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points by Aboutplants 20 hours ago | 0 comments
I had a plumber over to quote a HVAC replacement, while he was working up the quote I saw his iPad where his was inputting the equipment for costs etc, then it flipped over to an area that showed my home estimated value, my estimated household income and a ton of other economic measures that gave them sweet spots for their quote. While I obviously know people do this, to see it so blatantly laid out (it wasn’t meant for my eyes) was very gross.

By the way, the home value and income estimates were higher than reality, and his quote was also fairly high - though not the highest

[–] turtleyacht 20 hours ago
That sort of counters the advice to get three quotes. If every bidder has that info, it may be harder to get the "best" price.
[–] lotsofpulp 18 hours ago
Not really, because a slightly smarter (or more motivated) seller will realize they can make the sale by being slightly lower than the other sellers.

A buyer should also ask the sellers for a lower price after the initial prices are given.

[–] FireBeyond 15 hours ago
Except in RealPage's situation, RealPage would be conducting their own verification, and you'd have to request an override to deviate from the recommended pricing. Do that too often and they'd kick you out of the scheme that got you the data in the first place.

What blows my mind is there are multiple people in this thread saying that that is perfectly moral, ethical and legal, and the people in the class action got lucky because this would have all fallen apart in the courtroom.