_edited_edited.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
Construction is not always as innocent as it seems
HLN nieuws
Valse kortingen - keukens
Illustration photo - depicts a story
False discounts, fake reviews or smearing competitors: that's how fierce the competition in the Flemish kitchen sales is. We went into the three largest Flemish kitchen builders, Dovy Keukens, Keukens De Abdij and DSM Keukens, went mystery shopping and spoke to ten (ex-)salespeople. We saw good kitchens and correct salespeople, but also discovered the cunning tricks that can cost you a lot of money. "I do not accept that my employees tell untruths", responds a kitchen builder.
How did we go about it?
For this article, we spoke with ten (ex-)employees of DSM Keukens, Keukens De Abdij and Dovy Keukens, the three largest Belgian players in the mid-market. They testified under a pseudonym, but their real names are known to the editors. We also visited each of the three kitchen companies undercover, where we were always treated correctly. We spoke extensively with the three managers.
“Good afternoon, Evi and Jonas.” The salesperson from Dovy speaks to us as if he has known us for years. He knows his trade. We made an appointment in the morning, and shortly after noon we are already in the showroom to choose a new kitchen. He asks us whether we have already been to other kitchen salespeople. “At Keukens De Abdij and at DSM Keukens? Oops!” The tone is set. “Some people copy our advertising and say that they have also been in business for 43 years. But that is not true at all.” After which the salesperson shows us a script on his computer screen that new salespeople from a competitor are taught. “It is clear how much they fear us,” he says. “They teach new employees to say in their sales pitch that we are more expensive because we spend too much money on advertising. And that the quality of their cabinet doors is better because the wood has a higher pressing. None of this is true. It is exactly the other way around.”
Anyone driving along Flemish regional roads will pass one kitchen store after another
Misleading actions
The knives are sharpened. If you drive along Flemish regional roads, you will pass one kitchen store after another. They are often neighbours. In our country, Ikea is the market leader with cheaper kitchens. But in the middle segment, Dovy Keukens, DSM Keukens and Keukens De Abdij are each other's biggest competitors. We spoke to (former) salespeople of the three kitchen manufacturers. They all speak of a bitter battle with the customer as a sought-after goal. Salespeople of DSM Keukens and Keukens De Abdij in particular talk about an aggressive way of working. "I felt very bad during the period that I sold kitchens. I earned my money by lying and cheating people." Sarah has left the sector. When she started, she was nevertheless very enthusiastic. She received a good salary and an extra commission on kitchens that she sold, just like her colleagues. "I thought: 'If you can sell people things, you can do anything.' I was convinced that the job would give me satisfaction. But the hard sales techniques and the juggling with misleading actions do not match my values and standards. Only Dovy Keukens does not work so aggressively in my opinion.”
“To attract customers, gifts always have to be given. But free kitchen appliances are simply included in the price of the cabinets
- former kitchen salesman
It started with Sarah during her training as a salesperson. The first thing she learned was to lie to customers, she says. She lets us listen to a recording. It is the manager himself who prepares her for the job. He insinuates a role-play between her and a potential customer. “You always have to make a commercial proposal. Only today the customer does not pay 25,000 but 20,000 euros. If the customer cannot believe that, you have to argue by saying: 'Ultimately, you will end up with a price of around 25,000 in every other kitchen store. So I am now giving you the chance to work it out together. That way you have a kitchen that is 5,000 euros below the market price.'”
Illustration photo - depicts a story
In the fragment, Sarah asks what she should answer if the customer would rather pay the full price and think about it for a while. The manager answers firmly: “Nobody tells me that. They all want that commercial proposal and the lowest price, so they have to sign today. 'This is a special price now, because we have a festive opening of a new showroom somewhere. You won't get that price later in the year.' Eight out of ten times the customer signs,” he guarantees her.
The great forgetting trick
When we call other (ex-)salespeople, this story is confirmed time and again. Young salespeople learn how to manipulate customers into signing that day. “Everyone does it, it’s a fight for every customer,” one salesperson tells us. However, this approach is not innocent. According to the FPS Economy, it is even punishable. “There is a blacklist of practices that are considered misleading or aggressive at all times and are therefore prohibited,” the FPS Economy reports. “Falsely claiming that the product will only be available under special conditions for a very limited time, in order to make the consumer decide immediately and not give him the chance to make an informed decision, falls under this. That is absolutely unacceptable.” Anyone who feels cheated in this way can even go to court.
The (ex-)salespeople we spoke to used a laundry list of techniques to lure in the customer in a dubious way. Stan could no longer handle the pressure of sales in the kitchen sector and changed jobs. “I still work in sales, but no longer with kitchens. I'm not saying that kitchen salespeople lie all day long, but they do play it loose with the truth. To attract customers, gifts always have to be given. But a free set of pots or a free iPhone will pay the customer back double and thick in the end. Free kitchen appliances are simply included in the price of the cabinets.”
