We’re regular listeners of CFRB radio. Their morning man, Bill Carroll, regularly endorses a home reno company called “The Home Improvement People“. We want to get some additional cabinets in our kitchen, and some built-in shelves in our living room, so we gave them a call.
The sent out an estimator, and a millworker, took measurements, and shared some ideas. A few days later I received an emailed quote detailing the costs.
As our house was still owned by the builder we decided to wait until the sale closed before making changes. The closing got pushed out until just before Christmas. Now that the house is ours, we’re ready to get the shelves and cabinets. As luck would have it, Bill Carroll advertised a sale that the Home Improvement People are running – “50% off all projects!”
Woo Hoo!!! Perfect timing for us. Check out this screen capture from a Google search for Bill Carroll: “50% off SALE! On every renovation. Our Lowest Prices Ever.”
Or so I thought.
On Monday I called Home Improvement People and asked them to update my estimate to reflect their sale. Today I got a call back informing me that the sale is only 50% off the labour. And it doesn’t apply to our project. The reason? The price we gave you is the price. End of story.
It disgusts me that CFRB would broadcast such misleading advertisements, and it alarms me that there are businesses out there carrying on business this way.