To think this is not common practice for salesperson

[username333]

Couple of months ago we changed our heating system in the house. Got in touch with this salesman, he provided us with a quote, arranged workmen to come over and do the job, all the things needed to be done are done. New heating system is up and running, everything is great.

Now my husband gets an email from this salesperson saying there are potential clients who live not far away from us interested into changing their heating system and asking if it would be possible to arrange for them to come around to our house to have a look at the work that was done. So he has told some strangers about our house, where it is and what has been done here. And these strangers would be coming over to our house and having a nosy.

My husband thinks there is nothing wrong with that whilst I find this very odd and quite unprofessional way to do business. I have never heard of anyone trying to arrange potential clients coming over to someone's else house to look at the job that they have done in the past.

Oh wow, thanks for all the responses. I am a bit surprised to be honest as I didn't realise this is a common thing to do. I have never came across anything like that in the past so was unsure. Still doesn't make it any less weird showing somebody around my house. Salesman did take pictures but looks like this wasn't enough.

Given details about your house without permission isn't that a data protection issue

It's fairly normal to ask for a reference for expensive work.
He's unlikely to have given your exact details without speaking to you but may have said oh yes we've done a similar job on a 5 bed house in Jonesville - if he has then he needs to be reminded that it's inappropriate to give out customers details without permission
They won't want to nosy at your house for a heating system what they will probably want to see is the main boiler interface and ask you how it went, where they messy, polite, any problems etc
I do it all the time for clients, sometimes it's a matter of quality (day for a main contractor) so I will want to see the work other times just a conversation about how happy they are will do.
You can always say no but I would say that it's important for you to think about getting references for expensive work in future as I hate to say it but they are unscrupulous contractors / tradespeople out there and they lie and unlike purchasing something from a shop where you can return it, it can be really difficult to sort out if it doesn't go as expected