Scam alert: Power remodeling company

[Anonymous]

FYI -

I was caught on the doorstep today by a charming and friendly young man who persuaded me to make an appointment for a free estimate regarding the replacement of some old windows and damaged gutters. I was surprised he talked for so long (usually doorstep sales pitches are much shorter), pressed me for an appointment as soon as possible, and asked for two phone numbers and a number of private questions (those I did not answer). He put me on the phone to confirm the appointment with a sales rep. All this felt fishier and fishier, but I got rid of him, went online and discovered that they had really bad Yelp reviews. Power Remodeling, apparently based in Greenbelt but operating all over the area, is actually a high-pressure sales operation which consists of spending many hours ostensibly making an estimate of outside replacement/repairs on homes, while pressuring the homeowners to sign a contract that is markedly more expensive than the competition. If owners cancel the appointment, they then get hounded on the phone and must resort to blocking their numbers.

I canceled the appointment I had made as soon as I read these reviews, and will see whether they call back.

Here is the Yelp link:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/power-home-remodeling-greenbelt

[Anonymous]

What neighborhood ?

[Anonymous]

Had a similar experience with Nu Home. Had to get police dept involved in a cease and desist.

[Anonymous]

My neighbors had them do some work on their roof-- they were happy. They seem to come around at the beginning of spring, summer, fall.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

I'm in Bethesda.

12:04 - your neighbors got scammed. The Yelp reviews say that their prices are much higher than competitors.

I have blocked them on my phone, as they have attempted to call many time.

[Anonymous]

We actually had Power come out and give us a quote for new windows. 2 guys came, both very professional, talked about the conpany, the windows etc.
We actually didnt go with them because window nation gave us same windows and warranty etc for about 4,000 less.
But I didnt think they were a bad company.

[Anonymous]

I’m a contractor and I sell some of the services that power does, my full price is about 1/3 of their full price. I have had customers call me back to ask if I was absolutely sure that I had measured the whole job because it seemed ridiculously cheap compared to another estimate they got.

This is a very sophisticated market with many highly educated people, I can’t believe that their tactics work. If you call them for an estimate they will insist that you and your partner are present and they will make you sit through minimum three hours of a sales pitch; you will need to stand up and demand that they leave your house at least three times before they will do so. The representative also likely leave a heavy cologne vapor trail throughout your house.

it’s a sales model that has been going on since the 50s and I can’t believe that still works but it does, go on YouTube and you will see videos of their annual conference. My conscience won’t allow me to rip someone off, I make a good living but they’re over there getting rich.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I’m a contractor and I sell some of the services that power does, my full price is about 1/3 of their full price. I have had customers call me back to ask if I was absolutely sure that I had measured the whole job because it seemed ridiculously cheap compared to another estimate they got.

This is a very sophisticated market with many highly educated people, I can’t believe that their tactics work. If you call them for an estimate they will insist that you and your partner are present and they will make you sit through minimum three hours of a sales pitch; you will need to stand up and demand that they leave your house at least three times before they will do so. The representative also likely leave a heavy cologne vapor trail throughout your house.

it’s a sales model that has been going on since the 50s and I can’t believe that still works but it does, go on YouTube and you will see videos of their annual conference. My conscience won’t allow me to rip someone off, I make a good living but they’re over there getting rich.

doesn't that hurt you being 1/3 the price. Some might think you are too cheap to be true.

[Anonymous]

Who cares if they’re getting rich. Good for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OP here.

I'm in Bethesda.

12:04 - your neighbors got scammed. The Yelp reviews say that their prices are much higher than competitors.

I have blocked them on my phone, as they have attempted to call many time.

If the neighbors were happy with their roof, they didn't get scammed. They may have paid a lot more, but they are happy with the product. That is not a scam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP here.

I'm in Bethesda.

12:04 - your neighbors got scammed. The Yelp reviews say that their prices are much higher than competitors.

I have blocked them on my phone, as they have attempted to call many time.

If the neighbors were happy with their roof, they didn't get scammed. They may have paid a lot more, but they are happy with the product. That is not a scam.

So you'd be happy to pay double the normal price for a new roof? I call that a scam, because there is something called fair market value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP here.

I'm in Bethesda.

12:04 - your neighbors got scammed. The Yelp reviews say that their prices are much higher than competitors.

I have blocked them on my phone, as they have attempted to call many time.

If the neighbors were happy with their roof, they didn't get scammed. They may have paid a lot more, but they are happy with the product. That is not a scam.

So you'd be happy to pay double the normal price for a new roof? I call that a scam, because there is something called fair market value.

How do you know it was double the price?

Huge price differentials happen with contractors all the time. We got bids for our remodel up to 250K. We paid 150K. When we did our kitchen, we got a bid for 60K.
We went with the guy who quoted us 25K. Were the more expensive guy scamming us?

[Anonymous]

They gave us an estimate for roof and gutters. The sales guy was here for 2+ hours. I had a screaming kid in my arms and kept telling him he had to leave because we had to put him to bed. Would not leave.

They estimated, for a simple ranch house, $23,000 for the roof and $7,000 for the gutters. The other estimates we got were $6,000-$7,500 for the roof and $1,500 for the gutters.

Over $30,000!! For a job that is less than $10,000.

Stay away from them!!

[Anonymous]

High pressure sales pitch, what OP is experienced, isn't anything new. A lot of companies use it (timeshare places and anything that requires sales).

Just b/c they are annoying, have high prices, and have negative yelp reviews doesn't mean they're a scam. If they don't follow through on their work and take all your money that is one thing, but otherwise, it just sounds like a different business model and sales operation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They gave us an estimate for roof and gutters. The sales guy was here for 2+ hours. I had a screaming kid in my arms and kept telling him he had to leave because we had to put him to bed. Would not leave.

They estimated, for a simple ranch house, $23,000 for the roof and $7,000 for the gutters. The other estimates we got were $6,000-$7,500 for the roof and $1,500 for the gutters.

Over $30,000!! For a job that is less than $10,000.

Stay away from them!!

Gutters are like some of the cheapest things to get done! Between 1-2k. Wow