Call Kurtis Investigates: Sales Tricks To Get You To Open Your Door And Your Wallet
You may want to be leery of someone knocking on your day claiming to conduct an air quality survey.
A Rancho Cordova couple called Kurtis after they say they were sucked into a high pressure sales pitch for a vacuum cleaner.
How does an air quality survey turn into you entering a contest, then winning something, then spending $3,300 plus on a vacuum cleaner?
This is how.
This is the air purifier Allison Bell and Don Hampton say they won.
They say someone showed up to their door claiming to conduct an air quality survey and entered them into a contest.
"The next day I get this phone call and guess what? You won!" said Allison.
Two people delivered their prize and that wasn't all.
"They brought in this huge vacuum cleaner and did this whole presentation about a vacuum cleaner," said Allison.
It was a $3300 plus Rainbow Vacuum. The engaged couple says two salespeople with Rancho Cordova-based Aerodyne were in their house for hours. Allison says they zeroed in on the fact she had asthma and said this cleaner would actually clean the air while she vacuums.
"My lungs are going to feel so much better, I won't cough all the time, I'm going to live forever," said Allison.
After believing the health benefits and hearing the vacuum would be free if they sold ten of them to their friends or family, they bought one.
"They were very good salespeople. They got us," said Allison.
After they left, Allison and Don realized with a wedding ahead, they didn't have the money, nor the time to sell vacuums.
After returning the cleaner to Aerodyne's offices, they say they struggled getting a refund!
"The owner is never available and doesn't return phone calls," said Don.
Across the street neighbor, Jack Kelley, also bought a vacuum cleaner after Aerodyne's sales pitch in his living room. And yes, he also says he won the air purifier after the door to door air quality survey, a tactic he now questions.
"Maybe that was a false advertising," said Jack.
Although Jack says he loves his Rainbow vacuum.
McGeorge School of Law professor, Franklin Gevurtz, thinks it's fraudulent for a company to misrepresent their way into someone's homes.
"I think it was probably beyond the pale of aggressive sales tactics," said Gevurtz.
We wanted to ask Aerodyne's owner Scott Corner about his company's sales tactics, but he never returned our multiple calls before our story aired.
The day our cameras stopped by the Rancho Cordova office, Allison and Don's credit card was credited the $3300 plus, which was within the 10 days the company claims it takes to process refunds.
The couple is now wary of door to door solicitors.
"This experience has really been an eye opener for us," said Allison.
We contacted the manufacturer of the Rainbow Vacuum, Rexair LLC in Troy, Michigan, but did not hear back.
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