Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2016 18:26:43 -0400
From: Tarus BALOG
Subject: Free Dinner! Hello, you’re invited!!!
Gang:
Today in the mailbox arrived a postcard promising a free dinner at the Pittsboro Roadhouse. As I like the food at the Roadhouse, I was curious. It is rare that you find anything truly free anymore.
It is described as “an informational meeting to show you how you can save up to 40% each month on your utility bills. This Technology was developed by NASA and is now being introduced to the general public.”
I found that exact text used to describe a “radiant barrier” sales pitch as early as 2008, so I think “now” might be a relative term, but what this does appear to me is an opportunity to use high pressure sales tactics to sell you on, basically, insulation that has not been shown to effectively reduce energy bills[1].
So, if you decide to go, and I’m not suggesting you don’t, if it turns out to be a pitch for radiant barrier insulation you might want to keep the credit cards in your pocket and your checkbook firmly closed.
For full disclosure, the company behind the postcard, American Energy Solutions South of Charlotte, has a clean Better Business Bureau record. The sales pitch seems a bit sketchy, though, which reflects poorly on the company that would choose to use it.
Caveat Emptor.
-T