Receiving 30,000 pesos instead of 300,000, when selling sophisticated electronic devices in the Good End, is one of the most common mistakes that some companies make when participating in the so-called “cheapest weekend of the year”, because offers must not only be well writtenbut the conditions of sale also have to be clear to the consumer.
The same happens when receiving payments with credit or debit cards, transactions with which certain rules must be followed so that you are not surprised by people who, fraudulently, intend to take advantage of the increase in the workload of businesses. Therefore, here we give you five tips so that your business does not lose if you are going to participate in the Good End.
1. Thousands go with a comma
In past editions of the Good End, the Federal Consumer Attorney’s Office (Profeco) forced several stores in Mexico City to sell dozens of high-end televisions at 1,090.00 (one thousand and ninety pesos), because the displayed price instead of containing a comma had been written with a period.
Another high-profile case was registered in a store in Cancun, in the state of Quintana Roo, which had to sell the same number of electronic devices to 26 customers at a unit price of eight pesos and ninety cents, as that was what the price in writing (8,900).
In this topic, remember that no matter how many digits are placed after the decimal point, In Mexico, thousands of pesos are written with a comma and not with a point, otherwise, the numerical expression will be showing -after the point- peso cents.
Article 7 of the Federal Consumer Protection Law clearly establishes that theThe suppliers are obliged to inform and respect the prices, tariffs, guaranteesand other applicable conditions in the commercialization of goods, products or services, “on all those that have been offered, obliged or agreed with the consumer for the delivery of the good or provision of the service”.
This means that, for example, if you display a price of “18,000”, the products cannot be sold for eighteen thousand pesos (18,000.00), but for eighteen pesos, therefore, if a consumer encounters this error in your business, even if If you clarify that the real price is thousands of pesos, the client can call Profeco so that this authority forces you to respect the wrong price.
2. Clear and detailed offers
All offers for any product or service, together with the conditions for its sale, must be clearly written, and they cannot be changed at the moment when consumers are going to pay.
Here we are not only talking about respecting the prices on the label that you have put on your merchandise, but also about some other details that are listed in article 7 Bis of the Federal Consumer Protection Law.
This numeral says that “the provider must inform conspicuously and conspicuously the total amount to be paid for the goods, products or services offered to the consumer. Said amount must include taxes, commissions, interest, insurance and any other additional cost, charge, expense or outlay that is required to be covered due to the respective acquisition or contracting, be it in cash or on credit”.
so, If one of your products will have a price if it is paid in cash, and another if it is purchased with a credit card, you must clarify it. When doing this, it is best not to use abbreviations, but to specify the price distinctions in full words. Do not forget that, if there is any confusion, Profeco -also- can force you to sell the merchandise under the conditions in which the offer is written.
3. Cards without commissions
If you do not want to waste the increase in the flow of consumers in this Good End, it is recommended that your business have several forms of payment, in addition to cash, such as accepting credit and debit cards, and perhaps electronic transfers.
However, you must be very careful when allowing these means of payment: Input, you cannot charge a commission if the client is going to pay by card, since the agreement that is established to have a Point of Sale Terminal does not charge you any commission for each payment made with some plastic.
The National Commission for the Protection and Defense of Users of Financial Services (Condusef) has been very clear in this regard, if you charge a commission for accepting cards you can be fined by the authority, since you would be breaching the contract you establish with banking institutions, in which it is specified that for the use of Point of Sale Terminals “the payment of this service should not have an impact on the cost of the goods” that the businesses promote with their clientele.
4. Avoid scams
Another aspect that must be observed in payments that are not in cash is to verify the identity of the user of the credit or debit card, so it is recommended request an official credential from your client if he chooses to pay in this way.
In each edition of the Good End, dozens of cases have been detected in which Stolen credit or debit cards are usedbecause criminals use plastics that do not belong to them, taking advantage of the increase in customers in businesses.
In this scenario, those in charge of collecting must ask for identification from whoever is paying with a card, it does not matter that this implies taking a little longer to complete the sale, since not all cards have the pin email to be entered by your carrier.
5. Non-existent transfers
Some businesses, especially those dedicated to providing services, accept interbank or electronic transfers as a means of payment. If you are in this case, you must verify that this type of operation is carried out effectively.
Sometimes, people who commit crimes can send you or show you the image of a supposed transfer, even though it has not actually been made. So do not deliver any merchandise until you verify that you have already received the money in your account.
A similar situation arises in cases where the business accepts payments by check, although this is already very rare. If your company accepts this type of commercial document, especially when the price of the product or service is very high, you must verify with the bank that issued the check that the account exists and is active.
Here the recommendation is that you do not accept this form of payment, because in these frauds checks from accounts that have already been canceled are often used.
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surya palaces Journalist and lawyer, specialist in legal analysis and human rights. She has been a reporter, radio host and editor.