I was working at home and waiting for the Master to come and give me an estimate. I thought it was him when the doorbell rang.
When I opened the door, I saw a well-groomed young man with bright eyes and clear confidence. He sold solar panels for Infinity Solar USA.
He starts his pitch with a lie and it's all downhill.
In short, he made the three biggest mistakes a door-to-door salesman can make. No, wait, make it four. I forgot the part where he threw me the bird.
I have to remind all the lawyers who are knocking on my door, knocking on my door. I speak for her good. Just ask Solar Guy.
sales scenario
First, let me tell you how it happened.
Solar Guy knocks on my door and this is offense no. 1. There is a big sign that says "No Lawyers". In my city, ignoring the sign is a violation.
"Did you know," he began, "that your electricity bill will triple in the next six, 12 and 18 months?"
"No," I tell him. "That's not true at all."
This sentinel sacrificial lamb will not enjoy the next few minutes of his life.
What the poor guy doesn't know is that over the past few days I've been talking to both the CEO and the chairman of my electric utility company about pricing. Both told me they expected costs to go down, not up.
"We don't have a master plan to raise your rates," Daryl Shriver, CEO and president of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, told me. We are trying to find ways to lower the rate. Why should I increase my rate? »
My porter tells me it's on tri-county property.
I go to check the website and quickly find an explanation that says that because of winter storm Uri, the co-op's debt should go down, not up. I print a copy for him.
Solar Guy wants to sell me solar panels while scaring me with utility bills.
This is offense number 2. Salespeople are often inappropriate. The first sentence that comes out of his mouth immediately shows that he cannot be trusted.
let me grow Armed with the printout, I went outside and found it two doors down.
When I show him the printout, he shrugs it off and says, "Just doing some research." I have the information,” he boasts confidently.
At this point I tell them about my work. I also have information.
"Follow me door to door," he complained. "I was expecting a grown-up, grown-up conversation, and you follow me everywhere and act weird."
I ask his name. He won't tell me. I wonder why he doesn't have a city ID? He pulls it out of his back pocket and shows it to me from a distance I can't read. (I later found out his name by looking at police records of sales permits issued by his company. The permits show that 15 people from Infinity Solar flooded my town.)
Crime number 3. You should have your card with you, mate.
So what can I do to lose it? I give it a nickname. No, no aggression. I ask NOS if I will send a copy of this story through NOS to his company website.
He turns and walks away, tossing the bird over my shoulder, which is more effective than flipping the bird from the front, since shouldering is so uncomfortable.
In the audio recording of our meeting, you can hear me say, "How ripe?"
Violation #4. Finger. Matthew Lay, CEO of Infinity Solar USA, told me in a brief phone interview that part of the joy of selling is meeting customers with great ideas. He apologized for the bird.
Layman and marketing manager Dylan Olson told me the goal is to show that electricity prices will continue to rise and that solar power can help lower them.
"We're not a perfect company, but we're trying to fix our mistakes now," said Olson, who works in the Farmers Branch office.
But he said his salesman was right in this case. "They will raise the price," insisted the merchant.
He was apparently unaware that the cooperative had signed a 2.5-year contract with Nakshatra Shakti for the purchase of electricity at a fixed price.
Check door-to-door travel authorization
In many Texas cities, door-to-door salespeople must register, pay a fee, show ID and undergo a criminal background check.
In my town, the stop sign on my door has to be a certain size and the letters have to be at least two-thirds of an inch tall.
I understand that it can be difficult to remember the rules when a stranger is at the door. The guard advises you not to open the door, but if necessary, do so with caution.
Say, "Wait a minute." Turn on the video on your smartphone and keep the phone close to you. words are enough.
In May, the city of Fort Worth warned that scammers posing as city contractors entered homes claiming to have come across a water pipe and contaminated the water. Once inside, they steal.
A true Watchdog Nation citizen would call the water company to verify this. But how many of us do that?
Last year I told you about the Haslett roof and the SWAT deal. They wore jackets with large SWAT lettering on the back. But their SWAT does not mean they are special weapons and tactics. This roofing company is a reputable weather rating team.
When I didn't open the door, one of the security guards slapped me hard, like a policeman before a raid.
Unlike Infinity Solar USA, SWAT has not asked the police for permission to hire an attorney.
My best advice is don't open the door. You get a lot of nonsense, false promises and bad information. And if you challenge them too hard, you might get a one-finger salute.
Become a citizen of the Overseer Nation
Join Dave Lieber to learn how to become a superconsumer.
Watchdog Newsletter: Subscribe to Watchdog's free weekly newsletter to stay updated: click here.
Subscribe: Please support Watchdog's brand of simple journalism that saves you time, money and hassle. Get a digital subscription (and make it pretty!) by visiting https://dallasnews.com/subscribe
Watchdog Homepage: You can't miss Watchdog's two weekly reports. Always follow our latest reports on The Watchdog homepage , which has all the latest columns
Check out this free video tutorial from Dave: https://youtu.be/uhUEUCNKGjc
Facebook: Connect with The Watchdog in our Facebook group. Search for DallasNews Watchdog Posse.
The Dallas Morning News Watchdog column is the winner of the 2019 Best Writing Column Award from the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The competition jury called his winning entries "examples of intense storytelling and community service."
Read his winning columns:
* Help the widow of Dallas police officer JD Tippit, who was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, be buried next to his dead
* Help a waitress injured by a ruthless used car salesman
© 2023 Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
