Watch out! Unfortunately, we recently fell for a ploy that is not entirely unknown in the IT mail order business. Because we thought that our specialised hardware is not that easy to fence in large quantities, we maybe were a little too careless.
A big international auditing company - one of the "big Four" - and more precisely their technologies department in England won a project for Panasonic hardware and entrusted us with the delivery. Of course, a credit limit was available within three minutes.
After several weeks of negotiations, our English sales team accepted the order, which came on genuine letterhead with the correct VAT ID and signed by an authorised representative. The delivery address was of course not the main office in London, but a warehouse in the outskirts where software was to be installed on the devices. The goods were delivered and the receipt was even signed.
When dunning letters were sent later on, the auditing company was quite taken aback: the employee with whom we e-mailed does not exist. Neither does the delivery address. We then learned from Scotland Yard that goods worth millions were delivered to this address within a couple of days and are untraceable until now.
There is no sign whatsoever of our Panasonic Toughbooks, which seem to be easier to fence than cash drawers. Our credit insurance will not pay, because there was no payment default, but a fraud. The auditing company is upset, but that does not help me.
Leads will appear later. Some laptop is bound to break down at some point and the unsuspecting customer will send his laptop to Panasonic for repair. This means either that the customer was so credulous to buy such goods - my goods -, or I win and get a broken laptop, which will probably not even be up to date by then.
Fortunately, the financial damage is bearable. But we did rethink some of our processes. We deliver to different addresses all the time for our resellers. This is our daily business. However, with first orders and before payment was received, Jarltech will verify delivery addresses much more strictly with the purchaser, and especially: the order itself.
In fact the scheme was well done: even in its demeanour, the auditing company's pretend subcompany was so confusing and complicated as one would expect from one of the "big four". :) At first, even the auditing company itself said it was their order, but that the employee had left the company in the meantime. It took them weeks to find out that the fraud not only did not work for them "any longer" but rather never did ...
All the time while corresponding with the frauds, their e-mail address just was not "auditing-company.com", for example, like the parent company's, but rather "auditing-company-technologies.com". At first glance, this seems logical, but it nevertheless is a completely different domain and probably registered on Bert and Ernie in the Caribbean.
I can therefore give this advice: check which of your products might be on the line. And concerning first orders with differing delivery addresses: hands off! Or check closely. Finally, do not ask for confirmation at the phone number stated on the falsified letterhead ...
Well, let us hope Sherlock Holmes is doing a good job at Scotland Yard and puts the frauds behind bars. Or I will go and get them!
The road to success: do we really have to get worse at everything?
Last week I had a conversation with a customer that left me speechless....
Last week I had a conversation with a customer that left me speechless. Our sales department asked me to speak to a customer on the phone who doesn’t buy from us because we supposedly supply end customers.
No problem, I thought. I called and explained that this is exactly what we don’t do, and that this is a key promise to our dealers. There are extremely rare exceptions, – only if a vendor forces us to, or a retailer explicitly asks us to. But that almost never happens.
Then it turned out that there was a misunderstanding: the customer said that we also supply small retailers. My answer: »Yes, we do and we have to, based on our contracts with the vendors. Our competitors do that too.«
»All correct«, I hear, but then it got exciting: »Your large competitors are not interested in small customers, so they are poorly served. At Jarltech, the small dealers feel comfortable because you provide a great service.«
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry ... A customer doesn’t buy from us because our service is too good? I hadn’t expected that.
But don't worry, contrary to the headline: We will continue to endeavour to offer every customer the best service we can!
Why is good service so important again?
I'm writing to you today from China. Here I have learnt once again why good service is so important....
I'm writing to you today from China. Here I have learnt once again why good service is so important. If you want a customer to pay more than elsewhere, then you have to make the difference! You have to know what they like and anticipate their wishes.
Here in Shenzhen is the Grand Hyatt Hotel – I was here at least six times a year before Corona – and even stored some luggage in Shenzhen, so that I only had to fly with hand luggage. Liquids and such ... that was difficult on the plane.
It’s been over three years since I was last here, and I arrived to be greeted by an armada of hotel staff. My beloved Coke Zero was waiting for me in the car outside the airport. My luggage, which I hadn’t expected to see again, had been stored for three years and completely cleaned for my new stay. Everything was hanging in the wardrobe and the bathroom was neat and tidy. My razor was charged and my chargers stood on the desk. Of course, the fridge was full of Coke Zero and the white wine I had last drunk three years ago. Even the room service knew what I liked to eat.
That’s what hospitality really is. And we have to do the same at Jarltech. Always write down what our customers want and like. And when I go out to dine with a customer, I need to know whether they are vegan or if they don’t like pork, for example. Some customers want to be called and courted on a weekly basis, whereas others find this rather annoying. Some still prefer paper catalogues, others believe it’s environmental pollution. And all the better if a customer returns after three years, and I still have it all written down somewhere. Jarltech may not be a hotel, but we are a service provider that has to differentiate itself The difference is always in the details.
The world's smallest chef gives a guest performance in Usingen
It's finally back on: Our 3D projection dinner show »Le Petit Chef« will be back in our restaurant »Uwe and Uli« (www.uwe-uli.de) from the 11th of October...
It's finally back on: Our 3D projection dinner show »Le Petit Chef« will be back in our restaurant »Uwe and Uli« (www.uwe-uli.de) from the 11th of October 2023 to the 30th of April 2024. Personally, I always have fun enjoying delicious food with a bit of a show. Come by sometime – it's also great for Christmas parties with up to 20 people. And if you're a customer of ours, why not have your sales contact invite you next time you visit Jarltech? 😊
Have fun with the little chef!
Use our know-how power for yourself – free of charge!
We have the largest showroom in the AIDC industry in Europe, plus plenty of training rooms and an event location....
We have the largest showroom in the AIDC industry in Europe, plus plenty of training rooms and an event location. If you like, we will be happy to train your new employees or your customers’ employees here. You will find an overview and a virtual tour of the showroom on our website. We built these facilities for you – but apparently this is not sufficiently known yet. We can work together to make your staff better, or we can make our facilities available to you, and you can organise your own training for your staff or customers. Just as you wish. We are also happy to take care of airport or train station transfers. Just get in touch with your sales representative and we will do something for you!