Questionable sales tactics: Sales letters disguised as bills

Originally posted in August 2013.

A client came in the other day a bit confused.

Earlier this year, we had deeded his property into his trust. It was a normal procedure. He came in, signed the warranty deed we’d prepared, and paid us the total cost of the services—which included the recording fee paid to the county.

Everything was taken care of. Or so he thought.

Months later, he received what looked like a bill from Oakland County regarding the property. The amount due was $83.00. It had a response date, a detachable payment slip with a bar code, and an enclosed envelope.

A bill for $83.00? How could that be? He’d already paid our firm for everything.

He looked again at the document. Something didn’t seem right. There was no official Oakland County seal, and the text didn’t read like a bill. It read more like a sales letter.

What Was Being Sold Was Essentially Repackaged, Free Information

Puzzled, he brought the document to our office. It didn’t take us long to tell him he was the victim of a questionable sales tactic. In this case, a company was trying to sell him fairly trivial information about his own property—but the letter was formatted in every way to look like a bill.

Many of our clients have encountered this tactic in recent months. The perpetrator is a company based out of Delaware. Here’s how the scheme works:

1. They obtain free, easily accessible public information about your recently filed deed.
2. They then send you a sales letter—formatted like a bill—offering to sell you that information for $83.00.

The “information” they’re trying to sell you is a copy of your deed and a so-called “Property Profile.”

As for the deed, you’ll receive the original from the county once it finishes recording it. There’s no need for a copy. And even if you eventually need one, most counties charge far less than $83.00. The Property Profile, meanwhile, is just basic data about the property—the address and parcel number, for example—that you can get for free by calling the county, or in some cases with an internet search engine like Google.

Not Illegal, but Still Questionable

Selling free or normally inexpensive information at a premium isn’t illegal per se. I, for example, have every right to sell you a $99.99 report chock-full of such valuable information as your birth date and zodiac sign.

Still, we believe this practice is highly questionable. First, there’s little value in what’s being sold. Second, the sales letter is designed in every way to resemble a bill, due dates and all. So it’s entirely possible that some clients open it, conclude it’s a real bill, and pay the $83.00.

To be fair, the company does disclaim at the bottom of the page that the letter is a solicitation, not a bill. But a busy, distracted person may not read that disclaimer and could end up paying anyway.

So what can we learn from all this? There are many questionable sales tactics out there, so you have to stay vigilant. Always read anything that looks like a bill carefully. And if you’re still confused, call us—we’ll help.

Have you encountered what you think is a questionable sales tactic? Comment below or send us an email at [email protected]. We’d be glad to hear from you.

Jonathan Fouch is the Marketing Director of Shea Law. His previous positions at the firm include Operations Manager and Paralegal.