Friday, July 30, 2010

National Home Services Deceptive Sales Tactics Including Costumes

My family almost fell victim today to the worst business practices I have ever seen. My wife answered the door to a man wearing an orange construction vest. He identified himself as “from the water company” and said he was sent to “check the water heater”. She asked him if he was selling anything. He then said he worked for the company that we rented our water heater from. She let him in the house and he went down to the basement with her. This was a big mistake on the part of my wife but who can blame her? When you see a guy dressed as a construction worker with ID badges around his neck, you may assume he has some official status. She’s still a fairly new Canadian and I need to work with her better to explain how low these companies will go to get into your house.

The guy was from National Home Services ( http://www.nationalhomeservices.ca ) and he was not “from the water company”. He was renting or leasing hot water rental tanks. He had lied to my wife to gain entry into my home. By the time I came downstairs and realized what was going on, I was fit to be tied. I ordered him out of my home in no uncertain terms. I asked for his name which he would not give. I asked for a flyer which he would not give. He had another guy waiting outside and they both stood on my driveway trying to explain to me the merits of the services they offer, while I called them both every name in the book.

If you Google this company you will find others who have fallen victim to these deceptive marketing tactics. They lie to your face in an attempt to get a commission sale. The government has put cooling off periods in place but for many, this is little help. The water tanks are delivered and installed before you have a chance to think about it and then the bills start rolling in. You’re often on the hook for 10 to 15 years in the leasing contracts that have heavy cancellation fees.

This type of door to door selling should simply be outlawed. The fact that we need laws that govern the practice and cooling off periods only makes it more obvious. Have you ever met anyone who said they enjoy the whole door to door buying experience? I have never heard anyone say, “I really like buying natural gas, electricity or water heaters from a stranger at my front door. It saved me going out to buy them.”

The only thing that happens with these lying door to door sales calls is you are separated from your money. If not you are at least left feeling frustrated and bothered while relaxing at home. These companies like National Home Services are deceptive and should not be allowed to operate. I called the company and got little more than a promise to speak to the salesperson and get his side of the story. I wonder what that will be? Obviously he will deny any wrongdoing and say he never lied.

Here's a link to other people who have enjoyed a home visit.
http://www.keyframe5.com/national-home-services-water-heater-division/
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/national-home-services-water-heater-674026/
http://www.bbb.org/kitchener/business-reviews/water-heaters-dealers/national-home-services-in-north-york-on-1174972
http://christopherwatts.posterous.com/who-is-national-home-services
http://www.thestar.com/article/463378

3 comments:

  1. Wow, i just read this - i had this guy come to my door (we live close to markham stouffville hospital) and he basically was telling me he saw outside my door that the piping for some thingy is not qualified and that we should switch it to this white piping or some sort. He tried to gain entry and i simply told him no, not interested and he was pretty persistent, told him i'm in the business of selling hot water tanks/furnace (i actually work for a company which books audits and sells the equipment). He told me that i'm basically losing lots of money beacuse of that ONE piping. he gave me his card and i told him i'll contact him after i look at the website. I've been actually thinking of it, thinking I missed out, but now that i read your post, i realized i didn't. THANK YOU! :)
    sux that the rep actually gained entry to your home. at the very least youguys didn't go on the hook for anything! :)

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  2. Last summer, we had a salesperson come to the door to sell a security system. They wanted to see our basement windows to see if it would be difficult to gain entry to our home. Then they asked for a whole lot of personal information, like Social Insurance Numbers. Afterward, we wondered if what they were really doing was checking out how hard it would be for *them* to come back later and rob us. We called the police. They actually turned out to be completely legitimate, but we're much more careful now. We now have a family policy that we buy nothing at the door or over the phone.

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  3. If everyone stopped buying from unsolicited salespeople whether over the phone or at the door, then they would ALL CEASE TO EXIST.

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