“When clients go to the interior designer, so-called mistakes come up. 'The salesperson forgot to include the skirting boards.' But that's part of the game”
- former kitchen salesman
Another trick that almost all salespeople know? The great forgetting trick. “We called it the tactic of forgetting among ourselves,” says Sarah. “The customer initially comes to a salesperson. He puts some rough lines on paper and a sharp price is put on it. A few weeks later, when the customer goes to the interior architect to refine everything, the so-called mistakes come to light. 'The salesperson forgot to include the skirting boards. That's a few hundred euros more.' Or: 'The dimensions are different anyway. We'll fix that.' That's part of the game. In this way, the salesperson can tempt the customer by putting himself on the market cheaply. But in the end, the customer often pays a surcharge of several thousand euros.” To be clear: Dovy has a different system. One person guides the customer from start to finish. This trick is not used here.
Not pressured
Back to our undercover search. Are we really being played so cunningly as customers? In all three kitchen stores, we are not pressured to make a decision that same day. We are always offered to come back a few days later for a detailed plan. At Keukens De Abdij, the Black Friday promotion has just ended. The salesperson shows us a pile of sales deeds that he still has to process. “If you don’t hesitate too long, I can exceptionally add you to the pile,” he whispers to us. “But then you shouldn’t wait until the end of the year.”
At Keukens De Abdij, the Black Friday promotion has just ended. The salesperson shows us a stack of sales deeds. “If you don’t hesitate too long, I can exceptionally add you to the stack.”
He proudly shows us the finish of the cabinet doors of De Abdij. “We are the only one on the market that lasers the edges. With us, you no longer see any black lines. Dovy and DSM choose to glue, but that can come loose and then moisture gets into the door. A laser machine like that costs millions. They don't have that in the factory of Dovy.” The salesman of Dovy is convinced that glued edges are more durable. He shows photos of peeling kitchen cabinets on his computer screen: “These are photos of people who did not buy from me, but from cheaper competitors. After a few years, they still end up with us.”
The salesperson of DSM Keukens even explicitly advises us not to buy from Keukens De Abdij. “The quality of Dovy Keukens is certainly good, but we have not counted Keukens De Abdij as a competitor for a year now,” says the salesperson. “I do not want to speak badly about competitors, but De Abdij is in very bad financial shape. Their main supplier no longer delivers due to payment problems. They have recently started asking customers for an advance payment, but if it goes wrong, you will lose your money. So if I may give you a tip: if you are looking for a quality kitchen, try to stay away from De Abdij.” Important: when we check the annual figures ourselves, there appears to be no financial problems and Keukens De Abdij seems to be a growing company.
Good salespeople are worth their weight in gold to kitchen manufacturers, and their competitors know this too. Poaching each other's staff is therefore a common practice. Half of the (former) salespeople we spoke to have already been contacted to switch. "I regularly receive text messages with attractive conditions: if you come and work for us, you will get a nice basic salary and a new Tesla," says an employee who has been selling kitchens for almost ten years. "Poaching staff from competitors is part of the game."
50 euros for fake review
But for some, catching flies in the face does not seem to be enough. “Customers are even misled when they do their research at home,” says ex-salesperson Sarah. “Many positive reviews on Trustpilot are written by employees. I also had to write one and got 50 euros for it.” An online search by our editors confirms the stories about fake reviews. “Beautiful end result. Keukens De Abdij is definitely recommended.” “We were looking for a kitchen and found the most beautiful one at DSM.” That is what happy customers write on Trustpilot. When we look up the name of the authors of the reviews on LinkedIn, they appear to be salespeople for the stores themselves. We find quite a few more like this without much effort. Salespeople for the three kitchen manufacturers praise themselves to the skies online. (see below in slider, text continues after)
Yet another seller says that customers are also asked to write a positive review, long before the kitchen is installed. In return, they receive a small discount. So it is better to be well prepared when buying a new kitchen. Comparing prices is not an unnecessary luxury. Blindly accepting promotions is not a good tactic. And it is best not to buy in the week before a home fair. Several sellers confirmed that the price is raised during that period in order to be able to offer a good promotion during the fair.
For such complaints you can contact the FPS Economy
However, this approach is not innocent. According to the FPS Economy, it is even punishable. “There is a blacklist of practices that are considered misleading or aggressive at all times and are therefore prohibited,” reports the FPS Economy. “Falsely claiming that the product will only be available under special conditions for a very limited time, in order to make the consumer decide immediately and not give him the chance to make an informed decision, falls under this. That is absolutely unacceptable.” Anyone who feels cheated in this way can even go to court.
Manager DSM Keukens: “Employee told untruths”
We presented our findings to the three kitchen builders involved.
Koen De Schepper, CEO of DSM Keukens, says he was shocked by the statements of his employee about the financial problems of Keukens De Abdij. “Everyone is doing their best and the competition is fierce. But I do not accept that employees tell untruths. I assume that it is a misinterpretation of our employee about a change of supplier. I distance myself from this statement in the strongest possible terms.”
At Keukens De Abdij, CEO Bruno Van Den Brande talks about distasteful practices at DSM Keukens. “We train our people in an honest and transparent way, without putting our competitors in a bad light.”
At Dovy Keukens, manager Donald Muylle says he does not recognize himself in what he calls the deceptive practices of competitors.