In my weekly update, I need to tell you about an anniversary and also how we entertained the solar energy salesman. Reminds me of buying double glazing many years ago.
“Time to get a salesman in”
said Rachel, while we were discussing the whole prospect of solar panels to lower some of our eye watering energy bills. I have a tendency to “bristle” at the thought of a salesman coming into the house to bamboozle us. However, it is important to hear what they have to say. After all, it is specialist stuff and we might be well placed to benefit from the gear. We can’t just walk into a shop and buy it, plus we don’t really know anything about it.
I remember back to those days when we looked into double glazing on our old house. The quote would start off at some astronomical price and gradually come down and down. They’d give a discount because it was a Wednesday, or because I was a public servant, or because it was a towards the month end or any other random reason. All kinds of games were played.
So it was of little surprise that the solar salesman was playing the same game, not wanting to tell us the price until he had taken us through his carefully scripted crib sheet. However, it didn’t expect someone like me. I kept reminding him we were the clients and we called the shots. I asked if his firm had been prosecuted, or was it solvent and whether he was paid commission on the finance deal he was also trying to flog? I looked the firm up on the Companies House website to verify what he had told us. He said nobody had ever asked him questions like that, he said people only wanted to know the price and how much money they would save over the year.
Eventually he told us a price and gradually whittled it down through discounts because of this or that, the usual crap. I should have said I want his best price straight away, he won’t get a second chance.
We felt a bit sorry for him and I think he picked up on that. He was paid only on commission and didn’t earn anything at all during the various lockdowns as he wasn’t entitled to furlough payments. Actually he did well, he good natured in fielding my questions.
It turns out the blummin Council are entering into some group purchase arrangement (I had written to them a few weeks back to ask if they could) but it appears they are going for someone with absolutely terrible reviews on Trust Pilot, so we will see how it pans out.
A special day (and got ripped off)
An anniversary was a good excuse to have a day out in Stratford upon Avon a few days ago. We were jolly lucky with the sunny, warm weather. We enjoyed strolling around looking like tourists, with a street map sticking out of my back pocket (a freebee from the tourist information office).
This, of course, was Shakespeare land and we spotted all the corny Shakespeare related names of cafes, bars and tourist shops. All very entertaining and I did enjoy the numerous historic timber framed buildings, feeling relieved I could enjoy them without being responsible for their upkeep.
However, it was having afternoon tea in the Shakespaw Cat Cafe which left a nasty taste. The pot of tea was okay, as were the scones with jam and cream. The £25 bill was a shock and when we queried this we were told that included the £12 admission charge for us both. I paid, somewhat begrudgingly, while all of those gaudy colours and numerous fat cats made me feel quite sick. I had been duped by something so easy and straightforward and this cast a gloomy cloud over the day.
Still, never mind. We pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and press ahead. Onwards and upwards, and all that.
Related post – Time to consider solar energy?