Consumerist
Taylor sells home alarm systems door-to-door, and he is the devil, lying, manipulating, and preying on customer's fears push a product. Now he has stepped forward to confess/brag about his sins:
I lie. I lie to people a lot about their home safety. And I don't feel particularly good about it, but when my iPhone buzzes in my pocket, I forget the lies I've told and think of the MacBook Air that just shipped to my house.The ten lies he tells, inside...I sell home security systems for a living and I only work the three summer months of the year, and maybe four or five weeks the rest of the year. What I fail to mention is that my bank account regularly has 6 digits. All because I lie to people for a living....
1: "I am a marketing Rep from (insert alarm company here) and am just doing some marketing in your neighborhood today."The moral of this story? Shut the door on door-to-door salesmen. (Except for Girl Scouts, of course. Thin Mints are essential to a balanced diet.) Let's hope this story is Lie Number 11, and Taylor's just trying to scare us into being careful. But just in case, I'm keeping holy water by the front door.
Don't believe a word of what I am saying. I am a high pressure sales rep that is focused on making as much money off of your insecurities as I can. Granted, I don't tell myself that every morning while shaving, but when the chips are down, thats what I will tell you. I use the marketing line to come off as inexperienced and even non-intrusive. People find the word sales as dirty, so I don't use it. I use softer words to assure people that I am not taking their money and I don't even really care if they help me. But inside I know that if someone lets their guard down for even just a second, I will make the sale and have another commission.2: "I'm just in the neighborhood talking to a couple of particular families in the area, seeing if they will help (alarm company) market their new product line thats just come out."
I don't believe you are smart enough to figure it out, so I keep feeding you what you want. I'm not interested in two or three families on your street. I am interested in getting every person in a 50 mile radius to buy my product, because I like money. I'm not looking at special cases that will help market my product. I am interested in forcibly getting you to sign a contract that binds you for three to five years and pays my bills for a while. And the product isn't so new and improved. Its been on the market for years now. Don't let me tell you that this stuff just came out and we are trying to get a couple of families to use it and try it out because we just want to push product. Simple as that.
3: "What we do is give families this free equipment to put in their home, and all we ask is they put our little sign out in front of their yard. Thats it. That way, our sales department can have some product in the area to point to as examples. We are willing to take the hit, if you are willing to help us out."
Sure you don't pay for any equipment put into your home, but really do you think we would just give you this stuff for free? I have all the placards to show you how each piece of equipment is close to two hundred dollars, and that is cost we as a company are willing to swallow. What I don't tell you is I pay minimum manufacturing price for each piece of equipment I sell. So really, all those things I say we are willing to "take the hit" for, don't cost anything. I am just telling you this to make you feel like you are beating the system. And you suckers think you are getting a deal, yet you never really do.
4: "All this equipment will cover your home and give you an extra sense of security in this area. Now, this area isn't a bad area at all, but there have been a few reports in the news of some home invasions recently."
Doesn't "invasion" make you think of the Germans storming into Poland? I love using the word "invasion" and watching people light up with emotion. And these two or three articles that I am showing you? Just random articles with a bit of Photoshop work and you are all of a sudden suffering from major home invasions in Podunk, Iowa. I change the name of the city, paper, and maybe other small details and that is it. You are starting to believe me, aren't you? Now, I've got you emotionally charged up and I give your home the walkthrough.
5: "These windows here in the back of your house are big security threats because of (insert general safety tip). In fact, in this recent break in, the article cited the back windows as the point of entry for the prowler."
I am working you into an emotional frenzy. I went directly to the back windows and doors without you even asking me to come in. Don't ever let me do that again. You don't even know me, yet you are willing to let me into your house and all the way to the back door? And the back windows aren't that big of a deal. You have no idea how people break into houses, but you are willing to believe me, because hey, its my job right? Actually I don't know any more than you do. I just sound a bit more knowledgeable than others, and have this great system just waiting to be inserted into your house.
6: "So let's sit down here and go through the equipment you selected to cover your less secure areas. Now all we need to get this equipment released to you is to make sure you are the homeowner. We have had problems with (random lie concerning equipment and ebay). I will just call this in and we can get this taken care of."
