Since buying my house a few years ago I have used the same lawn care service to fertilize my lawn, spray for weeds, and spray for insects. I've always been satisfied with their services, and last spring when I hired them to trim my trees and bushes they did a wonderful job. Despite these positive experiences they nearly lost my business.
Last summer I began receiving "up-sell" calls trying to get me to purchase extra treatments, weather-proofing, and whatever else they could offer. The calls came regularly enough that I recognized the phone number when they called. One day in November I received a call from a representative telling me about a new de-icing product they were offering as an alternative to rock salt. The rep suggested that if I wanted to buy the product they could drop it off when they came out to winterize my lawn the following week. I declined, and he thanked me anyway and said they would see me the following week.
A couple of minutes after the call I realized that I had been conned: I hadn't previously scheduled the treatment, and this guy just tricked me into accepting a service I didn't want! I called the company's main number and canceled the treatment. I told the woman who answered how angry I was that they tried to dupe me and that I wanted to cancel all of their services. She apologized profusely and offered me a discount on my first few treatments next year if I would stay with the service. She also assured me that they would put an end to the constant phone calls. I grudgingly agreed and that was the end of it.
A few weeks ago I came home from work and found a package of ice-melter from the company with a note asking me to accept it as a thank you for being a customer. I like that. I just used it on my driveway last night, and if it works well enough I may consider purchasing some in the future. It's nice to be treated like a customer rather than a target.
