Our Dixie HomeCrafters Experience

If you are considering Dixie HomeCrafters for any work on your home, please do yourself a favor and take the time to read this post.  If you know any family or friends who are considering them, pass this along.

The following post conveys the experience and opinions of the author alone.  What follows should not be construed to represent the experience and opinions of any person, business, or organization that the author may or may not be affiliated with.

It began with a box at Goody's.  The box had a big sign on it enticing us to fill out a card and enter it into a drawing for new gutters on our house.  This caught our eye because we own a house in the south where builders do not seem to understand the need for gutters on a house.  We filled out the card, and soon thereafter, got a call from an appointment setter.

Last evening (Wednesday, January 30th, 2008) the representative showed up at our house.  I was expecting a construction professional.  He was a salesman. Within moments of shaking his hand I could feel the "salesman slime" creeping up my arm on it's way to attempt a takeover of my brain.  The tone of his voice, the phony smile, all betrayed that this guy would say whatever was necessary to get my money.

He handed us a list of references and told us that if we would call the references he could give us a discount.  We thought that was great, until he said that the calls would have to be made right that minute while he was measuring the house.  Although reluctant to call a stranger right at dinner time, I succumbed and made a couple of calls.  The first was a wrong number.  The second reference stated that the gutter work they did was fine, but they royall screwed up subsequent window work, resulting in the customer having to purchase a whole new security system for the house.

Within a few moments he finished measuring the house and was ready to make his pitch.  He pulled out a binder with what looked to contain 15 or 20 presentation pages.  After taking 15 minutes to get through the first one, I asked if he was going to go through the whole binder.  He said, "Would that bother you?"  I looked him sternly in the eye and let my facial expression and body language convey that his time was running out quick.  He packed up the binder and pulled out of his big salesman case several different samples of guttering.

For the next 15 minutes or so demonstrated all of the weaknesses of other guttering compared to his superior product.  And I will say, that their product did look superior to the other samples he brought.  Kind of the same way that a Lexus would look sitting next to a 1972 Chevy Chevelle.

We finally got to the estimate.  He went over all of the details of the work and gave us the figure of $3,103.00.  Remember that number.  He then said he could give me a coupon for $350.00.  He then said he could give me a 10% credit for calling the reference.  So finally, we ended up with an estimate for $2,443.00 and he asked if we would be using a check, credit card, or financing.  I said, "Well, first we'll decide if we're going to give you our business and THEN we'll talk about how to pay.  We'll do some comparison, take a look at our budget, and get back with you."

Here is where the coup against our brains began to crescendo.

He said that the $2,443.00 quote was only good if we signed a contract right that minute.  If he left the house, and we called him later, the price would back to $3,103.  Somehow, our coupon discount and discount for calling a reference mysteriously disappeared.  I said something like, "Well, we're smart enough consumers to know not to commit to a purchase of that size without doing comparison and deciding what would work best for us."

He then began talking about the necessity of taking care of our house.  I was insulted by his preaching to me for the sake of getting my business.

Finally, he said, "Okay, give me a call when you're ready.  I just need to call my boss and let him know that I'm finished here."  Here is where the "salesman slime" kicked into overdrive and the attempted takeover of our brain climaxed.  He didn't call his boss from his vehicle while pulling out of our driveway, he stayed seated at our dining room table while making the call, with the phone speaker up loud enough for us to hear his boss on the other end.  The scripted conversation began.

Salesman:  "Hey Boss, I'm finishing up here.  Just met with Bill and Lynn and they love the product, but they're just not ready to make the decision tonight."

Boss:  "What zip code are they in?"

Salesman:  "What zip code are you in?"

Me:  "36870"

Salesman:  "36870"

Boss:  "Would they be willing to put a sign in their yard while we do the work?"

Salesman:  "Would you be willing to put a sign in your yard?"

Me:  "Sure."

Salesman:  "Yes, they woud."

Boss:  "Would they be willing to go on the reference list?"

Salesman:  "Would you be willing to go on the reference list?"

Me:  "Sure."

Salesman:  "Yes, they would."

Boss:  "Okay, I think we could do $1,800."