I am running a credit check. Right now because you have given me your birthday and or social security number, I have the power to check your credit and see if you are eligible to make the monthly payments. I don't tell you this because you don't know who I am calling, giving all this information to, you don't know who I am, checking your credit, you don't know me at all. Don't give me your information like we are long lost brothers just making sure we found each other. I am praying to the credit gods that you are worthy to be swindled. And in two seconds, presto. You are.
7: "In the event your security system ever really does go off or even needs to be serviced, we ask that you have a personal password that we can verify with you. That and some emergency contacts if we can't reach you. Just fill these out right here and we can release the equipment to you."
I am diverting your attention so I can fill out the contract. Or "terms of agreement," as I will call it in a second. Its the age old trick of diverting someone's attention from the important so they won't be shocked by it. And you are doing it!!! I'm filling out terms and conditions, signing everything now, so when I give you this paper and the pen, you will skim it, not really care, and sign. Because its important.
8: "Now that we have that emergency contact information, lets go over the terms of our agreement. You remember I said earlier that all you needed to do was to put the sign out in your front yard and you could be given the equipment? Well that's all this says. You are qualified and willing to meet these terms to have the sign in your yard and have the equipment in your house."
It's just the terms of the agreement. Just like I said. If you start to look at the monthly costs of this alarm system I will go directly back to lies number 4 and 5 and work you into your emotional state again. After that, the monthly costs don't look so bad now do they? Yes, they do. It's still money out of your pocket. YOU ARE NOT GETTING THIS STUFF FOR FREE!!!! You are going to give me your credit card number in a second so that I can process this transaction and start you down the path of constant payments.
9: "I am just going to make one phone call to our corporate office so that we can get this all set up. (At a certain point in the phone call, Corporate asks how the customer is going to pay for the initial transaction, which is taken out immediately. I look up from the phone and politely say) They are asking for a credit card number to be placed on file so we can have a record of me being here and completing this agreement. What card were you going to use for that?"
Yeah, I knew about this part earlier. You don't want me to hang up with busy corporate though, do you? They are right here on the phone, it's really easy to just give them the number over the phone. If you are really hung up on it, I will talk you into your emotional frenzy again and then maybe even become a bit combative as I accuse you of breaking our trust that we had just moments ago. Hopefully it won't get to the point where I have to tell you, don't worry about the cost, its not even a price that is established by us. Some mysterious company decides the prices for every neighborhood. That's completely false and misleading, yet still works 85 percent of the time.
10: "We have technicians in the area that are following us around and at no extra charge to you, installing each home security system we give away. Its a service from our company that lets you guys get to know the technicians in your area a bit more and you can know your system is being properly installed."
These guys are just college kids like myself, with minimal training by some country bumpkin who once ran his own phone lines in his house, so he is qualified to train on home security. Hopefully they can put your alarm system in today, so that when you start to get buyers remorse, you will already have the holes in your walls. Holes in walls can squash any thoughts of remorse real quickly. And hey, you don't have to pay for these guys to come in and professionally install it, so its not that big of a deal! Just watch out when they take four or five hours to install this system and then have to come back to fix it because they just wanted to leave.
The ten lies I tell people, preying on their fear, and insecurities. And I feel no remorse.
(photo: dyanna)
Comments
Well you obviously feel some remorse (or I believe from Psych 101 the correct term is cognitive dissonance) or you wouldn't be posting this stuff on Consumerist. So now we all know if a door-to-door alarm system salesperson comes to our door to print these out and hand it to them.
I feel bad about lying, but thinking about all the THINGS I own makes it better!!
It's very simple - never let a door to door salesman into your house and you have nothing to worry about.
Regarding #6, isn't permission needed before a credit check can be run?
@stanfrombrooklyn: Or, you know, a disgruntled customer posing as a sales rep in order to get out the word on the ten ways he feels like he was lied to. It doesn't change the fact that you need to be aware of the ten-part scam, just that we don't have to suspend disbelief so far as to think the leopard changed his spots... or his predatory nature.
Any security system worth a darn would have electrocuted you in my driveway. Got anything that does that?
Holy water? I'm sticking to the shotgun.
Wow, I had a complete opposite experience with an alarm salesman, for example #6 and #8 the guy actually said that they were going to run ac redit check to see if I can afford the monthly payments. I guess it all depends on the salesman and the neighborhood
So hes got a 6 figure bank account from this and only has to work four months a year and hes telling the world about his scam? Smells fishy.
