You hear this type of thing on IPVM quite a bit:
Cheap security systems sold by clueless, cut-rate online merchants to naive, bottom feeding DIY'ers are making it increasingly hard for anyone trying to sell quality over price these days.
DIY'ers have extreme tunnel-vision when it comes to price, could care less about quality, and cannot be convinced them that there is more to a good deal than lowest upfront cost, til they fail of course.
Basically DIY'ers are idiots.
And when you hear the comical and derisive anecdote about some penny-wise but pound-foolish customer, you inevitably wonder: "How can anybody be so stupid?"
But sometimes maybe we are that guy too. In my case I am a confirmed plumbaphobic. I have a deep and possibly genetic mistrust of all things plumbing related. When the plumber needs to come to the house, I want him to do the 'absolute minimum' he needs to do fix whatever has broken and leave.
While waiting for the plumber, I will often dismissively announce to anyone in earshot, various anticipated price estimates of the job, even though I have no actual clue what it should cost.
"It's gonna be $1400 minimum, probably more like $2000."
If they try to up-sell me on quality, I shut them down. When they tell me "your pipes won't last another month", I laugh. But sooner or later I won't laugh...
I'm fine with electricans and landscapers though, not sure why plumbers are a problem, but I think it might be beneficial to selling to understand the mentality behind it.
Anybody else have something like this, maybe with car salesmen or realtors or lawyers or ??