Me:  "Okay, sounds good.  Let us take a few days to make sure this is the best deal for us and we'll get back to you."

Salesman:  "This price is only good if you sign the contract right now."

Me:  "Then I guess we're finished."

Salesman:  "Boss, they want to think about it for a few days."

Boss:  "What's going to change in a few days?"

By this time I'm getting pissed.

Boss:  "Can they keep this offer confidential?"

Salesman:  "Can you keep this offer confidential?  We can't offer it to anyone else"

Me:  "Sure."

Boss:  "Tell them I'll give them 0% financing, no payment for a year."

Me:  "Sounds great, let us take a couple of days to think about it."

Salesman:  "Boss, I guess we're done here."

Boss:  "Have they ever owned a home before?"

Salesman:  "Have you...

Me:  "Yes."

Salesman:  "Do you understand what 0% financing with no payment for a year means?"

Me (resisting the urge to jump the table and throttle him):  "I'm smart enough to know exactly what that means and I'm also smart enough not to give in to high pressure tactics to commit to that amount of money without comparison and thinking it through.

Boss:  "Tell him that someone just today agreed to a $20,000.00 contract during our first visit."

Salesman:  "Someone just tod....

Me:  "I don't give a rip...I'm smart enough to know to never do that."

Salesman:  "Boss, looks like we're done here."

Boss:  "Yep, sounds like we are."

After this nonsense, the salesman sank to another level:

Salesman:  "So, why can you not make a decision tonight?"

Me:  "Because I'm intelligent enough to know that you never commit to that amount of money because someone is pressuring you to do it right that minute.  If the price can be $1,800 right now, in can be $1,800 in 24-hours.  I know the game you're playing and I'm not that gullible."

Salesman:  "So you've never bought anything without taking time to think about it first?"

Me:  "Yes, when we were young and stupid."

Salesman:  "Oh, come on now.  Surely you make purchases on the same day."

Me:  "Nope."

Salesman:  "So you don't go to the grocery store and buy groceries on the same visit?"

Me (restraining fury):  "Oh come on!"

slimy salesman laugh

Salesman:  "Okay, what if I can get the price down to $1,400?"

Me:  "Sounds good, we'll do some comparison and let you know."

Saleman:  "Okay, I'm outta here."

Okay boys and girls, remember where we began?  The quote began at $3,103.00.  By the end of the conversation we were down to $1,400.  What does this tell you?  It tells me that the job can be done for $1,400 and his first pitch is designed to take advantage of and screw over those who aren't savvy enough to sniff out salesman slime.  How about the fact that the "discount" price is only good if you sign that minute?  What does that tell you?  It tells me that they don't want you to compare their pricing to anyone else, afraid that you may discover the snow job that they're trying to pull on you.

If you are considering Dixie HomeCrafters for any work on your home, consider these things.  Never take the first price.  Never give in to the pressure to "sign now."  And let the salesman know up front that you read this post, know his tricks, and won't be taken advantage of.  If you would like the name of my particular salesman, drop me an e-mail and I'll let you know.

Aw, heck.  I'll just tell you now.  His name is Chad Fisher and he was working out of the office at 4454 Warm Springs Road in Columbus, GA.

UPDATE:  I just came across this link to the "Rip-off Report."  Be sure to visit here and read this guy's experiences.

UPDATE 2: August 19, 2008

Okay, so I got my economic stimulus check from President Bush and decided it was time to take care of this gutter thing once and for all.  Here's the story:

I called a local home improvement company just down the road from me and asked them to come give me an estimate.  The time was set for 5:30 PM on Tuesday afternoon.  At precisely 5:30 PM the owner of the business pulled into the driveway (Dixie Homecrafters was over 30 minutes late).  We all shook hands and the process began.

