How to Detect a Business that is Serving Itself – A Business Soon to Be Out of Business

“The problem with lying and deceiving is that their efficiency depends entirely upon a clear notion of the truth that the liar and deceiver wishes to hide.”

Failing business – example 1

My son recently was looking for a company to work with concerning content that was needed for the videos that he would soon create. As he was doing so, I told him to find a package deal so it will be all-inclusive with music, images, fonts, etc.

A short while later, and in his excitement, he said that he found a company with which to work. I asked him how much the package was and if it was all-inclusive?

He said, “Dad, it is only $29.95 a month.”

I said, “For everything?”

He then went on to say that you could even cancel at any given time.

I said, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

I then told him to call the company and ask if there are any hidden costs and, again, does everything come with that $29.95?

The unraveling

Well, he called and the first mistake that the company made was that they didn’t have a real person answering the phones. When companies use computers to do their selling for them you can rest assured they are on their way out. If a business wants to slap a customer in the face, this is usually the first thing that they do.

When he received his call back, he found that the deal of the century was a year contract! Otherwise, the cost would be $69.95 and you could cancel at any time.

Friends, this is not what their page stated, at least not in big print.

When business serves itself, not you

The sad fact of the matter is that this country no longer operates under the banner of

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you: do ye even so to them.Matthew 7:17

I have found that a good number of companies in America today are not serving the customers, but rather the almighty dollar and themselves (1 John 5:2).

I ask,

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?Mark 8:36

Let me share some of my experiences with you.

Failing business – example 2

About 15 years ago, I was in a GNC health foods store where they sold a large selection of vitamins. When I grabbed some ginseng and was going to check out, a man that was at the cash register was ready to pay for his items when the lady behind the counter said to him that he owed 2 times more than what it said on the price tag. The man told her that the price was right on the sticker while pointing at the items. She replied that those prices were for members only. Right next to the big price numbers were little tiny numbers to the right of it where it said that these prices apply to members only. How deceptive. The man was rightfully angry and he walked out, leaving the products on the counter. I followed in close pursuit.

No one likes to be sold with deceptive and deceitful tactics.

The Bible says

making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?Amos 8:5

Failing business – example 3

Another time we walked into a local Midwest favorite called “Old Country Buffet.” It was one of those restaurants in which you could eat and when you were done, felt like you got yourself a good deal. You were treated like a favored customer and left feeling satisfied. About 5 years ago, we went in as usual, and right when we were going to pay for our food, the lady behind the register asked if we wanted something to drink, which by the way was always a part of the price when paying for the buffet.

I responded, “What about if we want something to drink? Of course, we want something to drink. That is why we just entered into your eatery.”

She said that would be a separate charge and I responded, “Well, it is not going to be long before your place of business will be shut down. You are gouging, and people are going to catch on and that will be it for your restaurant.”

Sure enough, 6 months later, they were done.

A typical business model – and a setup for failure

How prevalent this has become today: charge your customers more by separating the meal from the drinks. This applies to business as usual today in America across the boards.

The airlines have now been found guilty of this every step of the way, literally. You now pay a surcharge for handling on the phone when you purchase your ticket, and when you check in you then have to pay for your bags. Before boarding, you now have to pay for your seating, and when you get into the plane you have to pay for your drink and your food. Treating customers like they are now doing them a favor, not good.

“We’re not going anywhere.” Really?

Another experience that I had was another place called “Timberlodge” restaurant in Minnesota. They started out right by giving bigger portions at a fair price. However, soon after their food chain became big enough, they started to charge more with smaller portions. I told my wife that they needed to quit this or they are going to be a thing of the past. In this particular situation, I called the management and told them people are seeing what they were doing in their restaurants and it wasn’t good.

“I know that you are really doing very well with your food chain, but it is coming across as you only care about the money here,” I told him.

I added that they needed to either get back to customer service first or they would be gone within a year.

A week later they put up a sign at one of their stores that read “We’re not going anywhere.” I’m not kidding.

I told my wife that they were done. Two weeks later, the restaurant was shut down.

Fool me once…

Deceptive business owners can only take advantage of people for so long before people catch on. People are not stupid. If people do not feel like service is being done on their behalf and that they are getting their money’s worth and feel like there are being taken granted for, again, you can mark my words, that’s it for your business.

I can also tell you that when I and my family detect this with a business, that we are done with that company in whatever capacity it may be. It usually is a good sign that a company’s efforts to get a little more out of you means that it is no more about the customer, but about what they are getting from their customers.

Furthermore, if their product and service is everything that they claim it to be, then why do they have to lie or deceive (hidden costs) in the process of selling it now do they (Proverbs 19:9)?

Article posted with permission from Sons Of Liberty Media. Article by Bradlee Dean.

About the image

This photo of Warren Buffet addressing a student group at the KU School of Business is by Mark Hirschey. Who has licensed it under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-alike 2.0 Generic License.