Home Repair Experiences of Older Consumers in Montgomery County, Virginia

Abstract

This study was designed to explore the offers for home repair received at their door by older consumers and the decisions that were made regarding these offers. Deacon and Firebaugh's decision making process was used as the theoretical model for this study. Participants were asked questions about their experiences with door-to-door solicitations for home repair and how they made the decision to accept or reject the offer.

The participants in this study were twenty-five older consumers involved in senior groups in Montgomery County, Virginia. Participants were obtained by the researcher at meetings in different parts of the county. A telephone interview was used to collect the data. Demographic data is reported using descriptive statistics. Qualitative analysis of anecdotal data was used to determine themes and patterns in the interview data. Questions about uses of the media and knowledge of the Virginia Consumer Protection Hotline were asked. The results of this study support the idea that older consumers in this county are being approached at their door by people offering them home repair services. Two of the six participants who had received an offer for home repair (specifically driveway sealing), accepted the offer. One participant was unhappy with the outcome of the repair, while the other was satisfied with the service.