He was very polite as he asked what we wanted and then spent a few minutes takig all of the measurements.  Within about 15 minutes we were sitting at the same dining room table where I nearly throttled the Dixie Homecrafters Guy in January.  He did some quick math and told me that his price, for the same job Dixie Homecrafters had quoted me, would be $749.00.  Remember, Dixie Homecrafters gave me an initial quote of $3,103 and progressively dropped it to $1,400 in an attempt to get me to sign the contract.  The quote for the job that will now be done next week by a very polite, very professional company who's been in business locally for over 20 years is almost half the lowest quote from Dixie Homecrafters.  Here's the part that made my wife and me chuckle. After he showed us the price he said, "Is this in the ballpark?  Or do you want to take some time to think about it and call me back later?"  Remember, Dixie Homecrafters pressured us to sign the contract right then and there and told us that all discounts would be void and the price would be back up to $3,103 if we didn't sign the contract before the salesman left.

I asked the guy about his product.  He told me all about the gutters that they would be installing and (without me mentioning Dixie Homecrafters) told me how they use the same materials that Dixie Homecrafters tries to get people to pay thousands of dollars for.  He told me about various things that he could do that would cost us more but then very honestly told us that he didn't think we really needed those things.

I asked him about guarantees and warranties on his work.  He told me the length of their guarantee, but then said, "Listen, we're just down the road.  You know where to find us if you ever have problems.  We'll make it right.  We've been in business over 20 years and reputation is everything.  We haven't had a complaint against us yet and I won't let you be the first."

As the conversation came to a close, I asked if he needed any money up front.  Nope, not a dime.  No contract to sign.  He'll see us next week.

Learn the lesson here boys and girls.  Shop around.  Do your homework.  Use a well-respected locally owned company when possible.  And don't ever, ever let a salesman talk you into kissing on the first date!

If you're in the Columbus, GA/Phenix City, AL area, drop me an e-mail and I'll tell you who will be doing my work.  I'd post their name publicly here, but something tells me that the Dixie Homecrafters people who monitor this thread would begin a negative campaign against them if they knew who it is.

Comments

[me siverts]

Hi Bill,
Hope you still look at this thread, we just had Dixie HC here and managed to finally get the guy to leave! What a scam! We live in Fort Mitchell Al and would like to know who you used for gutters, it is hard to find good people to do good work these days, esp.being new to the area. Thanks for your post.

[mike]

This sales tactic is not uncommon and is basically the same thing you experience on a car lot, you can try and single out dixie but in truth you'ld probably experience the same thing on any car lot, you might as well go after all retail sales, I no longer work for them but I did in the past it was overall a tough but good experience that taught me sales and people very well. The fact is sales happen because you create a want/need and a sense of urgency and that's all those guys are trying to do. I know I'll get several responses that talk about how sneaky the practices are but in truth if you haven't done in home p2p sales you really have no idea what it's like and the majority of rep's that come in your home are guys with little to no sales experience that are just doing what they were taught. I've given people my absolute lowest price before and they were annoyed that I couldn't give them a discount, then I've gone 1000 over on a job and the guy was overjoyed when he got his 200 dollar discount, in the end people like to bargain and value/price is all in the eye of the beholder.

[denise]

My Dixie Home Crafters sales rep just left after dealing out the same spill as the above post. I wish I had read this before letting him into my house. I did call some of the people on the reference list and 2 of them said, point blank, to not go with the first quote. When I told Keith this, he seemed upset and said that other sales people marked their prices way up and he "just wasn't in that group of people." Also, I thought it was odd that when I was called to set up an appointment, I was asked not once but twice if I was the decision maker and if there was a "mister" in the house. I knew why when Keith arrived...young, attractive and charismatic. I guess they thought if they sent a Brad Pitt wannabe to the house, they would get my money. SOOOOOOOO not going to happen. I guess now I will have to avoid all calls from them for the rest of my life!

[S. Granstaff]

I had the identical experience with DHC Gutter Guardians last night in Hoover, Alabama. I got the SAME EXACT pitch. Was quoted just under 6,000 dollars for 143 feet (measuring myself today because I think this footage is impossible) and he finally got the price down to 3,400. What crap! I told him to lock in the price for 5-7 days while I do research and they refused- said if I called back tomorrow it would be back up to 6,000. I'm sure they do great work-- just for completely unreasonable prices.

[a]

joe stinger is a greedy slime ball that will burn in hell.

