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| Author: | Rondog |
| Subject: | OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) |
| Posted At: | 2004-08-27 07:05:05 |
I am looking to replace 22 various sized windows in my Irvine, CA house.....I have had two companies come over to "quote" the job---They both did a good job of describing their companies and their product (Anlin & Atrium)---BUT both their SALES TACTICS just totally turned me off..... It was really laughable except i wasted over 2 hours of my time---- The first wouldn't even quote the job unless i agreed to be their "SHOWCASE HOME" with promises of $10M+ discounts---
The second - an affable kid-- got the "owner" on the phone -who nearly begged me to sign a work order tonite....
Both had a tiered quote - "retail px" good for a year..."think about it px" good for a month... and the heavily discounted "right now px"----Gawd !!! how insulting!!!!
Does anyone give a fair clear quote with out these used car sales tactics??!??!!?
I am in Orange County CA...any suggestions?????
Thxs!
| Author: | TnAndy |
| In Reply To: | OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) (posted by Rondog) |
| Subject: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) |
| Posted At: | 2004-08-27 11:54:07 |
Anyone considering allowing any kind of home improvement salesman into their home needs to go to Blockbuster first and rent an old Danny Devito movie called "Tinmen"...Devito plays an aluminum siding salesman complete with all the scams and tricks of the trade.....and these guys are still using them.
One trick I really like and actually seen done is the salesman "calls" the manager to "see if he can get you a better price"......the salesman will appear to be dickering on your behalf, really hard!........when he leaves, hit REDIAL on your phone.....you'll likely find he called his own number or the Time&Temperature recording at the local bank.....ahahahahaaaaaa.....
I had a neighbor want a quote on siding one time.....I gave him a good price and he said "I'll have you do it in the fall"...OK.....
So I go by his house later on in the fall, and there are some guys doing the siding. Hmmmmm.... So I see him in town the next day or two, and ask "Hey Joe.....I thought you were gonna have me do that siding?"
"Well, I got Century 21 to come give me a quote and theirs was more expensive, but it's a LOT better siding that what you can get" (........snicker, snicker....they buy it at the exact same wholesale place I do.) "Yeah, the salesman said they have their own factory.....he took some iodine and poured it on 'regular' siding, and some on theirs.....then he went to the kitchen sink and it washed right off theirs but not the regular siding"
So I said, "Well, Joe......I thought you had more sense than to fall for some sales trick, but obviously you're dumber than a coalbucket.....BUT IF IT EVER RAINS IODINE, I guess you're in good shape".....ahahahahaaaaaa.....Twit....Old screwed up house I didn't want to do anyway and just gave him a good price because he was a neighbor and THEN he does this....what a hoot...... I figure the REAL reason was they would finance their overpriced job and I want my pay the day I finish.
| Author: | Marie |
| In Reply To: | OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) (posted by Rondog) |
| Subject: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) |
| Posted At: | 2004-08-27 14:37:20 |
Rondog
At least you get to see the used car before you buy. Good luck.
Marie
| Author: | Newbie |
| In Reply To: | OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) (posted by Rondog) |
| Subject: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) |
| Posted At: | 2004-08-27 14:55:39 |
All window/siding companies are not like the ones you had contact with. However, a lot of them are and will continue to be as long as their methods work... which they do a great deal of the time.
The only way to combat this situation, and eventually clean up the industry, is for home owners like you to not buy from those types of companies. Also, home owners who have been through the process, like you, need to help others to avoid wasting their time and/or being ripped-off by sharing your experiences.
That is, when you come across the bad ones... tell everyone you know, who they are and why they should not waste their time with them. In turn, when you come across a good company, and you will eventually, tell everyone about that company.
By the way, my handle on this site is "Newbie" because although my company has been home improvements for years, we are only just now entering the replacement window market. We plan to change the replacement window market, at least in our area of the country (the mid-atlantic/southeast). However, companies like ours can't do it alone. We need home owners like you, to encourage the changes that are necessary by refusing to "do business as usual."
Good luck.
