My wife and I were at a sales presentation for a timeshare over the weekend and the salesman stepped out of the room to get some paper. I started to ask about her feelings and she said we should whisper because there was a listening device in the room and that the sales staff was probably listening to us. That seemed far fetched to me, but I could see the usefullness of such a device to the salesman. Would such a thing be legal? We were in their building but the room door was closed, so there was some expectation of privacy. Are such devices ever employed by sales people?
I wouldnt put it past them because they are all sleezebags, but i dont think its really nessesary for them to make the sale… Those people are very high pressure because they are selling a commodity that loses 80% of its value the second you sign the papers. Hence they are looking for people to be caught up in the emotion and the moment. Taping a conversation may help to a small degree but for the most part the salespeople have a spiel that is well designed to sucker people into signing at that second and they have smooth and glib answers to all questions. State laws vary as to legality of using recording devices.
Can’t find the thread, but this is a new car dealers low life trick also.
IANAL, but I doubt that laws against wiretapping (a phone call) or recording conversations without the other party’s permission (phone or otherwise) would be violated by a listening device that served the alleged purposes of the salesman, since he has no need to record you, only listen in. In fact, without too much trouble, he could have used a telephone in the room to do it. Child’s play if the phone is speakerphone. And still not wiretapping, since you weren’t placing a call.
The way you describe the situation (salesman leaves the room on a minor errand at a point when you and the wife have things to talk over), I think she might have been right. Did he come back in with answers to all your whispered reasons not to buy? Did you buy?