[David]

i just got 110' of gutter 6" wide and 4 over sized down spouts all heavy gauge metal installed for 370 dollars.

[Jim S.]

I think Dixie Homecrafters is a fantastic company. I purchsed the gutter guardian system for my home in Baltimore, MD in May of 2009 and haven't had one ounce of trouble from the product or the company since. In fact, my salesman, a man named Tim Hawkins, was one of the nicest, most professional people I have ever dealt regarding my home. Not to mention one of the funniest. Even the general manager, Jamie, was polite and funny when I spoke to him the day I purchased the product. He promised that the company would take care of me and they certainly have. Every company is going to have an angry customer from time to time, but I hope the angry posts on here don't discourage people from utilizing the services of Dixie Homecrafters.

[Dave]

Dixie Homecrafters/Gutter Guardian came by today and gave me an estimate. My home needs 100 feet of gutter with 55 feet of downspouts.

I have priced the supplies at the local hardware store ahead of time and know it would cost me about $3 a linear foot to install.

My quote was just under $6,000. Having done my research, I knew that number was not right, so I did some searching and found this site.

I also did some math:
DiY Price (per linear foot): $3-5.00
Gutter Guardian (per linear foot): $57.75

Perhaps they should approach the US government for sales? Most of us consumers won't pay $20,000 for a toilet seat.

[Jeff Morgan]

My wife works at DIXIE HOME CRAFTERS. Stay far far far away from the COLUMBUS GA office. If you EVER EVER EVER decide to set up an appointment, And a lady By the name of GINNY MANN CALLS TO CONFIRM YOUR APPOINTMENT- BACK OUT THERE - SHE IS THE BRAINS BEHIND THE SCAM FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

[Mary J. Anderlik]

I used to work for Dixie Homecrafters in Hoover, AL.

Everything said in this thread is absolutely 100% true. They are a slimy company and if you think they are slimy to their customers, try working for them.

I was a single mother working there on salary for 400 a week. You know those places that have the little booth with the card you fill out that entails you will have fifty phone calls a day for the rest of your life? That was me. i set up the show, worked it, and called the cards back. Because I was on salary I had to work the shows to make them not spend any money on "unnecessary" employees. I had to pay childcare for five days a week then an additional for two other days. I worked seven days a week, mostly by myself. When I decided enough was enough and my car was breaking down I quit. When I told my boss why I was quitting he told me to save my sob story, that he was offering me a deal. The deal involved a 75% pay cut. If I cannot live off of what he was paying me how was I supposed to live off of less money. I would have just been happy with five days a week to save me 600 dollars a month in child care, that would allow me to at least pay my rent.

They are a horrible company and I will advise anyone to stay as far away from them or anyone associated with them. They will rip you off and not even bat an eye while doing it.

I will never go back. EVER.

[DB]

Do NOT do business with DHC. I had a sales person come out and that convinced me sufficiently that they were merely trying to rip me off. First he said he would measure every window in the house. He measure one and glanced at all the others. At the end he also called his manager trying to weasle a deal in - no luck. I also repeatedly asked to see a physical window sample which he claimed to have. I never saw it but he did show me a glossy brochure. He asked if i wanted to get a large set of windows on credit and the guy must have decided that i was some kind of fool. He did not want to show me any credit paperwork, interest rate, or tell me any other credit terms. His words were "it's credit, what do you need to know? Just give me your social security number and i can put the application in." NO THANKS...find an idiot DHC, i'm not one of them.

[Brittany]

I had windows installed by DHC and I love them. I came across this site when researching companies that I was getting estimates from. Now that I have had my windows installed I think that it is fair that I share my experience. The salesman that came to my house was first of all on time (which the first 2 companies were not) and was very professional. The window that he showed me was heads and shoulders better than any other window I had ever seen. The window was very well constructed and was also very good looking. At first I was concerned about the warranty because he told me that it was a 50 year warranty and the other companies gave a lifetime warranty. But after looking at the back of the copies of the other companies warranties I found that they were really only 1 year warranty on the whole window then it only covered some items then after 5 years it only covered the frame. If you want to talk about a scam... that's a scam. The warranty I got from DHC is 50 years on everything, including labor, and after seeing the window and the professional installation I know why they can do that. I had a terrible experience with a salesman from a flooring company years ago and my cousin had nothing but good things to say about the company. I live by the old adage that you can please some of the people some of the time and all of the people some of the time but you will never please all of the people all of the time. I also did some additional research and found that this company has done work for over 100,000 people. Even if a couple hundred people had bad experiences those are still really good odds! I just wanted to say that I love my windows and feel that it fair to share my story.

