Lies customers tell

Buyers will 'lie for discounts,return used goods',says a study.

A new study into customer ethics has revealed that a large number of customers are happy to lie for discounts,accept accidental windfalls,and return used goods even.

Researchers,led by Queensland University of Technology,have found that a third of customers think it is 8220;acceptable8221; to pocket extra change,while almost half think it is okay to return used goods for a refund

Lead researcher Dr Larry Neale said as businesses adopt new technologies and move towards self-serve options,knowing what customers believe is ethical or unethical is more important than ever.

8220;Businesses cannot rely on their customers to always do the right thing. Arm8217;s length and self-serve transactions provide the customer with greater opportunities for deviant behaviour. For example banks now use ATMs as the dominant method of dispensing cash to their retail customers.

8220;Customers who receive less cash than they should when withdrawing from an ATM will likely contact the bank and report the discrepancy. Those customers who receive a cash windfall from the ATM are less likely to contact the bank and refund their windfall,8221; Dr Neale said.

According to the researchers,as part of the study,which involved more than 3,700 young consumers across five continents over a 10-year span,consumers were asked their ethical views on 14 different customer scenarios ranging from legal to illegal. 8220;From a business perspective,the unfortunate reality is that there is indeed a dark side to consumer behaviour. The results reveal consumers already know that illegal activities such as filing a false claim are unethical,8221; Neale said.

However Dr Neale said there were mixed views of what was 8220;acceptable8221; when the behaviour was against company policy but not necessarily illegal,for example returning used goods for a refund. 8220;Fortythree per cent of people said they think returning used goods for a refund is acceptable behaviour.8221;

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Other surprising results include people who claim senior and child discounts. 8220;Twice the number of people think falsely claiming a child discount 40 per cent is acceptable,than falsely claiming a seniors discount 21 per cent,8221; Dr Neale said.

Dr Neale said whether the behaviour under scrutiny was the decision to keep excess change or to commit fraud,there were consumers who felt such actions were justifiable.

8220;As a consequence,far too many of these consumers view their own misbehaviour as a way to level the playing field. Either the business wins or the consumer wins in this zerosum game,8221; Dr Neale said.