twistedfocus1647545489 Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 (edited) Just in case any of you are shopping for HVAC stuff, I'll share my experience with these guys. I started to post this in Consumer Reports, but it's neither automotive related or a vendor here. The wife called to have them come out and give us an estimate for either repairing what we have or installing a whole new unit. We plan to have a few estimates just to get an idea of pricing because we have no frame of reference. Since they are the first ones that popped in my head we called them first. They said they'd only schedule it when we could both be there, which I wasn't surprised about because I know they want to give their "presentation" and don't want to give you the easy "I have to talk it over with my Husband/Wife" cop out. We said okay and had them send a guy out right after I got home last night. The guy shows up, says he's been in the business for 20+ years and looks things over. The guy is pretty straight forward about what he thinks we need (new equipment) and explains why. To this point I have a good feeling about it. Then it comes time to sit down and talk numbers. The guy goes into the presentation I expected… Why you should choose us over competitors, why our people are the best, why our warranty is better, etc. That's fine, I knew this coming. Then the guy proceeds to ask a series of questions clearly designed to assess (in a nice way) how long we plan to live here and basically figuring out how much price means to us. I tell him we don’t plan to be here more than about 4-5 years, so I'm somewhat price driven and looking for basic stuff but not junk by any means. He says okay then moved on to trying to find out how much warranty he might be able to sell us and explaining why it's so important when resale time comes. I told him I'm aware of the risk with/without warranties and that I'll entertain the idea of an extended warranty but I'd like to see the numbers both ways. This is where it gets silly. I'm talking dirty used car sales, high pressure sales tactic silly, which shuts me down instantly. He says it's the last day of the month so I'm in the position to make you a heck of a deal because I only need one more sale to make my quota this month (or something close, almost verbatim). I say that's great, what do you have in mind. He then says he wants us to agree we're doing business before he leaves tonight and that we need to agree to that (and I assume even sign the papers he was getting out of his bag) before he can give us the details. I tell him that I'm not the type to buy on the first offer without having any idea what I'm getting into and that I have a couple more quotes scheduled I'll need to review. He packs up all his stuff and says something like "good luck with whomever you choose to do the work. Call me if you change your mind tonight", hands me his card and gets up. I say okay and walk him out where he says, "You know we're talking thousands, not hundreds" to which I replied, "Well I wouldn’t know" and sent him on his way. He looked a little surprised, like maybe he thought he had me where he wanted me. WTF is that about? All that says to me is that you know your price can’t touch some of the others so you need to close me now. Additionally when people use high-pressure tactics like that it makes me wonder how many elderly or ignorant people they take advantage of with their super-secret special offers. And third – they sent this dude out here to solely to try and work a sale and wasted not only his time but mine, because I never even got the fucking quote. I understand salespeople being in the business to make money, so I was going to just let it go. After sleeping on it I'm very seriously considering calling them or writing a letter to their owner expressing how distasteful I think their sales approach is. I don’t even blame the guy that came out completely because it's clear their company supports the hard sale, but come on. Does anyone else think that's going too far on my part? Edited December 1, 2009 by twistedfocus Missing a return Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedfocus1647545489 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 For those looking for cliffs: Make an appointment for AB to give us an estimate on HVAC equipment/install. Get hit with shady high-pressure sales tactics and don't even get a quote unless I agree to buy whatever they're selling me tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2pointslow Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 You handled it better that i would have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedfocus1647545489 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I was really ready for some sales pitch right from the beginning. I know they're in business to make sales and since we were both required to be there I knew they would put us on the spot. This, however, was far beyond what I expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akula Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I like West Jefferson, very fair and always straight with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russian rocket Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 wait im confused, that guy wanted you to agree to buy his stuff before he even told you the price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyM3rC Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Shame on them. You should call and complain, and tell them if they don't want to have completely wasted their time they need to give you a quote at the very least. I can remember interviewing there years ago, and talked with many many people. They seemed kinda sketchy, and I'm glad it didn't work out. It was interesting to hear this from you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedfocus1647545489 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 wait im confused, that guy wanted you to agree to buy his stuff before he even told you the price? Yes. That's actually what he said. Specifically "Before I go any further I want us to agree that you want Atlas Butler to take care of this for you, tonight." Verbatim, or nearly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedfocus1647545489 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Shame on them. You should call and complain, and tell them if they don't want to have completely wasted their time they need to give you a quote at the very least. I can remember interviewing there years ago, and talked with many many people. They seemed kinda sketchy, and I'm glad it didn't work out. It was interesting to hear this from you. I'm actually thinking letter to the owner because I know it most likely will reach him rather than bitching at random customer service deflectors that don't give a shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Removed Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 call garret....he might be able to fix the old stuff up! i take it the sales guy didnt even think the check out the old stuff correctly, just wanted to sell you all new stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedfocus1647545489 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 call garret....he might be able to fix the old stuff up! i take it the sales guy didnt even think the check out the old stuff correctly, just wanted to sell you all new stuff? Yeah, I'm going to PM him now. Thanks for the reminder. I approached him earlier on when I was looking for used stuff, but now that I'm *possibly* onto new stuff maybe he can help me out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakotart Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I'm actually thinking letter to the owner because I know it most likely will reach him rather than bitching at random customer service deflectors that don't give a shit. Send your letter to him through the BBB. You can file the complaint online. http://www.bbb.