[mia]

You think you people have problems If you bought your windows are gutters in new Jersey are Pennsylvania Your on your own getting anything fixed.They Closed there offices the guy running them was selling gutters using there contracts and using his own low paid non english speaking thugs to install them.Many of the gutter systems where installed improperly they retain water and are perfect breeding grounds for swarms of bugs

[Bird Brain]

Thank goodness for this thread.
We have been getting killed by our utility bills and were a bit desperate. We signed a deal for their Diamond Barrier Saturday. Since we put no money down and the salesman said we had 3 days to cancel I thought it would give me time to check things out. I am glad I did. I sure had to dig to find this thread. The BBB is worthless!
Tomorrow morning I am calling them up and canceling the whole shebang. If they step foot on my property I will call the cops!
At $140.00 I can put the "Radiant Guard" in myself thank you and have enough left over to make my whole family "Elvis" suits out of the left overs if I choose.

[The one who knows you best]

WATCH OUT!!! Dixie has a new product called the power montior that they buy for like 100.00 and sell it for 399.00 and they switched the original box and put it in one of there's that say's it the "DIXIE POWER MONITOR" and there so called SUPER DIXIE WINDOWS come from a wholesale warhouse right here in atlanta,ga called AMERICAN WHOLESALE and they get there products from BRADCO another warehouse. Oh yes they train the salesmen to pressure you so when you do cancel in those three days the general manager JOE STINGER wants to throw a fit and get red in the face from high blood pressure that he calls you broke and has no respect for the customer when he can't even pay for shit on his own house. from the cooperate employees to regular staff everybody is on some kind of illegal drug. And it very known in the company because salesman come in the next day from party with the owners and general mangers stating how drunk and high everybody got a HUGH HARRIS house. If your every desperate for a job just sleep with a cooperate employer like Ms. Pifer she got a position as the office manager GREAT JOB!! NOT this company is so unprofessional its crazy

[Marv]

Bill,
I'd be interested in knowing who you contracted for the gutters on your home. I have arranged for Dixie Homecrafters to come to my home tomorrow evening, but am tempted to cancel. The alternative is to be upfront with the salesperson when he/she arrives and let him/her know that I will not be making a decision tonight. Or just let them know that I know about their sales tactics and say I want no part of the boss calling, pressuring for a better price, etc. See how they respond. But I would be interested in knowing who you contracted with. thanks

[Derek]

I too had this exact same experince, I cancelled the contract and hope someone on this blog can provide me with the company that they went with that was reasonable and professional

[DONT NEED TO KNOW]

