Abe Handsome

Almost got scammed the other day in Tesco KB.

This guy was plying his trade at the foyer of Tesco KB opposite the escalator. He was trying to promote his company's induction cooker. Being interested in it, as a customer, I would naturally approach for the sake of finding out.

To cut things short, the induction cooker was really "canggih". All the button works with a touch screen function, consumer protective from the heat hazard and all. The price: RM 2899.

Expensive? yes it is. But you can purchase it with a discount. How? you will have to pick a draw to determine the discount that you can have. "Previous customers" only drew 10% - 20% discount. It will be valid should the induction cooker be purchased in the next 6 months.

He quickly and magically picked a piece of sealed paper (I thought that I was the one who was supposed to picked it?!). The shocked and puzzled expression in his face was really a bluff. A fake. It wrote "Rm1008" on the paper and he mentioned that he has no idea on how that can be (remember that the previous customers only drew 10-20% discounts). Not knowing what to do, he said he had to call his "manager" and ask if that discount value can be used or not. He pressed the keys on his keypad and strangely, not until 2 seconds, he was already talking with his "manager". Another magic performed. Well, it could be a push to talk function.

"hallo?, Mr Manager? Ini saya ada satu customer dapat 1008RM diskaun, boleh kasi ka tidak?"

"oo..ok, tanya dia sama ada pernah purchase produk syarikat dulu ka? ok ok."

"Abe, abe, pernah pakai produk syarikat kami ka? and I said no.

"Abe, manager saya cakap, kalau mahu guna ini Rm1008 diskaun, kena beli ini hari terus kerana RM1008 itu banyak bagus sudah diskaun."

Now, earlier he mentioned that the discount drawn can be used in the next 6 months. How come his policy changed suddenly? A big curious question mark there.

Dang, funny when one addresses his boss as "Mr Manager". Also, it was all too fast. It was all orchestrated.

No less than 5 times did he mentioned "Abe handsome". I love that flattering of his. But, sorry, I won't be taken in for it.

That was a ploy to persuade unsuspecting customers to buy their product as soon as possible. As a token of appreciation, he gave me a tooth brush with a brand name of "Fallet". Heard of it? He he.

Points to ponder.

• Think before giving out your hard earn cash. Do not give in easily especially to the "gores dan menang" scam. People still do even after numerous reminders from consumer's association.

• Do not be easily flattered. It may be (most of the time) insincere.

• Good things are not cheap, and cheap things are (usually) not good. in most cases, it applies.

• Be observant when being approach by sales person or even the telemarketing sales person. Always query for clarity. Consumers are always right.

• Do not be afraid to reject. Do it politely. After all they are also human with feelings and selling product may be just their sole income.