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedfocus1647545489 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Send your letter to him through the BBB. You can file the complaint online. http://www.bbb.org/ Good idea. I think that's what I'll do. My intent isn't to get anyone in trouble, but consumers need to know what these people are about. They have a high BBB rating currently, probably from actual customers and not potential customers. Sure I might have been very happy with their work, but I'm certainly not pleased with their sales approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akula Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I think I would have said "how much?" "lets sign the deal" "how much?" "sign here" "get out" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87GT Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I think I would have said "how much?" "lets sign the deal" "how much?" "sign here" "get out" Yeah I would of laughed at him and told him to get the fuck out. It makes total sense to agree to a deal before you know the terms :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buck531 Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I saved a bunch of money on my Furnace by switching to Garrett . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwishiwascool Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I worked for a company a long time ago (not on the sales side) with a similar pitch. I'm amazed that it not only worked but that it worked so well. I think our generation is far more skeptical and appreciative of straight forward sales people who are genuinely trying to create a long term relationship. I feel like sales people like that are a dying breed which is good because they give the whole career segment a bad reputation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedfocus1647545489 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I worked for a company a long time ago (not on the sales side) with a similar pitch. I'm amazed that it not only worked but that it worked so well. I think our generation is far more skeptical and appreciative of straight forward sales people who are genuinely trying to create a long term relationship. I feel like sales people like that are a dying breed which is good because they give the whole career segment a bad reputation. Exactly. That's why I bet a large portion of their customers are elderly, or just completely ignorant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennyFKINPowerz Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I had an alarm compnay try that crap on me a few years ago. I kept telling the guy I was not going to agree with anything at that moment until I had some other estimates. Not to mention this was like a 4 year contract. So the guy gets rude with me in my own house. I asked him to leave like twice and he kept trying to sell me. I finally told him that I was going to ask him one more time to leave before I threw his shit out the door and beat his ass. I could not believe the nerve some of these guys have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwishiwascool Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 In other news, I have used "Total Comfort Heating and Cooling" over the years. The tech I request is an eagle scout and would never pull that crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AI Coupe Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I'm pretty sure any consumer has three days to change their mind about any purchases like this... he can say anything he wants but thats the law. I probably wouldn't give them a deposit anyway. Nothing like a sales guy like this thinking he has the deal then his boss gives him the bad news that they called and canceled. And... if you think the BBB is powerful, companies like this are scared to death of complaints on Angies List. As soon as they walk in tell them you are a Angies List member and watch the change in their pitch. Just my 2c's. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedfocus1647545489 Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Well, I wrote them a Unabomber Manifesto last week and sent it to the company owner. It was actually a pretty professional letter, just a bit long at about 1000 words. They had their head sales guy call me yesterday and try to smooth things over. He offered to have someone come out (again) and give me a quote this time. He was very apologetic and genuinely seems to want to make things right. So, I agreed and they offered to send the same guy or a different person if I wanted. I told them the first guy could have just done his job the first time and it's just awkward now so I'll have someone else out. He said he'll make sure they cut me a good price on the quote. I'm not convinced that I'll see any real discount but I would like to finally get the quote for some basis of comparison. The 2 quotes I have now are for failry "cheap" equipment (Goodman), so I'd like to see what it would cost me to go with slightly "better" equipment. To be continued... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russian rocket Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 thats awesome, you should have asked for the same guy again and then said "im glad you changed your mind about that quote" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excell Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 I'm pretty sure any consumer has three days to change their mind about any purchases like this... he can say anything he wants but thats the law. Sort of. Only if they come to you unsolicited. If you call them or ask them to come out, you're not protected. Examples: Vacuum cleaner salesman comes to door unannounced, sells you a unit. You are protected under the law. You call vacuum cleaner company, they send salesman, sells you a unit. You are not protected. The same is true if you go to any store, car dealership, whatever. If you initiate the transaction you are not protected. Your only recourse is the company/organization return policy if they have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedfocus1647545489 Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 thats awesome, you should have asked for the same guy again and then said "im glad you changed your mind about that quote" I kinda wanted to, but I just have no desire to ever feel awkward or "on-the-spot" in my own home. Having this guy out again would no doubt be a bit awkward, pleasant attitude or not. The guy was actually pretty professional other than the dirty sales approach, so I doubt it would be a problem. I'd just rather have someone come out and do their damn job the first time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.