Many of our customers have chosen to work with us based on our honest & straight forward approach to quoting & site evaluation. Over the years we’ve heard so many common selling tactics that customers have experienced whilst getting quotes from competitors. We wanted to share some of these ‘tactics’ to watch out for – so you can be sure the quote you chose is based on genuine information and is right for you, no matter who you chose to use.
A number of our customers have followed the advice of getting a few quotes for a job before deciding which to progress with and often they’ve shared their experiences with our competitors – here are some of the most common things we’ve had reported to us about other companies ‘selling’ tactics and we’ve been amazed at just how far some will go for a sale.
Moisture Content
One of the most common things we hear said is that you have extremely high moisture content within the timbers and on the existing insulation within the loft space, caused by warm air condensing on the roof structure and dripping onto the insulation on the floor of the loft. The most absurd level of moisture we have heard brandished is 90% which we can all see is crazy. In literal terms that’s the equivalent of running a sponge under a tap and placing it on a piece of cardboard, before long the cardboard would be fully saturated with the water from the sponge. If this was happening in your home – your ceiling would be telling you this.
Moisture levels in timbers will vary depending on the time of the year, this is normal and should not raise concern. This shouldn’t be used as a scare tactic for a sell. We’ve had reports of companies reporting roofs will fail imminently if left unsprayed and this type of scare mongering selling tactic is simply unjust. There is no doubting that spray foam is an excellent source of insulation that will give great energy savings and create a dry usable storage area within the loft but scaring you into a sale is a red flag. If you can’t get into the loft yourself, ask the person quoting to take some pictures so you can see what they are talking about, after all a picture says a thousand words. Transparency is key here – if they are not prepared to show you, what is it that they are hiding?
Cold Calling
Cold calling energy surveys are another ploy to try and sell you spray foam insulation. Unfortunately, we hear all too often of clients receiving a cold call regarding a free energy survey on their house. When the surveyor (qualifications often unknown) calls at your house, they proceed to look at various aspects that can easily be graded like windows and the age of your boiler. They will then proceed to look at loft insulation, next thing you know you are told that a major improvement can be made within the loft… que the salesman, who proceed to try and sell you spray foam insulation.
Not to sound like a stuck record but to repeat – spray foam insulation is a great product that will no doubt benefit many houses however the way they gain entry under false pretences is unfair.
We have also seen people told they require spray foam, even though they have adequate levels of insulation on the loft floor already. We know that traditional insulation degrades over time, whereas any spray foam installed will continue to keep its form and deliver energy savings but in the first instance the benefits of having spray foam will not be as good if the loft already has a suitable level of insulation. To suggest energy savings of 50% when you already have 250mm (ish) of insulation on the floor is a very bold statement. These levels of savings are plausible but only when the loft is not suitably insulated.
Sign Up Today ‘Savings’
It’s a tale as old as time, ‘sign up today for X savings’, ‘we’ve people in your area now, sign up and save’ or even ‘we’ve a cancellation, book the spot now for special rates’. All these things are plausible and can be very true – especially when factoring in the recent pandemic, however when coupled with an ‘offer only valid today’ or ‘sign up now or miss out’ and ‘save 50%’ its time to take a step back and ask a few more questions. Don’t be hurried into signing up, take your time to review the quote, look at options and be sure its for you. A genuine business puts their customers first, after all without you we wouldn’t exist!
All Parties Present
We still hear of companies insisting that all parties within the household are present for the sales visit, usually under the pretence that they feel everyone needs to hear the sales pitch as it could be a big decision better made together. On the surface this is true – most people wouldn’t make a large home improvement decision without consulting their significant other however the issue comes when the sales person applies pressure for an instant answer, removing the option to review and compare. We are also acutely aware that people are busy, getting all parties together can be almost impossible and if you’re being pushed to do this you might want to question why.
With all this in mind, we urge you to choose your contractor with due diligence and remember you should never feel forced into a decision, if this is happening is this really a company you want to work with? Are these people you’d feel comfortable having in your home? Get your quotes, compare, discuss and look at reviews – there is no better way to see how a company has performed than genuine customer feedback, google reviews are great for this.
At Green Horizon Energy Solutions, we believe our work and reputation speaks volumes. We’ve worked hard to build our team and our business and we take pride in being open, honest and hard working. We never pressure sell, we treat all our customers with the same importance and above all we pride ourselves on our quality work and services.
