Unethical Aerus LLC Sale?

[ronni]

Regarding a current eBay listing for an Aerus Lux Guardian/Model U147F which had been sold in Greenwood, Delaware:


While it's true that I do not know the specifics of the sale or if the listing is accurate it would be unethical to sell a 93-year-old woman a regular-sized vacuum cleaner with a full set of attachments and accessories. If I had come to the woman's door I would have shown some humanity instead of going after the almighty dollar by giving her used vacuum cleaner a service check to ensure that it ran properly for her. If the woman's cleaner was in disrepair I would have asked to take it to the shop and charged her a nominal fee to get it back to good working order. If the machine were beyond repair or too cost prohibitive to do so I would have offered to sell her a Lux FreshEra™ at a fair price to her.

Whatever the situation, it appears that she didn't need the vacuum cleaner since it had not ever been used (supposing the information in the listing to be true).

I do hope that such sales are not common among Aerus (or other companies') salespersons!


Listing Information:

BRAND NEW, NEVER USED.
This vacuum was sold to my 93 year old aunt in December of 2013 and was never used. It retails for $1200 to $1700 on average. It comes from a pet and smoke-free home. I will ship within the continental US. I will provide FREE SHIPPING only if you purchase using the Buy It Now option.
Included in this auction are:
1 Electrolux Guardian (Aerus) upright vacuum with HEPA filter attached. Model # U147F. 120V/60Hz. Serial#N16286U
1 Lux Guardian accessories kit including:

Sidekick® - A mini, motorized power nozzle useful in cleaning stairs, bedding, car interiors, and more!
Combination dusting/upholstery tool- The soft bristles protect your furniture and delicate surfaces, while adjustable wings allow for improved cleaning of upholstery or fabrics.
Crevice tool- Perfect for narrow, hard-to-reach areas such as between cushions and car interiors.
Electrified hose- Durable hose bends and stretches to reach all areas for cleaning.
Wands (2)- Two wands provide longer reach for the taller jobs, such as ceiling fans.
Accessory caddy- The caddy provides convenient storage for all your accessories.
16 Electrolux brand vacuum bag refills
2 Home Solutions Lemon scent chips (to use after any filter replacements)
1 Instruction manual for the vacuum and accessories.


Link to the listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ElectroLux-...151414381961?pt=US_Vacuum&hash=item2341001d89

 

[ralph123]

regarding warranty

the seller mentions a 10 year warranty. However, would the warranty even apply to anyone but the original purchaser?

Does seem like an unethical sale....

 

[tig21er]

Warranty

is not transferable. It would be unethical if the sale was forced on the person. The oldest woman I sold was 97. I was asked by her how old I thought she was? I said in her 80's. When she told me 97 I told she didn't have to buy. She said she wanted it and when she died her kids would get it. I was notified when she died. The kids had the cleaner and she was home cleaning until age 103.
If the sale was made and not told by customer in the 3 day cooling off period they didn't want it is still a sale. If pressured into the sale all one had to do was call the company and back out of sale. Federal law.

 

[sebo_fan]

Well, if the warranty hasn't been taken out, surely it would be honoured/transferred to the new buyer? Or do Aerus generally stipulate the warranty when the "first" owner just buys it?

In recent years a lot of people I've bought second hand vacs from (especially SEBO or Bosch) haven't even bothered taking out any warranty, so when I phone up the UK brands head office/cust services I often find that the warranty period is still valid and open when registering the vacuum cleaner in question. Doesn't always happen but happens a lot if the models are still selling in the shops.

 

[ronni]

I wasn't thinking that it was a pressured sale (that would be even worse), but just imagined someone who wasn't thinking as clearly and perhaps more trusting of a salesperson than younger customers having been misled by a slick, unethical salesperson.

I personally would not use any sales pitch on an elderly person but would let them tell me what he or she wanted--even if the person(s) lived in a luxurious home. Taking advantage of someone's age, financial status, need, et cetera is wrong.

The Golden Rule applies: "Do to others what you would have them do to you."

 

[tig21er]

Aerus

dealers need proof of purchase if it goes to different dealers in the U.S or Canada. There have been stolen machines that had been sold on E-Bay. That was policy with Electrolux as far back as 1952 and still is today under Aerus. That is why you keep your receipt with your manual or some where else to your choosing.

 

[Gr8DaneDad]

I see a lot of assumptions about the motivations of the salesman/woman and the state of mind of the purchaser with absolutely no information to back it up. Even the ad never makes such a claim and I think the assumption is unreasonable and downright insulting to both sides. Aerus machine warranties are also immediately registered when the sale is entered into the sales system, the purchaser and serial # are tied together along with the transaction date. The franchise I work at only requires proof of purchase if no such record exists though we do tell people to keep the sales contract someplace safe as it may be needed to obtain warranty work. There is also, as tig21er said, a federal 3 day cancellation period and many states have longer windows for those over a certain age (60 in Nevada). Some windows are as long as 90 days from date of sale.

 

[sbakerde]

Ok I have to chime in.

I live 10 minutes from Greenwood, DE. Greenwood is a small town with mostly older homes, there are no luxurious houses what-so-ever. In fact the only store in Greenwood in a Dollar General. This is a small country town. Ok so that's the facts on Greenwood. The local Aerus dealer is in Seaford, where I live. For lack of a better term, (again,I apologize for the crude term) he is a complete douche. He has no interest what-so-ever is selling replacement parts, servicing machines, or taking care of the customer the way most of us would. When a close friend of mine tried to get a replacement hose for his Model L (passed down from his grandmother) this arrogant prick told him it was no longer available and he would have to buy a new vacuum. I personally have delt with him once trying to find a few attachments and parts. He acted as if I was wasting his time, and showed no interest in helping me with anything.

