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Re: Watchdog bait and switch scam
Martin wrote:
I can think of the best bait ‘n switch tactic employed all day long in this trade and nationwide too…….these ‘No Call Out’ merchants that’s who.:lesson:Scammers to a man the lot of ’em. 👿
First foot in the door, check the job out, too risky to fix…better to simply BER, take the old one away and recon to some poor mug later….I tell you what!…FANCY A NEW WASHING MACHINE MADAM?….It so happens I’ve got one one the van funnily enough!……well I never! :rolls:
Anyone I know?
Alex
Re: Watchdog bait and switch scam
Martin wrote:I can think of the best bait ‘n switch tactic employed all day long in this trade and nationwide too…….these ‘No Call Out’ merchants that’s who.:lesson:
I suppose technically, you’re right!
No Call Out Fee traders are NOT advertising No Call Out Fee for the benefit of the consumer, it’s only to get foot through door in the same way a Supermarket might advertise a washer for £100 that they haven’t got, end result is consumer contact, objective achieved…! So they paint the picture it’s of no or little cost, but leave with a cheque for a lot more than free! (And I’m prepared to bet, that someone will read this has made Mrs Consumer pay for a few non earners)!
That technically, could be seen as up selling, but also Bait & Switch!It also (IMO) contributes towards the devalue of our trade!
I’d like to point out that in NO WAY do I assume all ‘No Call Out Fee’ traders are rouges and also, no Free Callout Traders were harmed in the making this post 8)
Re: Watchdog bait and switch scam
odom wrote:For me, the free call out has always been an absolute no-brainer. I don’t need to spend anything on advertising with Yellow Pages etc, the magic “Free call out” on my van/website means I get approx four new customers every day, along with eight who are returning or recommended.
For almost all of these, I can fix the machine. If I can’t, almost all will buy a new machine, as I’m in an ideal position – they want a machine NOW, I have a machine in the van…
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Re: Watchdog bait and switch scam
Free call out is not bait and switch. Technically.
What it says is that there’s no charge to call. It doesn’t say that there’s no charge for the labour employed. It doesn’t say that there’s no minimum charge at which the call becomes free. And, so on.
It depends on the T’s & C’s of the offer.
If customers choose to accept that offer and it turns out not to be what they thought it was then tough basically. they should’a read the terms of the contract. Unless of course it’s an unfair contract, which gets you into a whole other area of legislation altogether.
Just as a fixed cost could perhaps depend on the brand. The product. The demands of the customer.
Just as the price of a policy could depend on the product.
And there’s the crux of a lot of this. It depends on how you want to interpret things, it’s not as perhaps as simple as you first think and it’s certainly not as black and white as you may think.
K.
Re: Watchdog bait and switch scam
theres nothing wrong by turning up with a few machines on board to swap out straight away, its the aggressive nature of some companys that apply hard sell tactics.
“well its a free call out, but because you asked us whats wrong with it and weve told you your machine is ber, the cost is now £XXX please, however we have this machine on board and we will write off the call out should you wish to buy a new machine right now… if we have to come back we wont be able to write off the diagnosis” customer over a barrel and im sure that must consitute bait and switch…
in theory, if they are going to operate that way they would be obliged to offer the payment paid for the diagnosis against the new purchase within a reasonable period of time, i.e 14 days…
Re: Watchdog bait and switch scam
gandh1 wrote:in theory, if they are going to operate that way they would be obliged to offer the payment paid for the diagnosis against the new purchase within a reasonable period of time, i.e 14 days…
But, as people keep banging on about, having to make a second visit costs us time, diesel and thus money. Why should indecisive customers subsidise those who can make decisions?
Let’s face it, when some uninformed punter decides to buy an Indes*it box at Currys, the salesperson doesn’t suggest they go away and think about it. My customers are in an even better position because they have an engineer on hand to ask questions rather than a teenager in a polyester shirt. If they want to save me a return visit I’m more than happy to give them £20 to seal the deal.
Re: Watchdog bait and switch scam
odom wrote:If they want to save me a return visit I’m more than happy to give them £20 to seal the deal.
When they “seal the deal” with you Chris, I wonder if you get your customers to relinquish their right to cancel under the terms of the current Cancellation of Contracts Made in Consumers Home or Place of Work Act 2008
Just curious because primarily they are ever hopeful their machine can be fixed and when they learn otherwise it forces them into making snap decisions, don’t you agree? Whereas when they purposefully travel to Currys (for example) their intent is to look at and possibly buy a new machine. There’s no doorstep high pressure selling from the little man in the polyester shirt! 🙂
Re: Watchdog bait and switch scam
Martin wrote:
odom wrote:
If they want to save me a return visit I’m more than happy to give them £20 to seal the deal.When they “seal the deal” with you Chris, I wonder if you get your customers to relinquish their right to cancel under the terms of the current Cancellation of Contracts Made in Consumers Home or Place of Work Act 2008
Just curious because primarily they are ever hopeful their machine can be fixed and when they learn otherwise it forces them into making snap decisions, don’t you agree? Whereas when they purposefully travel to Currys (for example) their intent is to look at and possibly buy a new machine. There’s no doorstep high pressure selling from the little man in the polyester shirt! 🙂
I do tell them about right to cancel within seven days but don’t get them to relinquish it. I’ve only ever had two cases where it’s come into play – once a “Friday afternoon” Amica which I swapped and Amica, to their credit, agreed to uplift without prior authorisation. The other one was a bizarre lady who wanted to return a w/d she bought after 20 months because she “wasn’t using the dryer much” and started quoting right to cancel & sales of goods act at me. Offered her pro-rated refund which she refused, she wanted full refund so told her to get stuffed… politely :).If anyone ever wanted to return it within seven days would swallow the loss and resell at cost price to a punter who wanted a bargain.
As to pressure – well, I suppose that’s subjunctive anyway. TBH most of my customers seem to think their machine is knackered even for simple things like brushes – half are over the moon when I say it can be repaired! However, I wouldn’t ever get someone vulnerable, e.g. elderly, disabled, clearly strapped for cash etc. to agree to a same-day sale unless they specifically asked me to do it.
I’ve always been uncomfortable with any sort of “pressure sales” because I’d hate someone to do that to me. So if machine is BER I just have a chat about new machine options, tell them which brands I recommend and which to avoid. If they’re interested, I have a printed sheet which I give them, “These are the ones we sell, if you’re interested. They’re all selected by me, because it’s what I’d spend my money on. We keep all of them in stock so I could deliver it today, if you like”.
I then give them a chance to look through it whilst I pack up my tools and sort out the van. Pop back to give them a card, ask them if they looked through sheet. 75{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of the time they’ll say yes, would like to buy a machine from you. If they’re “on the edge” of saying yes I drop in the £20 discount.
Yes, it’s sales. I don’t pretend it’s not, let’s face it, as a sole trader if I don’t sell repairs, machines, or whatever, then I can’t pay my bills. But I like to think of it as “zero pressure” sales, because I want to keep a good relationship with customer so I get chargeable work once guarantee runs out. I hope that most of my customers would agree with me.
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