Every time our industry seems to be on a decent streak, there comes news headlines which undo all the good work done before. This time, it comes in the form of a news article found on the Mirror newspaper’s website. It does not make for good reading.
Salesman called potential customer 33 times in a single day
An article published on The Mirror website on 13th May describes a case where an now ex-Safestyle UK representative is alleged to have harassed a potential client for a period of two months, culminating in a day where the salesman is alleged to have called the homeowner a disgusting 33 times! The hard-sell and high pressure bullying tactics still alive and well then.
This is an extract from the story:
He claims the agent was trying to “bully” him into buying the products and at one point rang him 33 times in a single day.
But after two months of persistent calls Wayne called the police, who issued the salesman – known only as ‘Mr Hassan’ – with an Harassment Warning Notice.
He has been warned not to contact Wayne again and also had his contract with Safestyle terminated.
Wayne, a locksmith, said: “It feels like they try to bully people into getting new windows and they cannot allow their staff to treat people like that.”
The salesman, who introduced himself only as Mr Hassan, first visited Wayne’s home in Shirehampton, Bristol, in December last year.
“He didn’t have a good attitude and he seemed to challenge me every time I asked a question,” said Wayne.
“He gave me a quote of around £8,500 while we were chatting and I eventually got him down to £3,600, but then he just got the contract out.
Obviously the artificially inflated prices tactic is still being used as well.
Bad headlines undo the good work
The problem with these sorts of stories is that they always overshadow the good work being done by the professional sales people and the professional businesses. Bad news always reaches the news, the good stuff never does. It then tarnishes the whole industry, putting the good guys at an immediate disadvantage before they even walk through another customer’s door.
If there are any homeowners reading this, please let me assure you that this is not the way most companies in our industry behave. Most are good, honest companies trying to make a living and take pride in the work they do from start to finish. It is a small percentage of companies that have managed to tar the industry with the reputation most know our industry for now.
