This one is newer. And it is more convincing than anything that came before it.
The salesperson reaches into their bag and produces what appears to be an official company memo. It's printed on headed paper. It has a date. It announces that a significant price rise is coming — sometimes 10%, sometimes more — and that all orders must be placed before a specific deadline to lock in the current price.
It looks real. Sometimes it is a real document. And that is exactly what makes it so effective.
Why This Tactic Has Evolved
Earlier pressure tactics — the "tonight only" price, the manager call — have become widely known. Consumers are more sceptical than they used to be. So the industry adapted.
A verbal claim that a price is "only valid tonight" can be dismissed. But a printed document with a date and a company letterhead feels like evidence. It feels official. It triggers a different part of the brain — the part that responds to authority and documentation.
The result is the same: panic-driven decision-making, a rushed signature, and a customer who never found out what the real price should have been.
The Test
What to do if you're shown a price rise memo:
- Ask the salesperson to leave a copy with you. If they hesitate or refuse, you have your answer.
- If they do leave it, call the company's main customer service line the next day and ask about the price rise.
- In almost every case, the person on the phone will have no idea what you're talking about.
- Then use our Quote Checker to find out what you should actually be paying.