Even though I no longer have a storefront I still have people who call me for repair work over going anywhere near him. The number of complaints I have heard over the last few years is well into the hundreds about his poor customer service.

 

[ctvacman]

I find it odd that the bags are from the late 90"s, I would hope she had a previous lux upright that these came from and it's not from the person selling it to her.

 

[ronni]

Re: Reply #7 ... that's exactly what I was concerned about. Thanks for shedding some more light on the situation.

Re: Reply #6: I was not accusatory in my initial post--using such wording as 'not knowing specifics', 'if', and 'supposing', so there is no reason to be insulted. The possibility of a slick sales pitch to a vulnerable adult churned my stomach. As for the federal cancellation law (whatever its window) that's all well and good if the customer knows about it or whose mind is alert enough to figure out that s/he had been swindled. Let's not be so quick to get OUR feelings (or Corporate's) bruised before we consider OTHERS' feelings ... and in this case pocketbook. I do find it interesting that none of my suggested sales practices was affirmed or simply acknowledged.

All: I should also have mentioned that I'm tired of seeing "hardly used" or "never used" in Aerus listings in particular--such as eBay and Craigslist--that, by the way, are often over 10 years old (they didn't just purchase the machines to flip them); not that salespersons from other companies don't sell buyers machines, supplies, and attachments they don't really want or need. The listing on which this thread is based was the tip of the iceberg for me. The regular frequency of the aforementioned phrases is a clear indication that it is somewhat common for salespersons to put their interests over customers'. I'm sure there are many salespersons who would never take advantage of buyers or disregard their needs for their own benefit, but it seems that there are enough that resort to such sales tactics as convincing an elderly person to purchase one of the most expensive vacuum cleaners in their inventories along with the complete attachment and accessory kit. I'm now wondering if uprights in general are more costly than their top-tier tank or canister counterparts?

Yes, I am aware that the ad terms mentioned in the previous paragraph could be deceptive just to make sales--that can be the topic of another thread.

In closing, I hoped to draw attention to this issue--especially for vacuum cleaner salespersons in any company--to motivate them to maintain or raise their own standards in such situations as the one mentioned in this thread. Furthermore, I suggest that you take time to demonstrate the usefulness of attachments and accessories and adequately instruct customers how to use their machines--or encourage you to keep on doing so. It still bothers me, for example, that I have seen many Aerus Floor Pros sold with steam carpet cleaner instead of the dry-foam shampoo for which the machines were designed. Yes, customers should read their instruction manuals ... but for the complete explanations. If you care about your customers and not just about your profit you will want them to get the most out of their investment which is why you would take the time to give a general overview of each item and offer usage tips and maintenance. If time is too prohibitive towards that goal why not make some how-to Youtube videos and direct customers to view them? Even though your efforts in this regard have limits and the responsibility of using machines and attachments correctly is largely the customers' you will have done the best you can to assist them and at the same time help earn an excellent reputation for yourself and your company.

While I appreciate that someone was able to corroborate my suspicions I can't imagine that if the salesperson in Greenwood has the reputation described Aerus hasn't revoked his franchise agreement (such a reputation isn't earned over night).

 

[Gr8DaneDad]

Sorry I even read this post.

 

[dysonman1]

It seems very unlikely that this particular machine was actually sold to an old woman and it was never used. The seller takes way too much of his description from the Aerus website as well as Literature about the upright. To me, it screams of a dealer or distributor who needs some quick cash to help his business. He's still making double wholesale, selling it at $800. Let's say he has four in stock, and his electric bill is due. Easy to put it on eBay and describe it as he did. Look how many cars are sold as having been driven only on Sunday by a little old lady. Oldest sales trick in the book. My guess is there never was a little old lady who bought it and never used it. A quick call to Aerus with the serial number should confirm the date it was actually sold. I'll bet it was never registered as a sale to anyone. That's why it's still "new".

 

[ronni]

Re: Reply #11 That could very well be the case in this situation--and, I hope it is. I look forward to what you discover from Aerus.

All: I wonder how salespersons feel about what I addressed as far as unethical sales tactics--including taking advantage of customers, selling unwanted products to customers, and not taking adequate time to explain the function of products? Silence to me suggests that I struck a nerve--that it could possibly be a widespread "anything to make a profit" scenario. That isn't good business at all--it's shady and underhanded--even if it helps to win sales awards such as trips, attire, free company products, and so forth.

Yes, the selling points of 'never been used', 'only driven to market on Saturdays', 'gently used by my kind-hearted grandma", et cetera, have been used for deception. Does that mean, though, that they are never true?

My great aunt, for example, kept her 1960 Chevy Corvair in impeccable shape until her death in the late '70s. She generally used it for church and shopping; most of the time it stayed in her garage. Incidentally, shortly before her death a garage mechanic totaled it in an accident. The point is that older individuals tend to 'gently use' their belongings and take proper care of them. I'm confident, as well, that some young and middle-aged persons do the same. Vacuumland seems full of them (unless they just take care of their vacuum cleaners and nothing else--haha).