Good day ya'all. I believe it's my civic and moral responsiblility to advice prospective buyers and sellers on NL and entrepreneurs in general. Online transactions can be very interesting and rewarding. It can also be the cause of untold hardship, stress and disappointments. I have had my fair share of both. I lay no claim to being a seasoned expert in such ventures, however i am not a total green horn. I will narate one of my recent experiences to serve as an advice to the newbies and also use the opportunity to ask the experienced buyers and sellers on NL to please judge the case with all fairness and offer advice where necessary. This thread will also serve as a forum where we can all share our "not too pleasant experienes" in the world of online business transactions. This is to prevent others falling victim to similar occurrences.
Disclaimer : This is by no means an attempt to disrepute or witch hunt any individual or organization.
I sourced for and bargained for the cost of a good from the USA. I contacted an agent to make the transaction for me and subsequently wired him the payment @ an exchange rate determined by the agent. He was contacted by my seller and a meeting point agreeed upon. They were both in correspondence. Few minutes to the rendezvous point i realised i had unintentionally made a honest mistake. I had two sellers originally and sent the contact number of the 2nd seller to the agent thinking i was purchasing the goods of the 1st seller. I immediately contacted the agent and told him of the possibility of aborting the transaction. I sent him messages as i couldnt reach him on phone to explain the reason for this sudden change in plans. He also tried to call me to enquire why, however there was a network glitch at my end.

The agent applied his wits and told the seller he had to go withdraw cash from the ATM. Less than 5 minutes after leaving the seller i reconsidered and told him to make the purchase. But to my dismay he refused, claiming it was too late and he had already left the seller, and he tried calling me but i didn't pick. You all know our 9ja networks. I got the impression he was angry . I didn't want him to have made the trip in vain and moreover the seller was a wonderful oyibo man, patient, polite and all. Note that he was out on some collection trips for other clients, so he had other stop overs before mine.

I de here

Who understands this guy?

Fast forward to the next day and i received a message from the agent informing me i would have to pay 55 dollars as commission and transport cost. This is the bone of contention. I reasoned that commission should only be paid on services rendered and delivered completely to fruition. He was however adamant and refused to justify the charge, also taking offence and claiming i can't teach him his business. To avoid any problems i had to pay him off. I had to pay over a third of the total cost of the good in question-and all for what!!! The goods were never purchased. However i still feel this is not right.
My reasoning was this: since he knew he would charge me, why didn't he complete the transaction when i had a change of mind within 5 minutes, and i implored him to complete the transaction despite the mistake on my part. I knew i would have to pprobably pay him for the transportation cost. However why charge me commission on services not fully rendered and delivered to fruition. Is it justifiable? I will accept my mistake if you guys think he acted rightly.
Also i was to have a refund of the remaining balance after his charges had been deducted. He initially insisted on increasing the exchange rate in naira over and above the rate i used when paying him, claiming his bankers didn't inform him there was a recent change in rate. He wanted me to pay for this also. This would eventually short-change me. I refused to agree to this.

hmmm

Hustler hustling you big time just because your money is already with him.

My advice to prospective buyers:
1. Always insist on being given a quotation of total cost accrue able inclusive of shipping. This will give you an idea of your total expenditure. You can then decide if its worth making the purchase abroad or just sourcing for the good here in 9ja. The agent may claim he has no definite answer as to how much the shipping cost may amount to. Nevertheless, insist on being given a quotation on the probable shipping cost. He doesn't have to quote exact amounts. An experienced agent who is worth his salt should know the average shipping cost of most common goods shipped to 9ja.
2. Read and digest the agents terms of contract. Ask questions about what you don't understand and seek clarification.
3. Verify his/her authenticity.
4. Don't be intimidated by anyone. You are not a kid. However always be polite in your approach.
5. Seek advice from seasoned and experienced individuals on NL who have years of experience in online transactions.
6. Don't be tempted by the desire to buy that super cost attactive good from abroad. At the end of the day, the shipping cost maybe highly prohibitive and even higher than the cost price of the good. Some agents won't tell you this. They are always quick to persuade you to commit yourself by paying for the goods, while intentionally leaving out other charges.
7. Take your time to make extensive research about the good. It maybe more cost effective to source for them in Nigeria.
Etc

Exactly my reasoning. He had the joker card. I was gullible. Between the devil and the deep blue sea.

post=35627360:
Hustler hustling you big time just because your money is already with him.

My advice to the Agents:
1. Be honest and spell out in very clear terms your terms of contract.
2. Never look down on any customer. Customers satisfaction is of utmost importance. The needfor customer satisfaction can't be over emphasized.
3. Answer each and every question customers may ask. Be polite and honest in so doing.
4. Always remember to justify ur charges to a customer who you dnt even knw wat business opportunities he may throw your way in the not too distant future. Business affiliations can start small and evolve into more lucrative ventures overtime btw individuals with mutual respect and understanding.
5. The importance of patience as a key attribute in human dealings.
6. Don't be condescending to new customers cos u never can tell what the future holds.
Etc

You are so on point.

post=35627360:
Hustler hustling you big time just because your money is already with him.

You should have mentioned the person's name as it would help others though I know who the agent is from your explanation. It is not fair for him to charge you commission since the deal was not sealed, he is only meant to charge you for the transport fare.

Exactly my thoughts. I just didn't want any problems. I transfered the equivalent of 150 dollars for the good which was never bought and ended up paying him 55 dollars for services not completely and fully rendered to fruition. However i believe its not my loss but his in the long run. I had a whole lot of other deals lined up but his attitude deterred me from dealing further with him. Thats not to mention other future business referrals i might bring his way. The problem with most of us is that we are acutely blinded by the lure of acute, short-lived profit/gain while throwing away the opportunity to build a strong business bond for the future. No one builds a thriving business by neglecting the needs of his clients both old & new.

mavinc4u:
You should have mentioned the person's name as it would help others though I know who the agent is from your explanation. It is not fair for him to charge you commission since the deal was not sealed, he is only meant to charge you for the transport fare.

Sorry man, I also think the reason he charged such exorbitant amount on 'commission' for a job not well done was due to d fact that he alredy had your money in his possession, however, he justifies the said 'commission' by the 'little turned deadly mistake' on ur part. that notwithstanding, the charges weren't fair @ all on his part........ Sha let it go, #shithappens. Btw is dis agent a Nigerian??

Lastly, I really like ur use/command of English language, the idioms et al, I learnt a thing or two!

Hmmn. Thanks bro. Appreciate the complements. I have already decided to let it go. Hence the reason why i decided not to point accusing fingers @ anyone or mention names, but rather made it a general expose to all and sundry. To answer your question-YES he is very much as "NIGERIAN" as we both are.

ugonna1054:
Sorry man, I also think the reason he charged such exorbitant amount on 'commission' for a job not well done was due to d fact that he alredy had your money in his possession, however, he justifies the said 'commission' by the 'little turned deadly mistake' on ur part. that notwithstanding, the charges weren't fair @ all on his part........ Sha let it go, #shithappens. Btw is dis agent a Nigerian??

Lastly, I really like ur use/command of English language, the idioms et al, I learnt a thing or two!