Office Etc., Supply Connection, Tri-Cor, TP Supply, Tornado Office Systems, SVT, and now South Bay Office Products - all the same compan South Bay Office Products is a Fraudulent, Deceptive, Dishonest Scamming Company. Deerfield Beach, Florida
I received a phone call from a lady stating she had previously talked to our controller and even listed his name. I was told that he referred her to me as I am in charge of ordering office supplies. Her spiel was that she was in the process of moving her business from Utah to Florida and didn't want to ship her stock across the country, so she was offering discounted pricing for all supplies. She read me a list of items and claimed it was our controller who told her what we use most frequently. In reality, they are all general office supplies Im sure most companies use such as tape, pens, post-its, etc.
After she went on reading "our list" of office supplies, she listed her pricing for the items compared to other suppliers pricing and told me that I would be able to order these in different quantities depending on our storage space available. As an example from our conversation, she would ask me if we specifically use (insert general item) and if I answered "yes we do", she would tell me her pricing compared to others and tell me I could order them in different quantities, then move on to the next item. She never once asked me if I would be ordering these items and failed to mention that by saying "yes we use that item" it really meant it was already being ordered.
After she read me the "list of our frequently used items", she said she would be sending me a catalog to look through her other offered items. She then very casually asked if I was enjoying my summer and had any plans to vacation anywhere. Before ending the conversation, she told me I could always look her up the next time I go Florida and even visit her "new" office and she'd continue to offer me the discount pricing. I believe this is the STRATEGY the company(s) uses to distract you from catching onto their scam.
After the phone call I never thought anything of it until a week or so later when three big boxes showed up at our office. I opened them to find a bulk amount of the same supplies this lady had listed on the phone. Realizing there must have been a definite misunderstanding on my part and no invoice included in the boxes, I set them aside to wait for an invoice to be sent in the mail. After a couple weeks of waiting, I finally received and invoice today with a price tag of almost $3,000.00. To add another red flag, attached to their invoice is an "important message that reads; Because of a recent problem we have had with the postal delivery system, we ask you kindly to remit your payment on the enclosed invoice to only the following address".
Obviously when I opened these boxes & received an invoice, I intended to immediately return the supplies I DID NOT properly order or give consent to order. A little heated, I got online to research more about this company and have found dozens of other reports almost identical to my own. In part, I have done further research on this company and the laws regarding these kinds of scams. The Federal Trade Commission has posted a business alert to help consumers avoid these kinds of scams and what to do if you are a victim of them. Legally you are not bound to pay for the items you did not purchase and legally you dont have to send them back! I have yet to call and dispute the invoice with this company but I know I was the victim of the same scam others are claiming as well.
The only bit of information she provided me with was her name "Kim". The rest of her information was supposedly on the catalog she said Id be receiving. She never once even asked me for our company address, so how she got is a mystery to me. I assume these companies find your business information online or must call multiple times and collect the information separately until they've got enough to make their scam. Beware of companies you do not normally use and know what to do if you become a victim. This company is definitely scamming other people the same way they scammed me and will continue to do so.