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Erie Construction - Poor Business Ethics
Roof - Complaint
Review by copcars1 on 2012-03-25
Rating: 
EVANSVILLE, INDIANA -- This is the letter I sent to Erie Construction:
I saw one of your ads on the local news and had never seen a metal roof that looked quite like what you sell, so I called the number on the screen. I thought this was a local business that would come out measure my roof, show me a few samples and give me a quote to consider. I had no idea this was a big company that was sending a high pressure sales representative to my home and make me feel like I was talking to a used car salesman.
How and why he got on the subject of how Walmart has hurt the small business I really don't know, but then he turns around and starts making unappreciated remarks about local contractors. His exact words were they are just Bubba in a truck and kept saying this demeaning comment all evening. Well I know many of these so called Bubbas in a truck, they are friends and acquaintances that are hard working people. I found this to be rude and very unprofessional but that was just the beginning! Over the years I have hired several local contractors and NEVER once did I have to loan them my ladder so they could measure my roof, NEVER once did they say "before I get started do you have anything to drink, NEVER once did I have one of them just get up and go in my bathroom. I have dealt with the public my whole life, in my line of work I enter customers homes on a daily basis and have never once asked for a drink or just walk in their bathroom, that is just not the way a professional person does business. If a customer offers me a drink "like I was going to do" is one thing but to just blurt it out is not right.
I fully expect to be treated like a used car buyer when I walk in a used car lot, but when I invite someone to my home I don't expect to have to haggle over a price, I've never had to do this with a local contractor. They come and give me a price and then let me think about it. Not this sales rep, he was determined that I was going to purchase a roof package from him that night. When he shot me his price I was a little surprised and he picked up on that then started coming down from there. His first price was $20,000.00 and he expects me to just say ok, that's is a lot of money and I'm not going to just jump up and say "sure" without doing a little research and I'm defiantly not going to just jump on his offer after being disrespectful!
Another thing that really bothered me was he asked me where I wanted my payment to be, I had really not thought about that and was not prepared to say, so he shoots me a payment. When I asked him how long that term was he could not answer, I'm certainly not going to say yes to a term I don't know if I'm paying on for 2 years or 20. When I call the bank to get a loan I know the interest rate and the length of the loan!
Upon leaving "which by the way took up 3 hours of my time" he made a comment that he just didn't understand why I would not say yes right then and there. Well He does not know my financial situation and what up coming bills I have. I simply called to get a price so I could go from there and decide what I could afford and wanted to do.
He wasn't gone one minute then was knocking on my door telling me he has a cheaper product, by that time he had most defiantly wore out his welcome and I would not have bought it if it was the best deal of the century after all I had encountered.
There was an older gentleman with him that was fairly quite, not sure if he was too embarrassed to say anything or simply amazed at this guys lack of of professionalism. I do want to comment about a lady I spoke with on the phone about my unpleasant encounter. Her name was Danielle and she was very apologetic and sincere while on the phone with her.
The sad thing is this guy walks away from my home wondering why I would not buy his product!
I saw one of your ads on the local news and had never seen a metal roof that looked quite like what you sell, so I called the number on the screen. I thought this was a local business that would come out measure my roof, show me a few samples and give me a quote to consider. I had no idea this was a big company that was sending a high pressure sales representative to my home and make me feel like I was talking to a used car salesman.
How and why he got on the subject of how Walmart has hurt the small business I really don't know, but then he turns around and starts making unappreciated remarks about local contractors. His exact words were they are just Bubba in a truck and kept saying this demeaning comment all evening. Well I know many of these so called Bubbas in a truck, they are friends and acquaintances that are hard working people. I found this to be rude and very unprofessional but that was just the beginning! Over the years I have hired several local contractors and NEVER once did I have to loan them my ladder so they could measure my roof, NEVER once did they say "before I get started do you have anything to drink, NEVER once did I have one of them just get up and go in my bathroom. I have dealt with the public my whole life, in my line of work I enter customers homes on a daily basis and have never once asked for a drink or just walk in their bathroom, that is just not the way a professional person does business. If a customer offers me a drink "like I was going to do" is one thing but to just blurt it out is not right.
