Burned At The Door -
Your sitting at home relaxing on the couch or perhaps watching TV when the door bell rings. Your not expecting someone and your doorbell seldom rings. You get up and go to the door to see if it is one of the neighbourhood children participating in a fund raiser selling cookies, raffle tickets or some other item.
We all try to help our neighbours children if we can but not everyone at the door has a sweet deal for you
Don't Get Burned at The Door
No matter how good or how time restrictive the offer seems to be it's your door and your decision.
Ontarians have learned, often to late, that the deal contains long term commitments or hidden penalties for early termination. One recent example here in Durham was some unscrupulous operators who stung homeowners who agreed to have their driveways paved by firms they had never heard of who seemed to be offering a very good deal.
A recent email forwarded by a family member contained a warning about how some door to door salemen operate.
While the Message was informative and appeard to be one of genuine concern.
I could not help but wonder who dreamed up this viral marketing scheme,
and how effective it could be.
Here is a copy of the email
Dear friends and family,
I've never been one for sending work-related emails to my friends and family, but I've just finished working on something that you might be interested in.
As you probably know, I work for xxxxxxxxx Home Comfort, which is one of Canada's largest home comfort and rental water heating companies. Over the past few months we've been getting calls from customers about door-to-door sales people trying to get them to switch out their rental water heaters. The problem is the deceptive approach we're hearing these doorknockers are using:
-
- posing as the utility, the government or their own current rental water heating provider
- telling them that the replacement is mandatory
- misleading them with the promise of huge energy savings
- telling them that their current provider has gone out of business
Many of these customers don't understand that they're being switched. By the time the tank has been changed out, some of these customers are now locked in for up to 15 years, with huge penalties for early exit. And if the customers get upset about being misled and they switch back, they get charged hundreds of dollars. I even saw one bill for $1,300! The problem is that customers don't know what's going on in this industry, they're not asking many (or any) questions, they don't know their rights and they're not warning each other.
Enough is enough. We've just launched a new website called burnedatthedoor.com. We've created this online community so that people can get educated, learn about their rights and about their water heaters, post their own stories about doorknocking, register for email alerts, and warn family and friends (like I'm doing with you).
If you've had these doorknockers at your door, or have heard about people who have, can I ask you to do 2 things?
First, check out the website, and if you want to, go ahead and register for alerts and see if they've been spotted in your community. And second, can you forward this email to everyone you think should know about this issue? Our company has been doing a lot the past few months to warn people, and we're now finding that people are starting to ask the right questions of these companies! This website is just one more way people can get information, because some customers are finding that ignorance can be expensive.
Hope all is well with you...drop us a line and tell us what's new!
Thanks,
"Find Your Dream Home --- With Out Leaving Home"™
"New" Home Search Options Are Now Available
Search for your dream home in the Durham Region Communities of Uxbridge, Scugog/Port Perry and Brock or the York Region Communities of Whitchurch Stouffville, Ballantrae/Musslemans Lake, Mt Albert, Markham/Unionville and other communities around the Greater Toronto Area and throughout Ontario. Moving to or from Uxbridge we have you covered with a powerful search engine that will assist you in your Dream Home Search.
Kathy Clulow Sales Representative RE/MAX All-Stars Realty Inc.. Brokerage 905.852.6143
Each office independently owned and operated Not intended to solicit clients already under contract
I never open the door to someone I don't know....never! too dangerous and so I never have this problem. This is why I don't canvass my neighborhood....no one should open the door :)
That is taking deregulation to the extreme !!!
At this time of year our doorbell only rings if we are being "Boo"ed and I hope it stays that way
Kathy, last week I yelled at two people. I get these people knocking on my door every single day.... sometimes two or three times a day. Sometimes I ignore it, but if I'm waiting for a package, I answer the door. The first guy told me they were from Direct Energy - he even had ID to prove it, and wanted me to let him in to check the water heater. I told him he was not coming in. He insisted. I told him my water heater is not rented. He still wanted to check. I asked him if he'd like me to use the baseball bat behind the door to get rid of him....
Not 20 minutes later, someone else about the same thing. I lost it.
Now I have a note on my front porch that says I don't have a water heater .... and I'm not looking to buy any. (tankless water heaters will be the next thing they'll be looking to replace, I'm sure)
We have at minimum 3-4 different roofing companies come out every week. It gets old.
Hi Kathy...Always listen to you inner self, if it does not feel right it probably is not. also call Better Business , they know who is real or not.
Cheers
Karen - living in the country even the kids seem to miss our house ... if it's not a neighbour it's a salesman
Laura - one of our neighbours used to meet the kids at the end of the street and shell out from the back of his pick up as the kids never come down our country lane.
Sylvie - LOL - I trust you used the bat not lost it
Nicholas - the roofing companies stopped bothering us after we had it redone (not by a door to door company) but a local one we knew.
Fred - My preference is recomendations from people I know or a company I know already ... door to door guys waste their time at our house. I think I should get a sign made up ....
Don't call us we will call you!!
Kathy,
This happens all the time. I get people "I'm from the gas company", but, they don't say the name.
Then, they DEMAND that you show them your last bill, so they can determine whether you were overcharged.
The scheme obviously works, they keep doing it.
Brian
Brian - it certainly does ... they just have to catch us in an unguarded moment.
The company I rent my hot water heater from runs into this problem. They have taken to leaving voice mails for all their customers to let them know it is NOT them at the door. I've also had people who want to see my gas bill etc. It's very annoying!
Janice - more than just annoying to some who give in to the sales pitch
Kathy, I went to Markham at 6 a.m., and got home at 7:30 ... and upon my arrival, I see my next door neighbour outside, all wrapped up and pacing ... and I asked what she was doing out so early ...
She was waiting for the hot water tank people, because they were coming to replace her hot water tank - FOR FREE - no less.
I asked her if she signed anything, and she said she had. I told her to go check it out and make sure it wasn't part of this scam. I hope this is a legitimate company. I felt bad for her immediately. I told her about the scam and of course she wasn't too thrilled. I really do hope she has nothing to worry about, but it's quite scary. These people just will not go away.
And I did lose it - I attacked them verbally, until I know there was smoke coming out of my eyes. I don't think they'll knock any time soon.... I hope ...for their sake ... or next time I open the door, I'll be holding the baseball bat. :)
Sylvie - For Free - we all love free but!!! not when it comes with strings
smoke from your eyes ... I certainly would not want to be on the receiving end of what you were saying at the time
HI Kathy
This very thing happened to me. They totally caought me off guard and in fact I told them very tersely to leave. Their reply to me that this was mandatory government program, and I bought it, and let them in. However when they left I called my utility company and found out the truth and cancelled the contract pronto. Next time I won't just be terse I will be adamant and rude if need be, I will even yell. I have had enough of these guys.They are in Uxbridge and I know they got people before me. This needs to be stopped. Hopefully what you are doing will help.
Thanks Kathy
Shelley Ryan
I don't answer my door. My neighbors know to call me or POUND if they need me! I don't want to sound rude, but I am too busy for the interruption from people I don't know. --Sara
Shelly - I know they have been in Uxbridge, they were on the other side of town last year and got into a few of my clients homes, causing a lot of problems. One client they would not release from their contract even after she sold her home and moved to a new house that did not or could not even use gas. They continued to hound her, eventually suing her for breaking the contract. I had sent them a copy of the Agreement of Purchase and Sale and a copy of the listing they bought. None of that mattered, they just kept hounding her. It took paying a lawyer to get them off her back! They are nothing but thieves!
Sara - Living in the country our neighbours seldom come to our door they phone. Their dogs keep most salespeople off the lane