Companies So Unsure Of Their Own Products They Scam Their Customers

from the long-term-business? dept

While this article focuses on how ringtone sellers are getting cut off by carriers for being sneaky and misleading in what they were selling to customers, it raises larger issues. In this specific case, ringtone sellers, who are facing tremendous competition, are trying to get buyers to buy new ringtones. However, they're misleading in that they make people think they're just buying a ringtone, when they're really signing up for a recurring charge that gives customers the right to download new ringtones on a regular basis. Since most buyers think they're just buying one, they never take advantage of this offer -- but they're still charged for it. The real issue it raises, though, is what are these companies thinking? This is the ultimate short-term, short-sighted grab for revenue. It's obvious that people will bail out on the subscription as soon as they realize they've been scammed, and it's certainly not going to make anyone feel good about these companies. And these days, thanks to easy communication, word gets around when a company does something sleazy like this. In the end, the companies are showing that they don't have enough faith in their own product to think that a good user experience will bring buyers back again and again.