#084 | Don’t be a victim of “over scoping” from hired services

Episode Summary:

In this week’s episode, we talk about how you can avoid being a victim of over-scoping or upselling.  Have you ever taken your car to a dealership to fix a headlight and leave with $2,000 of repairs you didn’t know you needed? Or did you ever hire someone to mow your lawn and end up with $100 a week of chemical treatments? Or perhaps you called AT&T to lower your cell phone bill and end up with fiber internet, TV, and HBO? This is all part of a ubiquitous sales tactic Mike likes to call “over scoping.” In this episode, we’ll explain what it is, how to spot it, and most importantly, how not to become a victim!

Episode Notes:

Here’s the situation: when you hire someone or some company to do work for you, you either know specifically want you need or you ask them to evaluate and tell you. Either way, the business is evaluating your situation and wants to make as much money as possible. They are already there and incurring costs.

They will provide you a list of everything they “recommend” that you pay for. And in many cases, consumers are too lazy, too confused, or too unsure of themselves to push back. It’s important to analyze what is being presented to you carefully, but train yourself to be skeptical.  Or perhaps cautiously pessimistic. Maybe the car dealer found a leaking gas tank that could cause your car to explode on the highway! You should fix that. But if your air filter looks dirty and “really should be replaced soon,” ask some more questions.

Here’s how it works:

• You are coming to them because they are the experts. So right off the bat, they have the upper hand. You don’t know how to fix your transmission!
• They investigate things you don’t usually see, both figuratively and literally. I mean, have you ever opened up a gearbox?
• They find every single thing that they can justify you fix with a straight face. Your grass will look greener with an iron treatment.
• They might even pressure you. If you don’t trim your azaleas with hand shears each month, they won’t bloom right.
• They set a deadline or some other timeframe to convince you it’s a real thing. You’ll need to come back in 6 months to make sure your car is ok if we don’t take care of it now.

Maybe it’s all true. But almost always, it’s not. And you need to understand how to handle these situations. Disclaimer: if someone tells you something that doesn’t result in them profiting, consider it more closely. And if your doctor tells you you need something, just do it.

Here’s how to handle these situations:

1. Assume you’ll be taken advantage of, or that someone else’s job is to get as much of your hard-earned money as possible.  
2. Generally speaking, serious issues and requirements also have laws enforcing them.
3. If a service is not included in a base package, consider it optional. If it were that important, they’d just have that be part of their service. 
4. Do research beforehand. The more knowledgeable you are or even just appear to be, the less likely someone is to try and take advantage of you.
5. Get a second opinion, and let them know this is a lot of money for you, so you’ll need a second opinion.  See how they respond to that.  
6. Try to fix it yourself or at least investigate. If you can fix a part of something or replace one piece, you can demonstrate more knowledge.
7. Ask questions:
1. What is this?
2. Why is it needed?
3. What happens if I don’t do it?  Weigh the risk. 
4. I mean really, what would be the worst thing that could happen? 
5. Is there a cheaper alternative? Different product, grade, etc.
8. Decline what you think is unnecessary and let them push back on you. If it’s serious or a prerequisite, they’ll tell you. 
9. Make a decision and stick to it.

Over time you’ll find some people and companies you can trust because they’ve been straight up with you from the start. They’ve told you that you don’t need xyz.   

If you can become better at managing these situations, it will save you tens of thousands of dollars. Don’t rely on people to give you the best deal. Yes, they’ll fix your problems. But they’ll also fix problems that don’t exist. They want to make money. And it’s up to you and only you to protect your cash.

Top 3 takeaways:

1. When you ask a business for help, they’ll almost always come up with more things you “need” their help with.
2. Be skeptical and challenge them. Ask questions and find out what you really need.  
3. Understand the real repercussions and the real risks. Small risks for small expenses are fine. But don’t take risks with your health!