Window salesmen, apparently, have no soul. I’m not talking about the guy at the lumberyard selling Pella doublehungs. My wife just called her 75-year old mother, who lives alone. In her house right now is a contingent of window salesmen trying to convince my MOL that she needs new windows, and dear MOL is halfway to buying all new units for an aluminum sided townhouse not yet 10 years old. I called and told to her talk to them if she wants, but to not sign anything until I get there at Easter to look and see if the windows need any work. (She said some of the gaskets are loose. And they called her, not vv.) For that, they wanted to replace her vinyl windows with aluminum (not clad) double-paned casements (she lives in Del.) Sounds cheap to me. Is this an isolated incident, or are the windows/siding industry targeting the older generation? (I did a bath reno for a older lady last year who succumbed to a high pressure salesmen and paid through the teeth for all new sash replacements. For the amount she paid, I could have ripped out the old and replaced with new mid-quality units, if they needed to be replaced at all.)
The more I think about it, the more POd I get.
Replies
Nick, I think it's time to go Nuke'em.
Sweet. If only. . . in my dreams.
Reminds me when I was doing home health. I had a patient that I was working on one day. This guy come by "We have some extra paving stuff we will give it to you for such and such price" I told my patient that I was't trying to tell him what to do, but to not do it until he checks them out. He had his wife call into the local police department. The cops got the guys and got some of the money back from others they had ripped off that day. I know that it would only stop them for the day, but at least it did a little good. Makes me sick how many older folks have this happen to them. ESPECIALLY the ones that don't have someone real close by that they can call to come over when something like this happens. Those are the ones that sink under pressure. Glad that you will be able to check it out for her and she has someone to ask advice from.
Tamara
Here in Ontario there are now laws (10-day cancellation / refund) on renovations, etc. expressly because of jerks like those. Basically, anything you sign for in your home, you are entitled to cancel with full refund within 10 days.
The trick, of course, is tracking them down... little creeps.
A great start. But what about the shut-ins with no one to tell them they're being taken advantage of? Like the old lady and her window replacements? She can't drive, just moved east from Indiana, and knew of no one to get advice from. (And most of the older generation- -my parents included- -have trouble adapting to the new computer technology.) These are victims waiting to be taken advantage of. And it flat out pizzes me off.
I'd like to think there is more that I/we can do, but for now, a fair bid is all I can offer. There should be a law. . . Like we haven't enough of them already.
My grandmother was taken by a plumber for a simple water heater install. Basic unit, Simple install, by that I mean nothing outside the ordinary, guy was in and out in a little under 2 hours.
$850 bucks I called around to other plumbers in her area and asked for quotes prices ranged from 450-600 depending on the unit.
Edited 3/6/2003 1:50:38 PM ET by CAG
Well, the Supreme Court just confirmed that sexual predators could have their pictures posted on the internet...could do the same with the jerk-offs who prey on the elderly et.al.
It's my understanding that a lot of them are repeat offenders anyway, so Nuke 'em.
Hey, how about an update on the geo over in it's thread?
OK. Give me a few days...drywallers are finishing up and I'm working (in the rain) on a little framing job at another site so I can afford to buy a Senco floor stapler.
It's a vicious circle. 3 years ago I bought a floor nailer, did a few floors, then bought a big tile saw 'cause I had several tile jobs, and now I got the Geo and 2 more houses with 5/8" solid bamboo floors and the suppliersays ya need to staple it.
And then I end up keeping all this stuff that sits. And if I sell it, the next day I'll need it.
Ok, go grab a beer and I'll roar with ya.
be a bamboo
You only need the tools you don't have, not the ones in your truck already:)
View ImageGo Jayhawks
Edited 3/6/2003 7:59:59 PM ET by CAG