Edit: I appreciate you taking the time to respond, but respectfully, your response completely misses the point of my review.
My review was not primarily about your pricing. It was about your sales process. Those are two very different issues.
I fully understand that companies have different overhead, training, installation standards, and business models. I also specifically complimented your technician because he identified a ductwork issue that no other company found. From a technical standpoint, I genuinely wanted to hire Danco.
You had already convinced me of your technical expertise. You never convinced me your sales process deserved my business.
After I shared the competing proposal and explained the significant price difference, I wasn’t asking to negotiate against myself. I wasn’t looking to play the “What number will it take?” game.
I was asking Danco to tell me your best and most competitive offer.
Instead, I received multiple phone calls, repeated trips “back to management,” and continued requests for me to tell you what number I would accept.
Your response says your intention was to “provide options, not create an unnecessary negotiation process.”
Respectfully, that’s exactly what happened.
When a customer has already provided competing quotes and asks for your best offer, the answer shouldn’t be another round of negotiations. It should simply be your best offer.
These outdated sales process are one of the biggest reasons consumers have grown skeptical of major purchases.
Today’s customers are informed. We compare pricing before we ever call. We read reviews. We know what the market looks like.
Most importantly, we’re tired of feeling like every major purchase has to become a negotiation just to find out what a company’s real price is.
In my case, the competing proposal wasn’t just thousands of dollars less expensive. It also included a longer labor warranty and a longer unit replacement warranty than the proposal I received from Danco.
So from my perspective, I wasn’t comparing a premium proposal against a budget alternative. I was comparing a significantly higher price against a proposal that offered stronger warranty protection in several key areas.
That’s exactly why I kept asking Danco to demonstrate the additional value.
Instead, I was repeatedly asked what number I would accept.
Consumers don’t expect every company to be the cheapest. But we do expect companies to clearly demonstrate why they’re worth more.
When that doesn’t happen, customers don’t walk away thinking they passed on the better product.
They walk away wondering whether they almost paid thousands of dollars more without a compelling reason.
The irony is that your technician gave Danco the inside track to earn my business.
Your sales process lost it!
I genuinely hope your leadership takes this as constructive feedback because I believe your technical team deserves a sales process that’s just as strong as the quality of the work they perform.
Response from the owner:We appreciate your recognition of our technician’s professionalism and technical expertise. We’re pleased our team was able to identify a ductwork issue affecting your home that had gone unnoticed by others.
We understand that replacing an HVAC system is a significant investment. While two proposals may appear similar, pricing can vary based on the quality of the equipment, proper system design, installation standards, ductwork modifications, warranty coverage, technician training, and the long-term service and support provided after the installation. Our goal is to recommend the solution that offers the best long-term comfort, performance, and reliability, not simply the lowest price.
When you asked about lower-cost alternatives, our salesperson met with management to explore additional options because we wanted to be responsive to your budget and present every solution we could. Our intention was to provide options, not create an unnecessary negotiation process. We’re sorry our efforts came across differently than they were intended.
We appreciate the opportunity to have earned your consideration and wish you many years of comfort with your new system.
