Letters to the Editor
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There are some crazy people out there
but I don't think the LW is one of them.
Between one thing and another, I've had similar things happen to me, including anonymous "sexy" phone calls by what I finally concluded was probably a pizza driver (my number's unlisted), and a few situations where an employee screwed up so severely that the company offered compensation to avoid trouble. None of these were Travelers scams or cold call-type situation. It was all through the normal course of doing business.
The problem is that crazy people need jobs, too, so they mask their crazy long enough to get hired, then go forth and wreak havoc.
That the company is willing to pay $14,000 to maintain their reputation and avoid even higher legal costs (whether they win or lose) doesn't surprise me. Very likely, the idiot will lose his job, but guess what? He'll go out, get another job, and do the same, stupid thing somewhere else. Nobody's employee screening is completely nut-proof.
Incidentally, if I knew I had a three-day grace period on a contract like that, I'd have done the same thing the LW did. Escalating conflict isn't usually the best way to deal with a nut, especially when you have kids to protect. Get the nut out of the house, lock the door, and turn that three-day grace period into three minutes. It's a lot safer than making threats.
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It's Not Conflict Avoidance
It's being smart by avoiding escalating behaviors.
LW told the old dude to wrap it up. He didn't or he wouldn't. Sounds a little scary. Definitely unexpected. Guy said stupid stuff. Not professional, inappropriate for certain.
Sign it; don't escalate, get rid of him, lock the doors. Report him when you cancel.
That's what you do.
LW was right.
They offer a free remodeling? Yeah, accept it. When a friend suggested that perhaps the company would give her more, LW didn't like the idea of it and thought it was unnecessary. She wondered if she was foolish to NOT ask for more, but I got the feeling she didn't want more.
But you wouldn't ever escalate with someone like that. Placate them, get them out.
She was smart.
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See a Laywer immediately! And have some Compassion for the LW!
As a 10+ year experienced paralegal who cannot give legal advice--only licensed lawyers can give you legal advise--I cannot strongly enough urge that you immedeiately take any document(s) you signed to a real, licensed lawyer *NOW* and find out what your legal rights are!
I have seen many letters offering "legal advice." Said advice varies between well-meaning but ignorant people to the outrightly, well-intentioned, but false. (My personal favorite: You can get out of buying a car! *NOT*! (Still, I am a paralegal and can't give you legal advice.)
The following is not legal advise: Generally, contracts signed outside a person's place of business, like your home, *may* have cancellation clauses that can be excercised during very short periods of time. If so, it is critical that you have a real, licensced lawyer get you out of this mess *NOW*. Repeat: Do it now! If you don't have money call your local Legal Aid Society or God forbid the BBB.
Also, some readers state that they are laywers and offer "legal advise." The quality vairies. The fatal problem there is that unless the lawyer states that they are "your" lawyer then there is no attorney / client relationship and you cannot hold them responsible for the advice they so "kindly" offer. No ethical lawyer offers anonymous advise at Salon or Dear Abbey other advise to the lovelorn column other than extremely vague, general, advise like, "you need to retain a lawyer now."
Also, for all of the "how could she be so stupid," themed writers please look within yourself and try to find some compassion. Con artists are experts at what they do. If you think you can't be taken, you're wrong. I've done a lot of "intake" work and lots of otherwise intelligent, (high-sophmores, even--nice folks get themselves taken to the cleaners every day.
Show any papers you signed to a lawyer immediately!
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LW Speaks the TRUTH
Yes, they go to your house. She made the appointment. She was expecting a professional salesperson. Not a creep. She did the right thing and she's not asking for anything. Is she wrong to accept their apology?
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView?pn=SV_HS_Cabinet_Refacing&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
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Wait a minute, were you terrorized or not?
Pick one or the other. Either you were terrorized (as per your handle) in which case you should have left the house, with the children, and called the police, or you weren't, in which case you really shouldn't have claimed to be. You can't have it both ways. It can't be simultaneously $14,000 worth of traumatizing and not traumatizing at all.
The situation with the parent company still sounds bizarre. First they send you a salesman who makes threats, now a VP is offering to spend all his time at your house? You can't really blame everyone for failing to guess the particulars of a situation that makes no sense.
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Bewildered/Terrirfied/Confused Mom -- Now I'm really confused
If you are really the LW posting the follow ups, then I really don't get it.
And the part that I don't get is why you would ask an advice columnist whether you should settle for a free $14,000 of remodeling work or held out for more. How the hell should Cary know? But assuming everything in the original and follow up letter is true, then you aren't stupid for not holding out for more, whatever that means. I have no idea how you would negotiate for more.
You have just had three rare events occur.
1. A extremely bad experience as a customer. Even the sales guys in Glengary/Glenross treated customers much better. Almost unbelievable.
2. An extremely good response from the sales guy's employer. Almost unbelievable. But ok, rare events happen. Maybe if you had a tape and posted it to youtube.
3. A letter posted in an advice column. I'm sure Cary must select only a fraction of the letters sent to him for the column.
I frankly thought the advice that this was 'too good to be true' and that you should be careful was good advice.
However, the idea that the people that commented were somehow out of line because they were skeptical about two extremely rare events occuring in sequence is silly.
I'm sure once a decade Bill Gates might respond to a customer service problem and give em a free copy of Vista. Or Steve Jobs offers early adopters a store credit on I-phones after he drops the price (woops, that actually happened).
Weird things happen.
I am wondering if the sales guy asked you if you were a lesbian.