TO ALL, I HAVE WORKED AND STILL DO FOR OVER 5 YRS. I HAVE SEEN ALOT OF THINGS TAKE PLACE IN THOSE YRS. ITS TRUE WE HAVE HAD SLIMY PEOPLE THAT HAVE WORKED FOR US, BUT WHAT COMPANY HASNT? BUT YOU HAVE TO GET TO SEE PEOPLES WORK ETHICS BEFORE YOU KNOW THEY ARE SLIMY. AS I HAVE WORKED FOR THIS COMPANY I HAVE WATCHED AS OUR COMPANY HAS WEEDED OUT THE SLIMY ONES. I HAVE ALSO SEEN IT WITH THE CORPORATE PEOPLE. MY WORKPLACE HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN PERFECT BUT WHAT JOB IS? I HAVE DONE A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING FOR MY COMPANY AND I HAVE LEARNED ALOT. I TALK TO PEOPLE EVERYDAY NOT ALL ARE HAPPY AND WE DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE IT RIGHT. BUT MOST OF THE PEOPLE I TALK TO ARE EXTREMLY HAPPY AND LOVE OUR PRODUCTS AND LOVE US... I AM TRULY SORRY FOR YOU FOLKS THAT HAVE HAD BAD EXPERIENCES WITH US BUT WE ARE JUST PEOPLE AND ALL OF US ARE FAMILY ORIENTED AND JUST TRYING TO KEEP OUR HEADS ABOVE WATER JUST LIKE YOU. WE ARE IN GREAT STANDINGS WITH THE BBB. AND ARE HAPPY FOR ANYONE TO CHECK. WE ALSO HAVE BEEN IN BIZ FOR OVER 20 YRS. OUR GUTTERS AND TOPPERS ARE A PATENTED DESIGN AND CANNOT BE PURCHASED FROM ANYONE ELSE. WE ARE RESPECTABLE PEOPLE AND VERY HARD WORKERS. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE A DIXIE HOMECRAFTER EMPLOYEE.AND JUST SO EVERYONE KNOWS I AM A CHRISTIAN AND I LOVE THE LORD. AND IF I FELT FOR ONE SECOND THAT WE WERE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ANYONE I WOULD BE THE FIRST ONE TO QUIT, BUT I FEEL WE ARE HELPING PEOPLE WITH OUR PRODUCTS, AND AS FAR AS THE PRICE GOES WELL YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

[nannyk-1]

My 84 y/o purchased diamond barrier to be placed over her exisiting insulation/ She signed a contract for 3687.00 for some foil like material. Instead of applying it to the entire floor or applying to rafters where they couldn't apply to the floor, they installed approximately 339 sq feet of "tin foil" ( a small portion at both end of one attic totaling 126sq ft and one end of another attic space totaling 213 sq ft.No barrier on the rafters, no single sheet to provide continuous coverage to assure adequate insulation. Now they are taking my 84 y/o mother to court although they did call her and tell her that they would cut the price to 1722.00 and said that they couldn't do the job as agreed upon, but that she would need to submit the payment by 021109. I'm glad that I read this blog.... I read a blog that said it must be the competition who has this blog... It is probably just people like me who are sick of the way these companies comeinto your home YOUR HOME and flat lie about a product or a serviece just to make a sell. DIXIE HOMECRAFTERS----A SLEEZY SCAM

[T. S. in Baltimore, MD]

I had a very distrubing experience with the Baltimore location of Dixie Homecrafters in late October of this year. I purchased a gutter system from a nice salesman in September and everything was going well until I noticed that a portion of the gutter looked like it was loose after the install. I called the General Manager, a man by the name of Jamie Arndt, who was extremely helpful and got a crew out to my home that same day! He even called back later that evening to see if the correction had been taken care of and to thank me again for the business. I was very impressed at this point. A few weeks later I called Mr. Arndt again because I was considering new windows for my home. However, I was informed in a rude tone of voice by the new General Manager, a man named David Mulcrone, that Mr. Arndt no longer worked there. I asked what happened to Mr. Arndt and was again, in a rude tone of voice, told he no longer worked there. I told Mr. Mulcrone that I was considering windows for my new home because I was impressed with the service I had received earlier. He asked how many windows I had and I told him 3 needed replacing. He laughed at me and basically told me 3 window installs wasn't worth the trip for his salesman to come to my home. Obviously Mr. Mulcrone is more concerned with putting money in the bank than servicing his customers in a professional manner. I hung up feeling upset and disturbed at how I was treated. Little does Mr. Mulcrone know that I intend to replace my roof next spring and WAS considering Dixie Homecrafters for that install. However, I won't be needing the service of Dixie Homecrafters anymore. I'm sorry that this company replaced a nice man with such a jerk.

[onewhokonows]

DHC is a company with a deeply sordid background. The fish stinks from the head down.

The CEO's name is Hugh Harris. He weasled his way into that position after the two original owners got tired of the bs. He's single-handedly managed to run the company into the ground. Check their sales revenues since he took over. It's a joke.

Not only is he a drunk and a gambler, but he's a liar and a phoney. He claims to have "invented" the sales process that you're now whining about. More bs. He stole and refined a sales technique that's been around since crooks in cheap suits hustled cheaper siding.

