I couldn’t believe my ears. The digital equipment salesman asked me, “Who is it hurting anyway?” Why did the question send me into a tirade? The manufacturer’s salesman, Thomas, was asking my client to lie in order to qualify for the competitive equipment replacment discount. 

I uncovered the lie while reviewing the copier lease for a commercial printing company client.

The company owner, Fred, was adding an additional black and white high speed digital copier. Although Fred had considered a reconditioned copier, he decided on the new one from his long-time primary equipment supplier.

We were hired to help negotiate the lease terms and look for gotchas in the contract.

In reading the lease, I saw Fred was trading in a competitive brand copier. In exchange he’d receive a “big trade-in discount.” 

“Gee Fred,” I said, “I didn’t know you had any of that other manufacturer’s stuff.”  “I don’t,” Fred said. “It must be sloppy salesman paperwork.”

No it was not a mistake. It is what Thomas, the salesman said he had to do to play the discount game. He said “everybody does it.” I naively asked what happens when the truck shows up to remove the equipment and it does not exist. “Oh everyone knows about this. No truck will show up.” Does your boss know? Again I heard the “everyone knows.”

Thomas asked why it bugged me so much. “Who’s it hurting?” Nobody he could think of. He saw the lie as a win-win situation. 

I have seen this trade-in scam before. Why couldn’t they call it the Tuesday discount? The “this is your lucky day discount?” 

Are all copier dealers doing it? All manufacturers? When I see sales statistics and read how many competitive pieces of equipment were replaced by another company’s superior copiers, do I believe the numbers? No way. 

I wonder if the Enron accountants said “Who’s it hurting?” when they started to cook the books? What happened to ethics and integrity?