I actually had some guy try to pull this on me at my first house. I was working in the front yard and he came up to me with his little sign saying he wanted to put it in the yard for advertising and such. Just like the OP said. Once the conversation started gearing toward installing equipment and such and fees, I told him I was going inside to watch the Bears game. If he wants to plot his little sign down, to have at it. And I went in and shut the door.
Never left his sign, never saw him again.
This is really big at the college I went to. All these companies try to lure college kids into selling pest control or security systems door to door. They wow them with big commissions. My friend spent a summer in Cleveland and had little to no success. I think it was because he wasn't a scumbag salesman and wasn't going to deceive people.
@noquarter: as much as honesty is needed to build trust
Wow what an asshole!
Sad that most people are so stupid.
Letting a door to door salesman into your home is just stupid, for all reasons. Find and research a product you are in need of, some guy showing up at your door doesn't mean you need it. If anyone tried the credit card BS I'd throw them out of my house and if he tried to insinuate he had built some sort of trust with me, I'd punch him in the head.
Having worked in sales for a short period I came to realize the only skillful art in sales is finding the dumbest person you can and tricking them. It's a disgusting business. I had an interview once for an 'advertising' company that basically kicked off the 2nd interview with a course on how to lie. Anything from circling items in a flyer like another customer had done it previously or yanking the information out of their hands when they seemed uncertain. It took me about 5 minutes to walk out.
That's the tip-off! You don't want the equipment, you want the SIGN! Offer the dude $20 for the sign and if he balks, kick him to the curb.
I feel that I want to vomit right now.
"I rape people of their hard earned money, but I have nice toys."
I hope those toys help you sleep at night.
Am a bad person becuase I think that
3 weeks of work for lots of $$$$ > My soul?
I've been in this cubicle way too long.
I take great exception to the line about Girl Scouts. I hate their cookies.
Tell you what - I'll let you put your little sign in my front yard for free. Just go away and don't talk to me - believe me, I will show no remorse in telling you to get the fuck off my property.
@rochec: yeah I remeber in college I wnet to a company that sells knifes (cutco I think was the name) they give you "tips" on how to introduce yourself and B.S ing a mark (yes they guy use the word mark) pretty shady
this reminds me of that expose Consumerist did a year or two ago where they joined a door to door sales force. I wish consumerist did more investigative journalism like that.
He's an asshole and I absolutely respect that.
People are tool. They are easy to manipulate, especially if you wave safety in their faces.
Now, is he married or in a relationship? I have some money to suck up for gadgets.
I'm sorry, but this is idiotic.
I am usually the first person to point out Joe Sixpack's stupidity and gullibility, but do you really expect me to believe that you are a good enough "salesman" to get them to sign a contract and not know that there will be a monthly charge? Seriously?
When we bought our alarm system (from a door to door salesman, thank you), we had already made the decision to purchase one, so we just waited for them to swing by our neighborhood and offer the free equipment deal. SO I see #3 as being most ludicrous of the list. How exactly did I get swindled if you gave me free shit?
Do girl scouts even go door-to-door anymore? The only ones I've seen are staking out the entrances to WalMart and such.
@gamin:
Ya, they also used the term mark. It was a company that shills office supplies to businesses. Basically a stables for companies. After someone suggested circling items on their flyers, someone else chimed in and said circle the expensive ones. Would anyone really ever look at was supposed to be a 'used' flyer and think "oh someone else wanted that, I'll get it too!". Fuck, I certainly hope not.
My wife and I just invited Brinks and Slomans in to see what an alarm would cost. The Slomans guy was VERY pushy, didn't want to leave until we had committed to him. That alone was enough for us to not go with them.
so if we dont do the things we wrote about, do you think he'll know we read this column? or maybe he's just tired of scamming people so easily and wants a challenge.
"you can't come in here. i know about your kind!"
"hmmm, this guy is a cynic... time to really go to work!"
This is facinating and horrifying. I'm actually a little bit attracted to this guy. I guess that means I'm going to gell.
We bought a house with the little sign in the yard, but no security system.
@gamin: I hate Cutco with the passion of a thousand suns.
@gamin: I think most of us get lured into trying out a job like this (usually when you're first away from home and don't know any better). Personally, I think it's good to spend some time seeing just how shady the door-to-door (or telemarketing) sales business is.
It's pretty much inoculated me against just about any high-pressure sales tactics. I know when people are trying to manipulate me and I run the other way.
@blondegrlz:
Are you gellin'?