Newbie
| Author: | Rondog |
| In Reply To: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) (posted by TnAndy) |
| Subject: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) |
| Posted At: | 2004-08-27 16:11:36 |
Andy... Tin Men is truly a classic....I will definitely watch it again..if only to dull the pain of having to endure these cads.
| Author: | FenEx |
| In Reply To: | OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) (posted by Rondog) |
| Subject: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) |
| Posted At: | 2004-08-27 16:11:42 |
I have been educating and training sales teams for numerous companies for a good number of years and I do not support high-pressure sales. The hard sell has been around for a long time and stays alive through companies that are making money at it. It will stop, when consumers make it stop. A few companies (that I won't mention) have actually lost class action suits because of it. Over-inflation-to-price-drop, false promotion discounts like the "Today Only Price", yard sign compensation, etc...etc...etc... damage the industry as a whole. When a contractor offers you their "Best Deal" and then drops the price when you don't sign... aren't they admitting to you that they really didn't need the extra money but were trying to see if you were naieve enough to give it to them? There are rare exceptions to this as on occasion an owner might see special value in a particular client or area. As of three years ago, the construction industry had finally passed the airline industry for Customer Dissatisfaction and to my knowledge has held the record since.
Suggestion to homeowners: Near the onset of the presentation, when the salesman is creating the "pain funnel" and discussing what you want and don't want... tell him. Look him in the eye and say something like:
"I'm glad you asked, one thing I can't stand are high pressure sales that insult my intelligence with bogus offers and price drop tactics. I do alot of research and have a pretty good idea of what I wan't and am willing to spend. Can you believe the last guy I had come over thought I was an idiot and stuck around for 3 hours pushing me to sign today and it would save me 30%??? I told all my friends about it and even posted the guy's BS on the internet !!! <LOL>. Okay, now back to your company... whatcha got?
This will eliminate most of the nonsense and can be quite entertaining "for you" especially when they have that "deer-in-the-headlights" look.
| Author: | rondog |
| In Reply To: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) (posted by FenEx) |
| Subject: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) |
| Posted At: | 2004-08-27 16:17:09 |
FenEx...
Spot on!
| Author: | Dee |
| In Reply To: | OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) (posted by Rondog) |
| Subject: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) |
| Posted At: | 2004-08-27 19:47:31 |
My suggestion to you is to open your door and give them a swift kick out of it. We also had an experience similar to yours. Our salesman asked what we paid for our house and said the windows would cost about 10% of that. What does what we paid for the house have anything to do with the price of replacement windows? What a joke. Then we found out that if you do not sign up with them the first time they come out, they will not even give you a written itemized estimate only a verbal one. You are not even allowed to think about your decision, they move on to the next prospective customer. How they get anyone to go with their company is beyond me. Good luck, hope you find someone reputable and with a good product. We are still looking!
Dee
| Author: | rondog |
| In Reply To: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) (posted by Dee) |
| Subject: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) |
| Posted At: | 2004-08-27 22:02:55 |
thanks dee....
nice to know we are not the only ones.....
| Author: | RCasement |
| In Reply To: | OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) (posted by Rondog) |
| Subject: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) |
| Posted At: | 2004-08-29 16:01:24 |
We live in Kansas and have the same problem you do with the sales people thier. They must train at the same college. All products are about the same. Its the installers that make or break a good job.
my two bits
Russell
| Author: | Dan Gediman |
| In Reply To: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) (posted by Rondog) |
| Subject: | RE: OMG!!!! Like buying a used car!!!!!-- (OC, Calif) |
| Posted At: | 2004-08-29 20:57:54 |
This has been my own experiences to a "T" including the guy having to call his sales manager on my phone to get his permission to leave my home since he didn't get to do his entire performance, replete with bringing in a heat-lamp and putting it up against his window versus a competitor's window. I told him he had to leave since I had to put my kids to bed. I recommended he fax me an estimate later. He said he didn't have a fax. I suggested he use one at the office, he said there really wasn't an office, just a mail drop and a local phone number that really rang through to Cincinnati (I live in Louisville, over 100 miles away). I was getting ready to threaten violence if he didn't leave my house, but he finally got the message and left. BUT, he left his tape measure on my dining room table. He could have been spacey, but I would put money on the fact that eh did this so he would have an excuse to come back again.
OK, so the question is WHERE DO WE TURN FOR REPLACEMENT WINDOWS if we don't want to deal with these bozos??? Is it a reasonable idea to buy the windows from one place and hire a contractor to install them for us? I read somewhere on the web that most reputable contractors don't want to do this work since they fear being liable for installing a sub-par window. Any thoughts on that?
Dan