Thankfully i was not taken in by these scam artists who work to a cleverly pre-scripted format designed to close the sale on the day.
Like the other annoyed customers on this site, I have a similar story and it seems almost identical.
Our meeting was for a Sunday (they pick Sunday because you are not rushed and can spend a few hours wasting your time with them). Like another reviewer, he called at exactly 11 and said he would be 30 minutes late. I think this is a ploy - because when they arrive, they apologise profusely and say they will 'take care of you'. They reintroduce this idea later on when it comes to price.
He didn't care about the house at all, really, just wanted to go somewhere comfortable to talk. So he came back to our house and his pitch started.
usual bullshit - he's a 'marketing guy', not a salesman, and is authorised to 'choose' people to give subsidies. My guess is, every single person that is pitched to receives the so-called subsidies, which is actually their list price (£6,500, which seems to be the price quoted to every customer!)
While he was working on the 'quote' he handed my wife 5 letters of referrals from happy customers, and handed me 100 pages of referrals. Having skimmed one or two, I put the folder down, at which point he had a go at me for not reading more, and insisted i read more, because, he said, he had to be sure I was a good candidate if he was to 'pick me'. This puts the client on the defensive, because you then feel that if you won't get the subsidized price, you have to start defending yourself as to why you'd be good.. It's clever, they make you feel like they are picking you... don't get drawn in. It's bull.
And then the catch... you HAVE TO BUY IT TODAY. Limited offer. The wife is there because she diffused the situation and pushes the man into going for it. It's all designed, the salesman are slick, and well trained. If you call up Smart Energy, they will not talk about price - they just say it's a 'messaging centre', which is total nonsense.
What can I say, I felt relieved I didn't fall for it after coming onto this and other websites. It's all a load of bollocks. I really hope other readers to not get conned into buying an overpriced system that appears to not be that great anyway.
Don't fall for these scams. Buyers beware!!
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Thanks for letting us know. I had similar problem from a company that tried to sell me a very expensive hoover they spent ages at my house hoovering window sills the lot, and had a similar speel about being late, then asking for a glass of water, then phoning their boss to get a better offer while using my phone. Bloody people, I told them where to go!!! They did a good job at cleaning our animal/child infested carpet though. Julia
Stg27 04.09.2007 14:42
Good review. Thanks for publicising these companies' tactics. The more people know what to expect the less they get away with it.
Advantages: Good early savings from SMART Energy Master. Professional People. Quality Panels. Flexible Disadvantages: It is complex, expensive and you must use the system properly to gain savings
Sep 4th, 2007
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