MSE News: Energy salesman told to read !!!!!! to pump up for selling

lunskoye

My story to all the energy guys & gals who come knocking is, I tell them they cannot possibly put me on a cheaper/better tarrif as I get my gas and electric free because I work on the oil rigs (which i do!). I also tell them that I only get my energy from oil or gas fired power stations or natural gas from a shell oil rig ( I have to try and keep a straight face here :rotfl:)

I have only had 1 guy doubt my story, but when I then told him I get all my petrol and oil free for my car and motorcycle as well, as long as I go to a shell petrol station and show them my passport and ID, he says "wowwww I guess I really cant save you money after all then" ....... errrr no you cant...

And no, I dont actually get anything for free ..........

jgriggle

Reminds me of the week spent doing that job about 10 years ago.

I was unemployed at the time and saw and advert in the local paper that said

'Energy Advisors required. Could you advise three people per day on how to reduce their energy bills?'

I gave them a call and asked for more details and was told that it involved visiting people at home and helping them reduce their bills.

I asked if it involved door-to-door selling. "Oh no" they said "you're not selling anything".

I went for the interview in a grubby office on a tiny industrial estate. The company's name had the word 'marketing' in it, which set off alarm bells but they reassured me it was not door-to-door and that they were just employed by the big energy companies.

I did the interview and was then invited back to do training. Four new recruits were driven by the boss to a dodgy looking hotel about 30 miles away and met up with a few others in a meeting room. It was only then that we were told that yes it was door to door selling for one of the big energy suppliers, commission only.

As we were in the middle of nowhere, with no other way of getting home I stayed for the day and was taught lots of aggressive (and in my opinion borderline illegal) selling tips.

I asked about the 'three people per day' thing and was told 'Oh yes, that's your minimum sign ups but to make a good living you'll need at least six'

To be honest I'm surprised I lasted a week.

Joyful

All these posts going back a few years are understandable. When I first started working at BG rogue salesmen from all companies were common. I can't comment on BG as I have never had one of their salesmen at my door.

What we should be concentrating on is the here and now. To anyone that worked with any of the energy companies as little as a couple of years ago I can understand if the tactics employed in training were incorrect. Since then most companies have moved on because Ofgem became more involved. They are not all up to scratch yet as misselling is still happening which is why the big companies are taking a break from doorstep selling.

jamespir

we never read !!!!!! pity would have been nice

wildthing01

Consumerist wrote: »

My golden rules for doorstep energy sales are :-

1. Don't show them either your meter or your bills.
2. Don't tell them who your current supplier is.
3. Advise your current supplier of the approach and confirm you don't want to switch at this time.

my golden rules for doorstep energy sales are:

1. point out the 'no salespeople' sign next to your front door.
2. inform them they are breaking the law by ignoring it.
3. shut door in their face.

duff33

I'm another who briefly did this job.

Same scenario, out of work, advert in the paper "Make big money now" - a company extremely keen to get you in for an interview etc

Seemed 'great' on the surface - be your own master, earn £££! What a great change up to being out of work eh?!

The pitch is drilled in to you, all the come backs to the common questions etc then off you go.

Didn't last, worst job I've ever had and I am not shy about getting stuck in to a rough job for an honest days pay! I was always taught to stick at something (in job terms) if you don't like it and until you find something else because it is the 'right' thing to do; but this crossed the line.

This was around 5 or 6 years ago, representing NPower but working for a 'franchise' (or whatever the term should be) of the Cobra Group.

thrifty_pete

The natural outcome deregulated privatised energy is the proactive, often wealthy consumers seek out the best tariffs online. The elderly and less able to switch pay more.
I have my own anecdote about sales tactics, an "engineer" from Scottish and Southern Energy was banging on my door (not sure why he didn't use the doorbell). He said there was a dangerous malfunction in my meter and that I was being overcharged. He looked at the meter and said yes I was being overcharged, but I could switch over. I pointed out that the price I paid was a private contract with my existing supplier, so how could he know how much I was paying. After a lot of arguing he said he would "come back later with a couple more engineers to sort me out". It was almost a threat!
This total contempt by a company is not a good idea if it wants any respect, or the chance of ever having me as a customer in the future!

