How To Annoy Your Customers

I sometimes wear ties. Mind you, I'm dragged kicking and screaming into the ancient and abominable art of male torture through neck binding, but I still occasionally put one on. And I get bored with them, so I'm always on the lookout for good looking ones.

So when I saw a Facebook ad offering Four Quality Ties for $1, they got my click.

FacebookTiesAd

(Notice that they specifically say "No hidden fees!" in the ad.)

By doing so I got wrapped up into one of the best examples of how to deceive and annoy your customers that I've seen in weeks.

The landing page seems well designed with a photo at the top, 18 ties that you can select, an order form on the bottom left and testimonials on the bottom right. The bottom of the page even has a guarantee and trust-type seals.

No mention of shipping charges, no mention of any other obligations. It appears on the surface to be a program designed to allow customers the ability to buy a sample of their wares at an inexpensive price.

It looked good, I was about to reward good marketing with my order. I was about ready to start choosing ties, when I noticed that you are required to check a box stating that you have read and agreed to their terms & conditions. I click that box, and the real deal is reveled:

TiesTOSPage

Now I get it.

First they want $14.95 for shipping and handling. I can reluctantly accept that, even though I know real shipping is only a fraction of that amount, because I'm only paying a buck for the ties. I'm still getting a better deal than in a store.

But then I get into the fine print. By buying I'm automatically enrolling in a Wholesale Discount Club for "just $7.49 per month, billed annually." So if I don't tell them within 14 days from my signup date (note, if shipping takes a week, it's only 7 days from receipt,) they're hitting my card for $89.88. For that I get nothing other than the right to buy more ties for $19.99 each (probably plus $14.95 s&h, so they're probably $35 ties.)

Interesting deal - I've gone from an expectation of spending a buck plus some probably outrageous shipping costs to forking over $90 to have the privilege of overpaying for ties for a year. (I'm assuming these ties are of the quality that you would pick up at a Wal*Mart, not a fine men's store - admittedly, I could be wrong.)

But more importantly, they promised me "No hidden fees!" and a relationship I could trust. What I got was clearly not what I had expected.

I'm sure their refund and chargeback rate is astronomical.

Notice that I didn't provide their company name or URL here - I didn't want to inadvertently send them any business!

Lessons to be learned:

1. Don't lie. Lying is bad.

2. If you want to build an offer for something that will be in addition to your advertised offer, don't slide it in on the sly, tell your customers about it, and sell them on the benefits of your offer. Be explicit, and sell it, don't do the bare minimum to pass a legal challenge.

3. Recognize that in today's world the consumer has a voice and that voice can be VERY effective in driving people away from you. Do you want people talking about how horrible you are to deal with, and how you ripped them off, or singing your praises. It's up to you!

Needless to say, I didn't buy any ties from this company. I wouldn't recommend that you do so either.

Even if you're forced to practice the abominable act of male neck binding...

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Tags: marketing offer ethics ties