But whine you should. The sales technique is designed to create a false impression, and is a canned presentation which continues to be used since it is has generated millions in revenues for Harris and his fellow thieves, as it did for earlier crooks.

It's a house of cards exercise like we now see on Wall street. Lies atop lies. In Harris' mind, he thinks ripping off customers is good business as long as he can get away with it. His managers run with that same theme and practice the theft-as do the straight-commissioned reps.

You can forget any business ethics, truth or customer care from within the company's inner circle. The warranties offered are only as good as they are practical; ask anyone from one of their many dead locations (one out-of- business) who bought their products, how good the warranties are. Take a guess.

Their bottom line is greed, day in and day out. That explains the sales pitch you've had the misfortune of experiencing. Their approach is to steal while the customers' emotions run high.

But you can relax. DHC is ultimately destined for one of two places: bankruptcy or jail.

[JB244]

Hey everyone...im part of that "slime" that works for DHC...i've been there a long time and to my knowledge everyone that i've sold anything to absolutely loved it. the difference in location and greed and what motivates the sales ppl really affects the quality of your experience. like with any other type of sales, simply put you got ppl that give a shit and ppl that dont. anyone that does have problems with the work we've done needs to contact the office they got it from and have it fixed...not a big deal. in MY demo kit i have nothing but the stuff we've pulled off MY jobs with pictures of it all. i keep in contact with several of my customers and hang out with quite a few of em on a pretty regular basis when i'm in their area...that sales scum mentality comes from bad experiences with newbies that have no concept of what we're about or what quality of company we're actually working for...they just see dollar signs in their eyes and go for the jugular. its the same way with any type of sales....you gonna stop buying from chevy because you dealt with a snotty kid at a dealership once? same diff...i dont expect everyone or even anyone to understand where i'm coming from. but i know for myself that this company has helped me do pretty well for myself and i'd like to think i've helped several other ppl and made a lot of new friends along the way EVEN DEMO NOS!!!! take it for what its worth...you can go by a couple sites that have ppl with too much time on their hands that just want to rant because the shock of how much they paid for something jus set in or you can branch out and do further research....find out about what kinda warranties are provided with other places, what kind of service ppl have got with most of the local contractors, the grades of quality in materials they use in their stuff, the quality of installation, the exactness....dixie products are priced so high because its the best quality in everything...i feel no guilt bringing friends and family members on board with me either...you get what you pay for...and if you have a bad experience with a local office, do yourself a favor, take it to corporate and get whatever you need taken care of...dont drag the whole company down with it...

[Ann]

I am writing this for my elderly father who was taken in by DHC. He was charged the highest of DHC prices and experienced the lowest form of sales practices. Meanwhile the gutters have flaws (rain water comes out under soffit). The upside of all of this are the good lessons to be learned from this blog. Those of us with elderly parents indepedent enough to make these kinds of mistakes need to help by always offering to check out a business for them. Shop locally and find experienced businesses that have a track record.

[Belinda]

I did business with DHC and was very pleased with the sales staff and also pleased with the products that I purchased. I beleive that some people are not satisfied no matter what you do are say. Not only am i pleased but my house looks great and my utility bill is lower. Sales Reps. have a hard job and one of those jobs is to put up with people that are never happy no matter what. Thanks DHC.

[Brian]

I was glad to find this site as I had the exact same experience last night with Dixie Home Crafters. I shook my head in amazement after the salesman left as I was very suprised by the whole experience. I am a project manager for a large commercial construction company so I deal with subcontractors every day. We don't perform any residential construction, but I am up to date on pricing etc. The salesman knew I was in construction, and still tried to sell me gutters for $42/lf. It took an hour and a half just to get a price, and at no time was I presented with a written quote. This is for a house with 120 lf of gutters(single story ranch style house with gable ends so it is one straight run on the front, and one in the back). This should have been a very simple installation, and cost at most $16/lf. I explained to the salesman that this kind of activity is what gives our industry a bad name. I just hope that people don't fall for it. It definitely pays to be an educated consumer.