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Old 06-13-2010, 04:54 PM
 
11 posts, read 53,075 times
Reputation: 16

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What is this with Reliant Energy sending door to door salesmen out? I can deal with the doorknob info and leaving information outside my home. However, today a man spoke to my husband outside. My husband was told they needed a previous electric bill. Well then the man with a Reliant Energy shirt on proceeded to offer us a 14 month contract for 9.9 cents a kilowatt - but only after he saw what we were paying already. Then my husband said he would make the switch and the guy asked to come inside our home. First of all I never think highly of a company that is going door to door - and why did he have to come inside. I walk into our dining room and the man is telling my husband to call on the phone to switch services in front of him? WHY? Even saying yes we want to switch does this strange person need to be in our home and watch him make the phone call until it is done? He also said he needed to have his driver's license out - I guess to give the information over the phone as proof of who called to switch - but I walked in and stopped all of it. I just told my husband I needed to speak to him. Then I told him in private to not switch companies - we could do that anytime, and to get this stranger out of our home asap. We live in a subdivision that has rules against soliciting to begin with - not allowed at all. The man was shaking as he was showing my husband the plan - and his answers were vague. His only repeat statement was we were going to receive 9.9 cent rate guaranteed for 14 months - and if we cancelled before then it would cost $150 price - but those are all WORDS - how do we know what the contract would state?

My husband is upset that I got upset privately. I told him to please never let another salesperson in our home again. Even this could have been done outside over the phone. He said okay - and he said to me don't let this ruin our day. It just really unnerved me - the guy was huge - strong - and could have easily taken over both of us - and not legally approved to sale door to door in our HOA - and has anyone else had this experience? It makes me want to pay my $40 a month more for my electric bill - as he explained to my husband - just because of the push of coming in my house and having my husband call in front of him. What the heck is that? My husband was perfectly fine with that - and thought it was normal because he told him he was ready to switch - and I am seeing red flags everywhere - omg -

Please anyone share your experience with this type of pressured sales with Reliant Energy. Why are they lowering their company to pressured sales? I can read literature left at my door - I don't need a man in my house to call and switch services.

Is there someone I can report this to? I will report them to my HOA - and property management company of our subdivision.

Did I over react?
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Old 06-13-2010, 05:03 PM
 
Location: NH and lovin' it!
1,780 posts, read 3,916,084 times
Reputation: 1332
I've had some pushy salespeople in my home, but never like that. Just want to give you an "atta girl" for being so observant and standing up for yourself. You probably saved yourself and your husband a whole lot of trouble!!!
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Old 06-13-2010, 05:29 PM
 
11 posts, read 53,075 times
Reputation: 16
well I researched and see rates as low as 8.2 cents a kw - and yes we can save money - but I am completely upset with Reliant Energy. I will never do business with them. I also read online that the direct marketing people at the door do not even work for Reliant Energy at all. Still my husband is upset with me because I am still upset with it. It was wrong on so many levels.
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Old 06-13-2010, 05:37 PM
 
11 posts, read 53,075 times
Reputation: 16
I mean my husband is like get over it - he is gone - and he got rid of him - let's go get in our pool - and so I am going to jump in pool now - but dang that un-nerved me that this guy came in our home - and that my husband invited him in - and was manipulated into calling in to set up service while this guy that looked like he was on parole was telling him - and don't tell them you are talking to me or asking me questions - you can ask me questions after the call - and I am so disappointed in my husband for being so gullible - and it really scared me. Who have I been married to for 20 years? He has known and seen me act accordingly - and in one 30 minute time frame he showed me he had not learned one thing about our safety - our decisions - our home - I think that is why he wants to go be over it. He doesn't want to talk about it because he feels bad. I guess I should say something about me being scared, but I dont want him to feel bad. He is normally a really smart guy. So - I don't know why he could not push back - I sure will. okay thanks for letting me vent here. With home invasions and people out of work - and we live in a quarter million dollar neighborhood base - and stuff like this is scary for me.
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Old 06-13-2010, 05:42 PM
 
Location: Where I live.
9,191 posts, read 21,780,305 times
Reputation: 4933
Good for you! I would NOT have let him in my house, either, and the whole thing seems to me to be way out of line.
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Old 06-13-2010, 05:54 PM
F&N
 
24 posts, read 77,152 times
Reputation: 24
I'd be on alert, he might have been casing your home. Call Reliant Energy & see if they send out door to door salesman? Definite red flags, imo.
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Old 06-13-2010, 06:29 PM
 
Location: Hutto, Tx
9,249 posts, read 26,581,981 times
Reputation: 2851
Reliant energy does go door to door. I've had them over here too. They've never asked to come in though. I'm usually more like your husband, and would tend to let legitimate looking people in. I did that once and my husband came unglued on me. He just me to use more caution after his little tirade. Actually, Reliant isn't the only company to do the door to door sale and it's legit but all of the Reps we've talked with didn't ask to come inside. A few have asked to see a previous bill, which my husband has done, but they still stayed out to look at it.
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Old 06-14-2010, 07:38 PM
 
509 posts, read 1,537,579 times
Reputation: 291
I completely agree with you - I would have had a heart attack to walk in on a scene like that in my own home. Please be very, very careful when handing over your driver's license to anyone. My best friend was in the hospital for some testing and a clerk asked for her driver's license "to complete her file." She thought it was fishy, but complied anyway. Her identity was stolen and it's taken her over two years to get everything back in order. In working with the police on it, they told her that often the thieves have all of your other info but the driver's license is the last thing they need to really rip you off and it's difficult for them to get without directly contacting you. Now, I'm not saying that ID theft was what this "gentleman" was up to, but the whole scenario sounds dicey to me.
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Old 06-14-2010, 08:01 PM
 
7,984 posts, read 10,320,755 times
Reputation: 14999
Two folks from AT & T were going door-to-door selling U-verse in our neighborhood. I wouldn't switch anyway, but going door-to-door is a sure-fire way to guarantee that I won't do business with you. We haven't had Reliant though. Do you have an HOA with a no solicitation policy? Sometimes if you contact them, they will send a nastygram to the company which may stop it in the future.
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Old 06-14-2010, 10:20 PM
 
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
653 posts, read 1,787,182 times
Reputation: 276
Anytime you buy from people who do this, you encourage the companies to continue.
It doesn't matter how many people they interrupt, that is a cost they do not pay for.
If one person buys, they profit from the practice.

The same is true of phone soliciting. Buying from anyone who uses this technique, only leads to more companies using the practice.

If you dislike the method they are using to deliver the message, please do not buy the product.
You only contribute to the continued use of the method.
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