Sales ---HOW LEGITIMATE ARE THEY?......not to burst anyones bubble, confuse you or reconstruct the truth, but there just aren't any legitimate sales in the home improvement business. The reason is that manufacturers in these products do not offer these types of incentives.

Yes you may find discounts to get rid of old, non-standard products and colors, but who would want them on their home? The "spring sale", the "two for one sale", the "display house sale", the "end of the season sale', the " free installation sale', the "this is our slow time sale", are just a "come on" to get salesman in your house. Now you know why ads say "previous offers excluded". It is because prices are inflated prior to any sale so they can give you a "discount" or "sale price" to get you back to their original price. How much confidence would you put into a person or company using these tactics?

"Drop-drop tactics are a practice where a salesman begins by offering you a price that is ridiculously high in hopes you may just buy. Then he offers you a discounted price if you sign up right away, then he may even fake a phone call to get his office to you even a lower price, but you have to sign up right away. Sometimes his final price will be 25% - 30% lower than his initial price. His goal is no to leave your home without an order regardless of what he has to promise. Most of these promises however never get written on the contract and in the end somebody gets disappointed and it usually is the homeowner who thought they were getting a good deal.

The latest gimmick is a call where you're offered a "manufacturers rebate." It is like all the above are just ploys to get you to sign a normally overpriced estimate.

You will find once a salesman gets into your home there are a variety of reasons why your home doesn't meet the conditions of the sale, but he will always promise to try and circumvent the sale to get you tha "special" price which is the everyday pricing that everyone gets. Most try and cover up the cost with low monthly payments that tend to last a very long time, all with costly finance charges.

That special discounted offer was available last week and will be available a month from now under a different name for the sale. Would any ethical company need to use these types of gimmicks to get sales? Now you know why homeowners rate the home improvement sales companies near the bottom of lists regarding ethics, trustworhtiness and confidence and never feel comfortable having to do business with them. Notice the companies advertising on the television how they have a "sale" every week of the year for as long as they remain in business. Now, is that really a sale?

SOME THOUGHTS WHEN TRYING TO CHOOSE A CONTRATOR

Ever wonder why those ads in the fliers normally never have an address for the company?

Ever wonder who really ends up paying the commission for a home improvement salesperson?

Ever wonder who really is going to be doing the installation of the products on your home or how long they have worked for the company?

Ever wonder who ends up paying for those radio & television ads or what it adds to a companies overhead?

Ever wonder where you would go if you had a problem in the future with any of the products used in your home improvement projects?

Ever wonder why most home improvement companies have been in business for less than 5 years as published by the State of Michigan?

Ever wonder why contractors cannot be held responsible for what a salesman might say regarding a product & installation warranties?

Wonder why homeowners are leary of home improvement companies? See the Above.

Ever wonder why those companies who advertise on TV or the radio have one type of sale or another every signal week?