Stupid Sharps Bedroom Sales Techniques

dontmess666

Honestly, you have to wonder about these national home improvement companies. Their sales techniques are throwbacks of the 70s when shady door to door salesmen were prolific.

I want to hear from others about the dumb, laughable and stupid sales spin you've heard from home sales people from Sharps Bedrooms,  Hammond, Dolphin, Anglia, Safestyle, Everest, Wren etc...

Takes Sharps Bedrooms for instance. I call them out to quote for a corner fitted hinged wardrobe. The idiot salesguy launches into his scripted sales patter, announces that "after 50% sales discount and further 20% special promotion, the prices comes to about £4k". 

Seriously, do these chumps think people are stupid? As if a corner wardrobe undiscounted original price is £10k! And you've dropped it by £6k?

I say to him that's clearly his "insult price" and to move onto his realistic price. To which he expresses confusion, claiming never having heard of the term "insult price" even though its a common industry term. He then starts feigning offence. 

Thats right, he's offended over a term he's never heard before.

Needless to say he lost out on the sale.

Interested to hear others similar experiences and what you thought?

Cash-Cows

Anywhere that's an all in price including fitting. You never know where the money is going. 
  

Jeepers_Creepers

The dodgy techniques are now so well known, it's astonishing that they are still being used. 

I had Anglian and another 'National' out for a quote for windows for a past house - this was 20 years ago. Naively we'd just moved in and it never occurred to me to look 'local' for this, but I'd still heard enough stories of what I'd assumed to have been historical practice by D-G salesmen, so fully understood what was going on when it happened.

An hour he spent extolling the virtues of his product, until I had to tell him to just provide a quote or leave. There then followed the most jaw-dropping acting - a bit like what you've said 666; a ridiculous starting price, implausible discount levels (still far too expensive) and - when I said 'We cannot afford that...' - he did the call to his manager! Yup, standing in a corner of the same room - so's we could hear - it was the whole "Really sorry to bother you at home, boss, but they're a lovely couple and I really want to see if we can squeeze anything else off? What? You can?! Just for this evening?! Wow - that's great - I'll let them know..."

We showed him - and the other company who tried the same act - the door. I expected to hear nothing else from either, but was surprised when I got a call from both around a week or two later - with a further discount. I then played one off against the other - "Sorry, X have quoted £Y...", and this went on for another week until it actually became an offer I couldn't refuse. 

But, the brazenness of it all. Even when I chuckled as he came off the phone to his 'boss' and gently challenged him about what was going on. Such thick skin - almost admirable...

Penguin_

I was the Management Accountant of an engineering firm when I had Anglian round for a DG quote. Bear in mind I knew how we managed, in work, to keep costs down by manufacturing as much as we could in house. They gave me their normal sky high price of £8,450 but said if I agreed right there & then he could bring it down to £6,000. I said it was too much as I was a single Dad & couldn't possibly afford that, to which he phoned his 'manager' & amazingly enough got it down to £3995. I said I would get a couple of quotes locally to compare. 

He then tried to explain that he couldn't go any lower because they manufacture all their products & have no control over the pricing of what goes in. I said that sounded a bit backwards because it sounds like they have total control of their cost to which he asked me what I did for a living.... needless to say after I told him he excused himself & left.

dontmess666

The irony of it all is if they were just honest about their prices and stopped playing games, their prospective customers would be more receptive to them. Instead its just a pantomime enacted by clowns in a suit.

Reminds me of when I got a guy from Betta Living do a quote for wardrobes many years ago. He goes through his sales script only to quote a ridiculous price of £16,000! A quote so preposterous its laughable. He then promptly "calls his manager" in full view and proceeds to tell him what a nice couple we were and what he could do. He then drops down to about £5,000. From £16k. You couldn't make it up.

Needless to say I tell him to finish his coffee and leave. 

Clearly these jokers never learn.

Hasbeen

Since this thread is totally irrelevant to DIY money saving. 

Perhaps a board guide could move it to somewhere like:

Praise, Vent & Warnings — MoneySavingExpert Forum

Jeepers_Creepers

I dunno - a few of us have saved money by dealing with these charlatans, and we DIY'd it to boot. 

dontmess666

Hasbeen said:

Since this thread is totally irrelevant to DIY money saving. 

Perhaps a board guide could move it to somewhere like:

Praise, Vent & Warnings — MoneySavingExpert Forum

Thought this forum was entitled "In my Home"

silvercar

It’s fine here.

silvercar

The best comment for me was when a DG sales guy thad to phone his boss on the phone that we weren’t prepared to ‘ make enough of a commitment to our windows’ 

dontmess666

Ha ha. Hope you threw him out.