Wednesday 15 October 2014

Dodgy selling techniques.

Getting increasingly frustrated by the failure of my central heating system yet again I am aware of another firm contacting me about living alone.....

When several more single women in the parish say they have also been contacted by the same people alarm bells are ringing....

In his last year my beloved husband had a brain tumour....and this I now realise affected his thinking, making for some very worrying decisions.

When we were contacted by a green company saying a new system was available which would save us money by using less oil, he went for it....it was a new iniative and by taking it then we would save money!

Last year as he grew very ill indeed the system failed and electric heaters had to be used to keep him warm!

I tried to get in touch with the firm which installed it but it had simply disappeared...the phone number was defunct!

This year living on my own the system simply doesn't work at all.....it has been a very expensive mistake...

Yesterday I got another call from a security company offering me a safety system and telling me I can save money by adopting it immediately.

I now have had two similar calls in a week...each time I have asked for the name of the company and their phone number.

Twice I have found the firm on the Internet and seen that they have only been in business a matter of months....

It occurs to me that this is now a new way of conducting business. Set up a new firm, promise much and close down before any problems occur...

I might be very cynical here but the women who have been contacted by this present new company are all elderly women living alone in a prosperous area...

Preying on old people is simply reprehensible so I would urge anyone contacted by a green firm or a safety company to investigate them on the Internet. If they have only been in business for a short time ask more questions....

Get a phone number and use it to check on the sales people.

Above all be aware that a firm operating now may not be held responsible when anything goes wrong later...

The buzz words are green, safety, government initiative, saving money!

The inference here is that as we get older and more frail we need "help" in the shape of complicated new systems for security or central heating...

Buyer beware are the operative words here I think!

3 comments:

UKViewer said...

I've had the same sort of cold call, although I'm a man, and not living alone? Reaching 65 seems to spark something of a reaction from the world (how do they know??) who think that all of a sudden you're gullible and ready to sign up for anything. Glad to say, I say a firm NO to everything. If we need a new central heating system, it will be on the basis of a recommendation by a local supplier, which has been established locally for more than 25 years - I walk past their showroom almost daily.

The other thing that I have been experiencing is perfectly fit (on the surface) young men turning up at the door with a flashy badge and a sales briefcase, saying that they're veterans, who are going door to door selling military style security products in aid of a particular service charity.

When challenged as to where and with whom they served they get a bit confused about Regiments and Corps and places where British Forces have been at war in recent years. (badly briefed?). When I tell them that I am a recently retired Ex-Serviceman with 43 years service, they mysteriously suddenly have another appointment and need to go quickly.

They're scammers and I've told local trading standards and the charities that they claim to be selling for, surprise, surprise, they've never heard of them.

Revjeanrolt said...

Scammers get everywhere it seems! Fortunately we don't get door to door here....I live too far out!
It is worrying though...that people think the old and possibly infirm are OK to target!

Babs said...

hopefully I am training myself to say no. I actually have an official homewatch notice on the door saying no cold calling but obviously they cant read. I am resorting not to answer the door