I fully expect to be treated like a used car buyer when I walk in a used car lot, but when I invite someone to my home I don't expect to have to haggle over a price, I've never had to do this with a local contractor. They come and give me a price and then let me think about it. Not this sales rep, he was determined that I was going to purchase a roof package from him that night. When he shot me his price I was a little surprised and he picked up on that then started coming down from there. His first price was $20,000.00 and he expects me to just say ok, that's is a lot of money and I'm not going to just jump up and say "sure" without doing a little research and I'm defiantly not going to just jump on his offer after being disrespectful!
Another thing that really bothered me was he asked me where I wanted my payment to be, I had really not thought about that and was not prepared to say, so he shoots me a payment. When I asked him how long that term was he could not answer, I'm certainly not going to say yes to a term I don't know if I'm paying on for 2 years or 20. When I call the bank to get a loan I know the interest rate and the length of the loan!
Upon leaving "which by the way took up 3 hours of my time" he made a comment that he just didn't understand why I would not say yes right then and there. Well He does not know my financial situation and what up coming bills I have. I simply called to get a price so I could go from there and decide what I could afford and wanted to do.
He wasn't gone one minute then was knocking on my door telling me he has a cheaper product, by that time he had most defiantly wore out his welcome and I would not have bought it if it was the best deal of the century after all I had encountered.
There was an older gentleman with him that was fairly quite, not sure if he was too embarrassed to say anything or simply amazed at this guys lack of of professionalism. I do want to comment about a lady I spoke with on the phone about my unpleasant encounter. Her name was Danielle and she was very apologetic and sincere while on the phone with her.
The sad thing is this guy walks away from my home wondering why I would not buy his product!
Company Response:
We’d like to apologize on behalf of our sales staff in Evansville for the unacceptable service you received during your consultation. We expect our team to uphold our high service standards, come to the appointment prepared and approach potential customers with the utmost respect and professionalism. We thank you for bringing your unsatisfactory experience with our representative to our attention. Please rest-assured that we will take this opportunity to speak with our sales team to reinforce Erie Construction’s service standards. Again, our sincerest apologies for your poor experience.
Comments:
Posted by trmn8r on 2012-03-26:
There is a website for Erie Construction Metal Roofs, and it looks a little odd. There are hard to read links for several locations at the bottom of the screen, and when you click them they all take you to a generic page with that location's city pasted in - kind of unprofessional.
You point out several things that would make me say "no thank you, please leave" as well. It sounds like a bad experience with a vacuum salesman.
And they do FINANCING? Well, the lucky customer! I pay for my roof, and I want my "payment" to be whatever the total is - not give the company additional profit like "Bubba" might do. How frickin rude is that term?
Great review! By the way, it does look like an interesting product, but those sales tactics aren't consistent with this being the right company.
You point out several things that would make me say "no thank you, please leave" as well. It sounds like a bad experience with a vacuum salesman.
And they do FINANCING? Well, the lucky customer! I pay for my roof, and I want my "payment" to be whatever the total is - not give the company additional profit like "Bubba" might do. How frickin rude is that term?
Great review! By the way, it does look like an interesting product, but those sales tactics aren't consistent with this being the right company.
Posted by Cheryl on 2012-12-17:
We had seen their ad on tv a few years back so i called and the woman asked where we lived and if i knew the value of our home and i said not off hand i don't well she set up an appointment for a saturday morning the salesman showed up and he looked a litle confused he asked us if we said our home was worth $ 100,000's we said no come to find out the woman i talked to put that in herself so it went down hill after that so to make a long story short our home was not worthy enough and that is what we where told by the salesman and he come out and said to just put a regular roof on so the way i see it you discrimanate against homes that are not worth your product.
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