you or anybody in the company signs for delivery of the cartridge you are hooked.
7) They then begin to pester you for payment, usually over R2000 for a generic cartridge.
8) Meanwhile they begin sending you more cartridges for which they will also bill you.
9) When you try to refuse or return the cartridge they threaten to blacklist you for non payment.

See these threads for more details....

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?97482-Stratus-Office-Consumabils
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?29773-Scam-Alert!!!!-Printer-ink
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?89842-Dower-Business-Systems-scam-might-be-back!
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?32350-Daylight-Robbery-!!!!
http://www.theforumsa.co.za/forums/showthread.php?t=3948

The companies concerned that we know of so far are called...

Stratus Office Consumables - http://www.hellopeter.com/search_results.php?search=stratus
Dower Business Systems - http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?89842-Dower-Business-Systems-scam-might-be-back!
Laser Ink Direct - http://www.hellopeter.com/search_results.php?search=laser+ink+direct
Haltrex Systems - http://www.sascams.co.za/index.php?topic=83.0
Newtek or nutec or nu-tech (no website yet)
C & N Imaging Systems (no website yet)
Product Solutions International (no website yet)
Maycom Trading (no website yet)

They all use the same tactics (might even be the same people/company) - and it is all a scam!

The new Consumer Protection Act gives you the right to refuse or return these cartridges.

http://www.getclosure.co.za/blog/2010/01/21/consumer-protection-act-series-10-right-to-return-goods/
 
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