Is this a Southern thing? Need both spouses present for a window quote? (Orlando: sales, 2nd mortgage)

[Miskolci]

Moved to the Orlando area about 2 months ago. There are various things with this house we have purchased that need to be fixed, including the single-pane, installed upside down, windows.

I am calling around, checking Angie'sList and other rating agencies, and trying to set up appointments for someone to come out and quote me on replacement windows. So far, I have called 4 companies, and each and every one has said that both spouses need to be present to meet with the representative. Problem is, my husband is still at our other house in IL, working at his job, as we wait for that house to sell!

I tell the phone reps that I am making the FL decisions, but they tell me that they have to run it by their field reps before they can send someone out to meet with me, absent my husband.

I have never run into this before. For 28 years I have made the decisions on any projects, just because my husband doesn't want to be bothered, as he has enough responsibilities at work, so I am the one that handles everything else. He is the chit-chat person, I am the one that gets things done. Never was a problem before. Apparently, this is a problem down here in Florida, at least with the window replacement companies.

Is this something I should be expecting when doing business down here? I would just cross off these companies, as this rubs me the wrong way, but if this is the norm, then I guess I need to stop being honest when I say I am married and just say that I am single and have no one to consult for decisions!

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by Miskolci

Moved to the Orlando area about 2 months ago. There are various things with this house we have purchased that need to be fixed, including the single-pane, installed upside down, windows.

I am calling around, checking Angie'sList and other rating agencies, and trying to set up appointments for someone to come out and quote me on replacement windows. So far, I have called 4 companies, and each and every one has said that both spouses need to be present to meet with the representative. Problem is, my husband is still at our other house in IL, working at his job, as we wait for that house to sell!

I tell the phone reps that I am making the FL decisions, but they tell me that they have to run it by their field reps before they can send someone out to meet with me, absent my husband.

I have never run into this before. For 28 years I have made the decisions on any projects, just because my husband doesn't want to be bothered, as he has enough responsibilities at work, so I am the one that handles everything else. He is the chit-chat person, I am the one that gets things done. Never was a problem before. Apparently, this is a problem down here in Florida, at least with the window replacement companies.

Is this something I should be expecting when doing business down here? I would just cross off these companies, as this rubs me the wrong way, but if this is the norm, then I guess I need to stop being honest when I say I am married and just say that I am single and have no one to consult for decisions!

I've lived in FL for close to 40 yrs, and have never experienced this kind of thing before. Maybe you could ask those folks what is up with their policies in this regard?

[idr591]

Tell them you're single. It's none of their business.

[Arcenal813]

There is NOTHING Southern about Orlando other than geographic location. Keep that in mind.

[BrokerHarry]

I understand the OP's situation, as described.

But let me speak from the contractors' point of view.

I was the owner, primary designer, & sole salesman for a swimming pool construction company In LA CA for 2 decades, before the Great Recession.

https://scontent.ftpa1-2.fna.fbcdn.n...81&oe=578D325F

I learned through the experience of several thousand consultations that if you didn't get to sit down with BOTH the owners of the property, on the very first visit, that you would most likely NOT get the job.

Most legitimate builders are invariably going to have pricing that is relatively close to their competition.

And I came to realize that if I didn't get the chance to sell my services, personally, to both owners of the home...then the vast majority of the time that job would go to someone else, who did.

Obviously there is a difference between a bid for a few thousand dollars worth of work, versus a major project that costs $50-100K or more (& typically involved financing)...but it appears to me that the home improvement trades here in FL have learned the same lessons I learned years ago back in CA.

There were plenty of people who were fully prepared to milk me for all the design & construction ideas they could, while never having any intention of actually doing business with me. I've heard plenty of people tell me they were doing the shopping because the other party was unavailable.

They'd say 'leave your plan, & we'll get back to you' (after the unavailable party takes a look). And they rarely appreciated exactly how much work I put into my design presentations:

https://scontent.ftpa1-2.fna.fbcdn.n...c8&oe=578F1CF3

I actually once saw one of my designs show up with another company's info glued right over the top of my company's name, while that rival builder was pulling the permit for the job at the building & safety plan check counter. It turned out the party who wasn't at the appointment had a connection with the rival builder thru their church or school, or something of that nature.

Either way, I didn't get the job, even tho I obviously created the superior design. And it didn't matter that there was a copyright notice on the plan...it would cost more to litigate than it was worth. But I learned my lesson.

