The Company, Part 4

salesman will leave the home with the contract / money. Period. There will be no witnesses.

Again, the salesman is often an outside contractor, not an employee of the firm. What he tells you is his business and what he says does not represent the company that employs him. They are innocent and simple victims of whatever this terrible salesperson said to you. Does this actually hold up in court? No, not if you spend enough money to take it to the bitter end.

Some time after the sale, a real company employee / representative will arrive and officially measure the home. Whatever measurements the salesman had made previously to provide the quote and negotiate the price of the sale were “pro forma” measurements. It is possible for the salesman to have made mistakes.

The customer was provided a “Right of Recission” document. This document allows the customer to change his mind and to cancel the contract up to three days after he signed it. It can be as long as five days in some states and if the customer is over 65 years of age.

The three day clock does not count Sundays or holidays so it is possible to get as many as five days to think the deal over.

The companies have ways of ridding themselves of the three day Last Chance for the customer to cancel. The simplest way is to just come out to the customer’s home and start measuring the job. By law, even taking measurements closes the window on escape and ends the time to cancel.

When the “official” measurements are taken there can be difference between what the salesman measured and what the “official” measurements are. If the mistake is on the side – to the favor of -- the company then silence rules. If the mistake is on the side – to the favor of -- the customer then the company has the right to accept the job as quoted or reject it and walk away. This “official” guy can also pressure the customer for more money or pressure the customer to accept less of a home improvement. It is this manufacturing representative’s signature on the contract --this company person’s signature -- that matters, not the salesman’s.

But this second man’s first priority for appearing at the home is to collect money and he will get it. You might or might not know he got it, but he did.

Some time later – even weeks later -- a crew will arrive to start installation of the product and they will also collect more money.