The prosthetic industry is shocked by the "stealing beams and replacing columns" scam! Such salesmen, please leave immediately!
“I clearly chose an imported brand of prosthetic leg, but after paying for it, it turned out to be an unknown domestic product. The promised ‘poverty alleviation subsidy’ and ‘optimization plan’ were all lies!”
Case Review:
We once received a request for help from the family of a disabled friend: His father needed to install a prosthetic limb due to an accident. He chose a well-known brand product on the recommendation of the salesman, but the budget was short of nearly 20,000 yuan. The salesman patted his chest and said, "We can apply for the poverty alleviation policy, and then optimize the accessories, and the final price can be reduced within the budget." He also repeatedly assured that "the product is definitely the selected one."
His family believed it and paid the deposit on the spot. But after the installation, I discovered that the brand installed was not the brand I had originally selected, but a niche product I had never heard of. I went to the salesperson to argue, but the other party turned against me and refused to admit it: "Either you pretend, or the deposit will not be refunded."
And this kind of encounter is not an exception. Disabled friends should be careful to identify prosthetic limb salespersons with low quality. They may have no moral bottom line in order to make sales.
Scam routine: three steps"Deceive" customers, no bottom line
In the prosthetic limb industry, this kind of "swapping the pillars" scam has long been a fixed routine. Salesmen seize the customer's mentality of "wanting to save money and believe in professionalism" and set traps step by step:
The first step:“Draw a big pie” and whet your appetite with well-known products
The salesperson will first recommend a well-known and well-known prosthetic brand to the customer, and introduce the advantages of the product in detail, such as"lightweight material, long service life, and natural walking". They will even bring out samples for customers to experience, so that customers will have the idea of "choose this one."
The second step: "Promise" and use false policies to reduce the budget
When the customer expresses When "the product is good but the price exceeds the budget", the salesperson will immediately throw out "reassurance": "I can help you apply for poverty alleviation subsidies, which can reduce the price by up to 30%" "I can optimize accessories and remove rarely used functions, and the price can be reduced" "The company has internal discounts, and I will help you go through special channels"... These promises sound considerate, but in fact they are all lies. The purpose is to make customers put down their guard and close the deal as soon as possible.
The third step: "Change the product" and turn around after the transaction is completed
Once the customer pays the deposit or the full payment, the salesperson will start "changing the face". Either they use "the selected product is out of stock" or "the poverty alleviation policy application failed" as an excuse to forcefully recommend low-priced and inferior products; or they directly deliver products that are inconsistent with the agreement, and in the face of customer doubts, they either do it perfunctorily, or they forcefully threaten "no refund if you don't accept it."
Such behavior is not only deception, but also "seeking wealth and killing"
For people who need prostheses, prostheses are not ordinary commodities, but a "second foot" that is related to daily life, travel safety, and even mental health. The deceptive behavior of the salesperson has caused far more harm than imagined:
From theeconomic level span>Look, customers spend money but buy inferior products, which is equivalent to "wasting their money". Many families are already under heavy financial pressure due to treatment and recovery, and such a scam will undoubtedly "make matters worse".
Fromsecurity levelSpeaking of inferior prosthetics, the materials and workmanship are not up to standard, and there may be problems such as "poor load-bearing capacity" and "easy joint breakage". Customers are prone to falling when using them, causing secondary injuries, and may even lead to more serious disabilities.
From a psychological level, customers are full of expectations for life after installing prosthetic limbs, but encounter a scam. Not only will they feel angry and disappointed, but they may also lose trust in the entire prosthetic limb industry, or even give up on installing prosthetic limbs, and then fall into a state of low self-esteem and isolation.
What is even more frightening is that this behavior is destroying the reputation of the entire prosthetic industry. When more and more customers encounter scams, they will become resistant to "prosthetic salesmen" and "prosthetic products". Customers who really have needs and want to choose high-quality products will also hesitate because of "fear of being cheated."
A must-read for disabled friends and their families: 4 tips to avoid the "swapping the beam" scam
Faced with such industry chaos, we cannot just rely on anger and accusations, but also learn to protect ourselves. Combining the experience of many disabled friends and the suggestions of industry experts, we summarized 4 key points to avoid pitfalls, which must be remembered:
1. If there is a promise, it must be written in black and white in the contract
No matter how many discounts or guarantees the salesperson promises, do not trust verbal promises easily. When signing a contract, it is necessary to clearly state the "brand, model, material, and price of the prosthesis" as well as the "committed subsidies and preferential policies". It should also indicate "if the product does not match the agreement, how to compensate and whether to refund the full amount." Once a dispute occurs, the contract is the most powerful evidence.
2. Before choosing a product, check the "qualifications"
Before selecting a prosthetic brand, check the formality of the brand through official channels, such as checking the brand's official website and whether it has certification qualifications from relevant national departments. At the same time, choose a prosthetic institution with a formal business license and a good reputation, and avoid buying from "small workshop-style" stores. When transferring money, do not transfer it to an individual. Try to transfer it to the institution's public account and keep good transfer records.
4. If you encounter a scam, defend your rights decisively
If you find a salesperson "stealing one thing for another", don't swallow it. First, collect evidence such as contracts, invoices, chat records, etc., and then complain to the local market supervision department (12315), consumer associations, or report the situation to relevant associations in the prosthetic industry. If the amount involved is large, you can also protect your rights and interests through legal means.
Finally, I would like to say to practitioners in the prosthetic industry:
The prosthetic industry is an industry that requires "temperature". What you are facing are not ordinary customers, but a group of people who are eager to stand up again and return to normal life. Every piece of your professionalism and every piece of integrity may change a person's life and the fate of a family.
As for those salesmen who make money by "lying" and "stealing products", what you have lost is not only your professional ethics, but also other people's hope for life. Such people are not worthy of staying in this industry at all, and will be eliminated by the industry and society sooner or later.
I hope that all disabled people who need prosthetics can avoid scams, choose products that are truly suitable for them, and take a firm step forward again; I also hope that the entire prosthetic industry can have more integrity and less routines, so that the "second foot" can truly become the "foot of hope" for disabled people.
If you or someone around you has had a similar experience, please leave a message in the comment area to alert more people to scams; if you have experience in choosing prosthetics, you are welcome to share it to help more people in need.