Thursday, June 6, 2019

No Hubby, No Go

This week my job was to have salespeople from three pre-selected companies come to my house to give me estimates for their products. I started setting up the estimates on Saturday.
  • Company #1 had a nice form on their website that let me choose my own date and time for the estimate. Just a couple of minutes after I sent the form through cyberspace I got an email confirming my choice.
  • Company #2 did not let me schedule online, but they had a nifty pop-up contact form. I entered my contact information, sent it off, and got a call back within a couple of minutes. The representative verified what I was looking for and suggested some appointment times. I chose the one that worked the best with my schedule.
  • Company #3 had a similar contact form on their website. Once again my phone rang almost immediately. After greeting me, the representative started the scheduling process by saying "Our company policy requires both homeowners present when we come to the house. Will that be a problem?"
I was really taken aback by the question. I replied that it would be a problem, because I was in charge of the project. The representative apologized, but repeated it was their company's policy. I had a couple of choices--continue to insist that they come out and talk to me only, or cross my fingers behind my back and agree to their terms. I chose the latter. (Asking Hubby Tony to come home from work to sit in on the presentation with me was not a choice.)

The first two appointments went off without a hitch. It was interesting to see how the companies tried to differentiate themselves. Of course each had the best products on the market, and their competitors was filled with flaws. The day before Company #3's appointment I got a reminder call, which again advised me of their company's policy. For the rest of the day I pondered how I should approach the topic when the sales representative walked in the door. Did I go on the offensive and insist on getting the information I was looking for, or apologize for being alone? Eventually I decided on a combination approach. As soon as the rep mentioned the topic I was going to apologize for Tony being gone, then immediately indicate I would record the presentation with my phone app so he could listen to it and be up to speed in on all the details.

In the end, the rep could have cared less that I was by myself. He was a nice guy, gave me a great presentation of his company and products, wrote out an estimate for me, and told me to contact him if I had any additional questions. He did offer a discount that was only good if the contract was signed on the spot (which I guess is the reason they insist both homeowners are there), but Tony and I wouldn't have done that anyway.

Five years ago today: Instant Garden

17 comments:

  1. Very unusual condition for a business to have. What if the person is single?

    I remember seeing an advert for a restaurant offering meals at half-price if the couples on their wedding anniversary were aged over 65 and accompanied by both parents.

    God bless.

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    1. You know, with people living longer lives it wouldn't surprise me that many 65+ year old couples could bring Mom and Dad to dinner. But would it have to be BOTH of the couple's parents? That would make for a very full table.

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  2. That is very common here. It has to do with the legalities of "changing" the house. It doesn't matter who the homeowners are, they want them all present. The roofing companies I called today all said the same thing. "Are both of you on the title? Will both of you be present?"

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    1. I guess I could see where legalities could come into play if the one spouse said yes and the other said no and wouldn't pay for the work when it was completed. Otherwise, it seems sexist to me.

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    2. Janette, that makes sense, but it seems like an easier way to get around the issue would be to have all the homeowners sign the contract.

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  3. I was a single homeowner. I always went on the offensive when asked to have hubby present. They lost my business. I owned that home from 69 to 88.

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    1. You certainly deserved to go on the offensive

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  4. The job seems unusual in that it requires people coming to your own home... shopping outside at various businesses seems less of an obligation.

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    1. Since I was actually somewhat interested in the products the companies were selling, I looked on it as a chance to get educated.

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  5. Was this for your auditing work?

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  6. Interesting work! You sound very professional in what you do. My daughter-in-law had me help her handle some similar situations shortly after her husband (my oldest son) had died... no one ever asked her/us for specific people to be present. But she had me present because she hadn't done these things herself and I had. I didn't want her to be taken advantage of, so I was happy to help her.

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    1. Thank you. It sounds like you were a great help to your daughter-in-law.

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  7. #3 could of been for safety reasons. No accusing of anyone of misdeeds.

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  8. I can't engage here in hiring anyone to do anything because my brother and his wife together own this place. This has created some hassles in some cases. The one case it didn't was the tree guy who took down the maple by himself. He couldn't have cared less who he talked to or who was present as long as he got paid. Which company are you going with, have you decided?

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  9. You have created an interesting post, I learned something new reading here. This is so different and you explained it very well. Thank you for sharing it.

    Have a great week!

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