Pete

dee2009

I wish I'd read this thread 2 days ago- here's what happened to me yesterday:

Background-I rent my house from a private landlord and the gas and electricity is pre-pay. Having only recently moved in, I did not know who my electricity supplier was. I know this may sound daft- but at 40weeks pregnant its one of the last things on my mind!

A guy from scottish power turned up at the door and his opening line was 'I'm here to tell you of some changes to your dual fuel supply'. He then showed me a blue and orange power key and asked if thats the one I had. On saying yes, he then said 'Well here's the new one we're going to send you.' He then went on a bit about how the new key will mean discounted power blah blah blah.

During the whole conversation, i was under the impression that SP was my current supplier. I was also looking for a 'catch' but didn't notice the most obvious one in front of me! The whole time he was talking he did not once ask me if i wanted to switch to SP. It was like he was telling me 'This is whats happening to your fuel and you have no choice'.

He then asked me to sign his electronic tablet to 'prove that he has spoke to me', gave me some leaflets and away he went.

It took less than a minute after closing the door for me to realise that something wasn't right. I went and checked my power box and key and realised that my provider is actually British Gas. At the time i did not realise that the blue and orange key is a BG one and the 'new' purple one was a SP one. He had just switched my supplier without me realising!

Needless to say, I called SP straight away and cancelled the switch and put an official complaint about the seller. Luckily the girl on the phone was lovely and everything was dealt with quickly.

I realise that most people probably wouldnt fall for this as they would know who their supplier is. But baby brain got the best of me! I am gutted that i let myself be duped as i am usually on the ball with things like this.

Lesson learned.

System

That's strange, Joyful, I had a Scottish Power salesman on my doorstep this evening.
I could hardly get rid of him, he was very insistent, quoting name of customer etc etc.
I told him straight, we don't get supplied by SP, and then it was straight into sales pitch. "who is your supplier?" do you know bills are rising? We can freeze your bills etc etc"
It took several statements of "I'm not interested, I prefer to do my own research about energy suppliers before making such a decision" before I could get him off the doorstep, and yes, these were the actual words I had to keep repeating to him!
I don't like to shut the door in anyone's face, but I think I may have to toughen up!! We get quite a few door step salespeople here, as there are lots of pensioners.
Linda x

Johndoe

I work for a major supplier in outbound sales and there are pitfalls when making a decision over the phone however, there are a few easy steps to make sure you get a exact comparison.

1.ask the adviser to confirm what discounts you will receive eg. Direct debit and duel fuel don't accept a % as they all have a limit as is 6% but that will be up to a maximum of say £75 and any cashback amounts or how long discounts last for.
2.ask the adviser what the unit prices are including vat
3.do not reveal how much your current monthly or quarterly payments are it is ok to reveal how you currently pay.
4.each year your current supplier should send you a annual statement detailing your full years consumption in kwh and a estimated cost firmthe next year only give the adviser the consumption and ask them to give you a price including discounts for the year based on the rates they gave you. then compare that price if it represents a worthwhile saving then switch if not don't if you want to work out your monthly or quarterly payment just divide the price given by 12 or 4 respectively at no point should you reveal your current supplier until you are ready to switch and the comparison is done.
5.if still unsure check the unit prices online to
Make sure they are accurate most advisers will be willing to call you back.
In short never do a comparison based on a monthly direct debit amount or price do it based on the cost of your yearly usage as the price your given will be exact for you not a average customer on standard rates.

Remember all sales calls outbound to you have to be recorded now to be legally compliant and anything you agree to will be confirmed in writing and as with any telephone sales you get a minimum cool off period of 7 days from when the paper work is received. Most advisers are not allowed to mention the cool off until you ask about it it first unless the sale is agreed so feel free to ask.

I hope this helps and the company I work for do not have excessive targets I get a non performance based basic and get paid more if the quality of my calls are high rather than the volume of sales