/sorry. couldn't resist
My Dad gave me some very useful advice and I follow it to this day.
1. Don't buy anything from people selling door to door. (Girl Scout cookies/Boy Scouts don't count)
2. Don't buy anything from someone that calls you.
3. Don't buy anything from TV.
So far I've managed to follow this advice and am passing it along to my kids.
@Peeved Guy: I know!!! I obviously meant hell but my typing this morning is atrocious.
I had some guy try to sell me an APX (out of Provo, Utah) alarm system last summer. He used these tactics, almost verbatim. The one lie the above post failed to mention is that he used the tactic of "this is a limited time offer" (not true) and that they have crews out installing "just today and tomorrow" so if I wanted the system, I had to act now (classic tv marketing). He actually weaseled his way into my house, to 'check' my smoke detectors to see if I qualified for a discount. Ultimately, I didn't bite, though I thought I was just being nice and letting him do his pitch. Now I know better.
damn, this guy is good.
reminds me of my days of selling kirby vacuums door to door.
Yeah, I guess it's a little sad that I'm surprised people are that gullible. Pretty much by the time you got to point # 2 my BS detector would be going off the charts.
Anyway, I hope Consumerist reports the OP to the relevant state AG's office for fraud investigation.
@Starfury: What about the awesome stuff on TV? Like those foot pads? Or super putty? Or that really sparkly fake jewelry on QVC? You're misssing out on some cool stuff!
I've had this exact set of lies told to me - (from point 1 to point 4, since I shut the door at that point).
I didn't believe them then and why anyone would believe such transparent lies is beyond me.
You sir, are a bad person (yes, I know, that's what you want to hear).
Unfortunately your security systems don't prevent the kind of theft you are committing on a daily basis.
@Peeved Guy: Uh, dude, it's not free. the cost is covered in the monthly payment you make. If the alarm system makes you feel more secure, that's great. The article is about the seedy tactics they use to prey on people's fears and trick them into thinking they're getting a deal when they're not. The point is, if you weren't thinking of getting an alarm system before the guy showed up at your door, you probably don't need one. Since you did think beforehand, you probably weren't swindled, but I'd say be careful if you're thinking it's a 'deal'.
@Starfury: "3. Don't buy anything from TV."
Hey man, the "Green Bags" really work!
...Seriously...I got them from my wife from the "as seen on TV" store in the mall!
@gamin: Cutco's sales and marketing schemes are a real shame. Their products are not horrible at all.
I miss the Fuller Brush man.
Why worry about thieves breaking in anymore? Most thieves just charm the money out of people these days.
My girlfriend owns a $1000 Kirby vacuum. You can bet that had I known her when the Kirby man showed up, she sure as hell wouldn't.
This guy would have been stopped at step 3, because there is always a catch, and with products sold as services, the catch is a contract.
I told Verizon to get lost when they peddled FiOS to my home because they required a two-year contract. The service I get from Road Runner is completely sufficient (I measure it regularly, and it regularly clocks in at 10/1).
I do read every word of the contract. As an example, I recently had a window salesman at my home (at my invitation; not door-to-door), and was able to express to him (and he to his boss) that the mandatory binding arbitration clause was a show-stopper. As such, the terms of agreement bullshit would have been cut short.
#6 wouldn't have occurred. He would have found himself not getting past the front porch.
Oh, and regarding Girl Scout Cookies.... one of the local private schools also has a regular bake sale that they take door-to-door. I'll buy from them, too, because they take in the less advantaged kids in the area. The cookies aren't as good, but the cause is.
Seriously, do people really think you can trust a person who goes door-to-door selling alarm systems anyway? Can you really trust someone who you never met to provide you security?
Next thing is they will want to look around your house... Or perhaps they just wanted to see if you had a security system to see if you are a mark to rob...
This guy here talks a big game, but he would have the door closed in his face fairly quickly. Besides, if you can live with being a dishonorable piece of scum lying to everyone you see, perhaps you are in the wrong business, you should be a CEO.
The more a salesperson pushes, the less interested I become. The more special deals or "free" things they offer also does the same.
I think people have actually gave up trying at my house. There is the rare occasion still, but simply said, if I want to buy something or get a service I will look it up when I need it and decide who is the best to go with.
Ahhhh. iPhone's and MacBook Airs.....the new standard of happiness.
What a sad, sad collection of people be we.