After that experience, if I showed up for a consultation / sales appointment, & both parties weren't there...I would politely offer to reschedule at their earliest convenience. But I would leave, because that visit without both principals present was invariably a waste of time.

These anecdotes may not be what OP & some others want to hear. But they're from my personal experience as a successful contractor (who was voted Builder of the Year several times in LA newspaper / magazine reader's polls).

It's somewhat similar to when you want to sell your house. One party can certainly sign a listing agreement. But that house is NOT going to sell once an offer comes in unless BOTH owners are in agreement, & both have to sign.

Anyway...I understand exactly where those service providers are coming from.

[snuffybear]

This is because the "Replacement Window Companies" do a sales pitch. They want BOTH of you to be there so a decision can be made rather than having to do it twice or wait for the spouse to make a decision.

I had this happen once up north also - with a Window Replacement company. So I think it may be that line of products and how those businesses operate....but it is because they are looking to do a sales presentation (and they pressure you too!, not just give an estimate). Personally, I didnt' like the they were so focused on the darn sales presentation ... so we chose to order through Pella (but they're pricey).

We are looking at doing kitchen and the person casually asked this; but didn't require spouse to be present - and if they did, I wouldn't have considered them.

As far as pools...that is just the nature of the business. Swimming pool is a huge investment --- of course people get 3 estimates! We recently built a sizable pool and guess what....one builder wouldn't do the design until my husband came to appt -- well, that didn't work with his travel schedule so we couldn't use that company.

[BrokerHarry]

Originally Posted by snuffybear

As far as pools...that is just the nature of the business. Swimming pool is a huge investment --- of course people get 3 estimates! We recently built a sizable pool and guess what....one builder wouldn't do the design until my husband came to appt -- well, that didn't work with his travel schedule so we couldn't use that company.

I fully agree it's wise to get 3 or even more estimates on any major construction project. I never had a problem with that, & fully expected the competition.

And I have never engaged in hard sale tactics, as a contractor or as a RE broker. The final decision is always up to the buyer. I rarely signed an agreement on the first visit, almost always on a 2nd or 3rd visit, with a mutually revised plan & offer.

When people used to ask me if I could 'beat so & so's price' I'd probably tell them I'm charging a little bit more, but promising to do the most thorough job, with references to back me up. And more times than not, we came to an agreement.

As to snuffybear ruling out a builder because of their 2 principals at the meeting policy...that's her perogative. She was free to shop all the builders she wants.

But contractors have an equal right to shop the buyers that they choose to do business with as well, which is exactly what is happening with this 2 principals at a consultation policy.

There is a saying in the construction trades: The most profitable job is sometimes the one you didn't take.

Maybe the 2nd party who 'couldn't' make the consultation is extremely difficult or litigious. That's not altogether uncommon. How would the contractor know if they didn't meet them first? It's better to lose the sale than to end up in litigation later with an unreasonable buyer with unrealistic expectations.

A smart contractor is better off not stepping into that transaction. A private business is not obligated to take on any & all inquiries. Those that do are often the ones who eventually end up bankrupt.

[smarino]

Can't be a Southern thing. It's happening to you in Florida. It sorta makes sense (although I would tell any business where to get off that tried this trick). It's known as "The Spouse Syndrome". Any sales person can tell you that when one of the halves of a couple says "gee, I'd like to do this, but let me run it by my wife/husband first" it's a dead deal. They just don't have the cojones to say it to the sales person at the time.

You do not need your other half to sign anything in Florida (or most any other place in the known universe) to have a legally binding contract.

[StreetSmarts]

Maybe a foreign thing.

[BrokerHarry]

Originally Posted by smarino

You do not need your other half to sign anything in Florida (or most any other place in the known universe) to have a legally binding contract.

That blanket statement is not altogether correct.

It's true that one owner can sign a binding work order for a home improvement without the 2nd owner's consent, so long as it's a cash transaction.

But if the home improvement is contingent upon, or requires cash out 2nd mortgage financing (on a property with 2 owners) there is no legally binding contract until such time that both signatures are obtained.

That would be a very typical scenario with swimming pool construction, or a major house remodel.

And if one owner is presented with a Purchase Offer on their home, & they sign it, but the 2nd owner doesn't...you do not have a legally binding contract, either.