The “Thousand Dollar Coupon” Scam

Well Knoxville, it’s that time of the month again…Its Mint Magazine delivery day! Like many of our neighbors we love flipping through to see who’s offering what, and the types of amazing deals that are out there. But if you look closer…are they really deals? We’ve had the “pleasure” of dealing with persistent magazine sales reps frequently, now is as good of time as any to explain what happens behind the scenes!

These sales reps generally start out with the “vast number of publications that they put out” and the “enormous reach” that they have to offer. But as with anything in life, there’s always a “BUT”! As it’s been described to us, the only way to get “serious traction” is by adding in a lucrative discount. For roofing, that discount is generally $1,000!

So, how can a local roofing company out here in Knoxville Tennessee afford to give thousand-dollar discounts? Do you think that the owner(s) agree to take a haircut on every job? Maybe the sales staff and the owner split the loss amongst themselves. Unfortunately, the answer is straight-forward: they just tach the discount on top of the sales price! Insert the fine print.

If you look at the Terms and Conditions, there’s generally verbiage along the lines of “must present at time of scheduling”. But why would they need to know that information just for someone to come take a look at a project? Name, address, phone number, and email address sure: but there’s no need to know if someone is holding a coupon. UNLESS… they need to warn their sales rep ahead of time to adjust for a coupon.

Now, let’s take this scenario a step further. A Sales Rep is running the appointment knowing in the back of his mind that he is artificially inflating the sales price. He knows that if another company comes out to quote that said company will most certainly come up with the same price without needing a coupon to do so. So how do they prevent the customer from gathering other estimates… they perform a “hard close!”

“This is an amazing deal, we’re an amazing company, we have amazing products, we have Google reviews”

  1. It’s not amazing if they must sell it right then and there.
  2. They’re so amazing that they artificially inflated the price just to bring it back down to make you feel like you got a deal.
  3. Every roofer has access to the same products.
  4. There are 20+ Knoxville-based roofing companies with similar reviews.

So how is a consumer supposed to combat this? Always stand firm on getting multiple estimates! And never give away too much information over the phone! When calling in to schedule an appointment always begin the conversation with “We’re in the process of gathering estimates and would love for you all to come out and take a look.” If you have a coupon, great! It doesn’t mean you need to broadcast it. Hold that coupon until AFTER the proposal has been given to you! At that point the company in question has (2) options: 1. Honor the deal that they’ve offered, or 2. Offer up some transparent excuse as to why they can’t honor the coupon.

In closing, always gather multiple estimates, emphasize value over price, and scrutinize reviews! This is Jordan with Rescue Roofing & Exteriors wishing you all the best! GO VOLS!