Lesson 3.8
Honest Selling: No Tricks, Hidden Charges or Misleading Claims
Estimated time: 8 minutes
Integrity is not only an employee issue.
Businesses can also behave dishonestly.
Scenario — Fake Scarcity
A seller has 40 units in stock.
The advertisement says:
“ONLY 2 LEFT — BUY NOW!”
The statement is deliberately false and is being used to pressure customers.
That is not simply “good marketing.”
Scenario — The Sample Is Better Than the Product
A business displays a high-quality product to attract orders.
It knowingly sends customers a much lower-quality product without disclosure.
That is dishonest.
Scenario — Hidden Charges
The customer agrees to buy something for ₦100,000.
After payment begins, the business suddenly adds compulsory charges that should reasonably have been disclosed before the customer committed.
Trust is damaged because the true cost was hidden.
Scenario — Defective Goods
A seller knows an item has a serious defect.
Instead of disclosing it, the seller says:
“Everything is perfect.”
The seller wants the money more than they want to tell the truth.
That is also greed affecting integrity.
Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) states that businesses should not exploit consumers or issue wrongful or deceptive advertising, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) addresses false, misleading and deceptive representations.
Other Dishonest Selling Behaviors
- claiming a product does something you do not know it can do
- using false testimonials
- misrepresenting size, quantity or quality
- advertising one price and intentionally charging another
- pretending something is original when it is not
- concealing important limitations
- making a promise you already know cannot be fulfilled
Important
Selling means presenting your product persuasively.
It does not require deception.
Remember
The customer’s money is not an invitation to deceive them.