It's not entirely unusual for someone selling a service, especially an expensive one, to want to qualify whether a caller is serious or not. It may well be he or she had had many instances of spending time discussing details only for people to get a shock when they found out the fee structure.Need a reality check here to see if i'm overreacting.
When looking for services, is it normal to be asked outright what your job is and whether youre sure you can afford it?
I was after some private services (healthcare) and contacted someone. Before getting into my issues and what I was after, the first thing she asked was my job and asked if i was sure i could afford her services. Which immediately put me off and made sure I went with someone else.
Am i overreacting? Or would that kind of approach to possible new clients put others off too?
Personally, I wouldn't immediately be offended at being asked that question, but I would query why he or she considered my occupation relevant before being prepared to answer. If she said it was about fees, I'd ask what her fees were, and then carry on if they seemed acceptable.
If it occurred as bluntly as you describe, then it does seem a pretty cack-handed approach. I'd expect a more subtle manner from an experienced person.
