SmallBusinessNewz

Perhaps deception is a strong word, because I don't think that it is always intentional, but misleading customers is just not a smart move if you ask me.

Be up front with them and you will earn trust, and trust will earn you repeat business. You will not earn trust if upon checkout the customer learns about hidden fees or something.

Hidden  Costs

If an extra fee is required, perhaps it should be included in the original price, or if this is not possible, at least give an indication that it will be included before the customer gets to checkout.

It's just unethical to spring a larger price on a customer when they are not expecting it. Remember, many consumers will not be able to even afford extra costs, particularly in these economic times when gas is nearly $4 a gallon.

Fine Print

Another way businesses deceive customers (whether intentionally or not) that I see fairly often is sending out coupons for what appear to be good deals, but have certain restrictions in the fine print. Coupons are generally not very large to begin with, so fine print on them tends to be incredibly small, and while the customers should read them before they try to act on them they just don't always do so.

Maybe they should blame themselves when they get to the store and realize the deal isn't as good as they thought it was, or perhaps doesn't even apply to them because the fine print says that the deal is only good at a certain time of day. Maybe. But maybe you should've made this restriction more clear in the first place, because no matter where the fault truly lies, there's a good chance the customer is going to place the blame with you regardless. It's all about trust.
 
Making good on your word.

If you promise your customers something, stick to your promise. For example, if you run a repair business which requires you to be at people's homes, and you give them a timeframe at which you will be there, you need to be there in that timeframe or give them a discount or offer some other kind of way to make up for breaking your promise.

You may think being a half hour later than what you said is no big deal, but it's just absurd to assume that they have nothing better to do than wait around for you. They may have other appointments. Customers remember these things and may factor them into their decision when they need your type of service again in the future.

This is just one example. No matter what type of business you run, if you tell your customers something, just stick to it. It's as simple as that.

Have you ever been deceived as a customer? Share your stories with us and help others avoid making the mistakes.