You, like most small business people, will spend a lot of time, effort and money in setting up your business. It is wise to make sure that your own interests are protected when you deal with other businesses.
There are steps you can take to reduce your risks of being ‘burned' by shonky operators, phoney companies and other fly-by-night companies.
To protect yourself and your business you should:
- be careful about agreeing to anything over the telephone
- never provide information about your business without knowing the purpose
- keep records of what you authorise and to whom you spoke to when arranging any advertising
- never pay the company unless they have a signed authorisation
- ensure your staff have adequate training to deal with these situations
- check all official looking documents to ensure they are genuine
- seek advice from the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs on (08) 8204 9777 or 131 882 (SA country callers).
There are various industry associations to which businesses can belong. Many of these have standards of conduct and ethics to which members must comply. If the business you are dealing with belongs to one of these, it's a good sign. You may wish to consider joining a relevant association yourself.
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Information on accessibility for the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs website can be viewed at: http://www.ocba.sa.gov.au/accessibility.html
Information on copyright for the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs website is provided on behalf of South Australia Central http://www.sacentral.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=60
Disclaimer
Information on the disclaimer for the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs website is provided on behalf of South Australia Central http://www.sacentral.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=61
Privacy
The South Australian Office of Consumer and Business Affairs (OCBA) is committed to protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal information, consistent with the South Australian Government's Information Privacy Principles. If you would like to view the full privacy statement please visit: http://www.ocba.sa.gov.au/privacy.html
Webmaster
If you wish to provide feedback on the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs website please contact the Webmaster via email mailto:webmaster@agd.sa.gov.au
Accessibility
Information on accessibility for the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs website can be viewed at: http://www.ocba.sa.gov.au/accessibility.html