Recently I heard from a reader who took an exception to a comment I made in one of my editors notes on 06-13-10 concerning what I thought to be a high commission in a vending contract for a public account.
The reader took exception to my implication that the successful bidder did not give a fair and accurate accounting of themselves. He raises a valid point.
More importantly, he has caused me to consider what the proper course of action our industry should be taking with regard to vending contracts that appear questionable.
The commission in question struck me as excessive. And since there are now auditing tools to ensure honest sales reporting, I suggested that the newspaper that reported the story ask the customer how they audit the sales.
The reader took exception to my statement because it called into question the bidders honesty.
He has a valid point: I do not know all the facts. While I did not specifically call the bid dishonest, I suggested the newspaper ask the contract holder to explain how the sales are accounted for. Which in essence questions the honesty of the bidder.
Which leaves us with a question. Should the industry encourage customers to use new auditing tools that improve sales reporting? I believe making customers aware of these tools will improve the industrys reputation.
Dishonest sales reporting is not rampant throughout the industry, but it does exist.
To the extent that it exists, much of the problem rests not with the vending industry, but with customers who dont have a way to make sure sales are reported accurately.
Some customers assume the collections are accurate, or that there is no way to ensure that they are.
Auditing tools exist to improve the accuracy and transparency of sales reporting.
Is it not in the industrys interest to make customers aware of this?
