Stair Lift to Heaven
My 93 year old mum-in-law came to live with us recently, and this meant that we needed to install a stair lift to get her to and from her bedroom on the upper floor of our home. It is now installed and working, much to her satisfaction. Doing the deal gave me food for thought.
I did my research online – it looked like we were going to be in for about £2000 given the specification and size of the staircase. We selected three companies to come and quote; one which advertises nationally and is a household name, one selected from the internet, and one recommended by our local mobility store.
Wayne, the salesman from the household name, came first, and quoted £2500. He asked if we were talking to anyone else. We told him. ‘Oh’ he said, ‘we’ll be much more expensive than both of them’.
I recognized that Wayne was structuring my expectations and good for him for doing so. But I also rearised that Wayne was a conflicted man. Not only was he in a potential negotiation with me, but in his head he was also negotiating with his competitors.
He started to explain why the others would be cheaper. Less good build quality, less comprehensive warranty, inferior materials. He failed to mention the huge amount of money the others must be saving by not advertising as much as his employer did.
I told him that I expected there would be a negotiation once I had quotes from the others. ‘No point.’ He said. ‘My bosses don’t discount ever – even for their own family!’
‘So if the other prices are much lower than yours, as you suggest they will be, shall I just drop you an email saying you lost the business?’ I asked. Wayne winced. ‘No. Call me.’ he said.
In the following two days the other two companies came. Both quoted about £1800. Wayne was probably right about comparative quality. But the really important issue for us was that if all stair lifts a