From Elderly Internet Contracts to ERP Projects
It came to mind today as I walked through a shopping mall and once again saw with my own eyes something we often discuss on social media — even on LinkedIn. An elderly person had been stopped by a salesperson and persuaded to buy something they clearly didn’t need. The product was oversold, overpriced, and wrapped in urgency.
In shopping malls, it’s sadly common to see elderly people being sold products and services they neither need nor understand. The salesperson justifies the purchase with pressure or fear: “Your internet will stop working soon unless you upgrade to this new package.” And just like that, even a €200 monthly fee is created for a service that brings little to no value.
The same phenomenon appears in the corporate world — just on a different scale. When a multimillion-euro ERP system is “sold” as an “easy template-based solution” and “the best and cheapest approach on the market for customer industry,” the sale often succeeds even if the buyer doesn’t fully understand what they’re buying.
What makes it worse is that, at this stage, organizations rarely know in detail what should actually change with the new system. The solution and the real business value are not yet part of the selection moment — only the promise of one. And so, decisions are made based on hope, not clarity.
The difference is scale: instead of an individual, it’s the company paying the price — but the responsibility for the decision still lies with a person.
The saying holds true: people buy IT systems, but the company carries the costs and consequences.
Ultimately, buyer responsibility is more than just signing a contract — it’s the obligation to truly understand what and why you are buying.
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