Yesterday, just as I was preparing fresh tomato soup (from garden fresh tomatoes given to me by my neighbor Bev), Bill said "Someone is coming to the door.""Oh great, what now?"I thought.
I go to the door and open it to find a middle aged man with a big smile on his face. Ah, my friend! This man, also named "Bill" said "My guys are in the neighborhood paving driveways and I see your driveway is breaking apart (it's not) and I can offer you a deal today." Whoopty doo!
Folks, living in a development as we do, do you have any idea how many times we have had someone knock on our door offering us a "deal" IF we get it done today because "his guys are doing driveways in the neighborhood?" Let's just say this wasn't the first time I've been offered this "deal."
Bill and I moved into this neighborhood ten years ago. We've never had our driveway professionally recoated. Bill has recoated it several times but not too well. It looks patchwork and I'm sure that's what attracts the Driveway Guys.
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| Our "broken up" driveway |
Earlier this week our neighbor to the right side of us had his driveway recoated. It was a single young guy who took all day to redcoat it. It wasn't a group of men with the tank of hot tar. Just a single guy with cans of coating which he applied with a brush.
Both Bill and I liked the job he did so I asked our neighbor how much it cost. She said $465. Sounds about right to me. I asked her for his information which she gave to me. I planned to call him to see if he could coat our driveway next spring.
Then yesterday I get this other driveway coater ringing my doorbell and offering me a "deal." He told me he had already done several driveways in my neighborhood. I asked him if he had done this one particular driveway which has always impressed me during my morning walks through the neighborhood. He didn't know which one so he offered to drive me to show me.
I climbed into his huge truck and we drove to my neighbor's driveway which I had in mind. He said "Yes", he had done that driveway. I asked him how much he charged for that driveway. He said $4,200. WHAT? When we lived in Pennsylvania I had a five hundred driveway completely put in over a gravel road for $5,000. Granted, that was back in the 90's but prices haven't changed THAT much.
He said he would give me a "special" price since "his guys were in the neighborhood" (there we go with that phrase again) for $3,000. I don't think so folks.
Now during all this time this guy was all smiles and acting like my best friend. I noticed a huge diamond ring on his finger,
which occasionally blinded me as the day's sun rays were reflected off of the many faceted diamonds in his rings. I looked at his HUGE truck. His brand new truck. Not that there is anything wrong with wearing diamond rings (I have several myself) or owning and driving a monster truck. But $3,000? Hey folks, I'm looking at a dental bill in the next few weeks that's going to cost close to $4,000 (something I haven't written about yet but I will).
I asked him for his card and told him "I'll think about it." Immediately his Best Friend smile dropped from his face and he wrote on the back of his card how much it would cost me
to get my driveway recoated if I didn't get it done today.
He lost me with that reaction. Folks, do you have any idea of how many times I've been confronted with that old tried and true salesman tactic of "If you don't get it today this is what it will cost you?" Too many times, that's how many.
It's taken me a lot of years to wise up to these high pressure sales tactics. The "I'm your friend" tactic and "if you don't buy this product or service you're going to disappoint me" tactic.
Now I don't know if this guy is one of those driveway scammer that flood the southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware homes but I do know that I don't respond to those kind of tactics. I'm always suspicious when someone rings my doorbell and is offering me a deal with the caveat that I have to "do it today." Nope, I won't go there.
Now having said that, during my walk last night through the neighborhood I saw where three of my neighbors did get their driveways resealed. So maybe this guy is legit. Even so, $3,000 is a lot of money just to reseal a driveway. Plus I didn't like his tactics. However, I will check with my neighbors so see how much they paid.
Life in the Fast Lane here folks. I definitely don't lead a dull life.