A home watch coordinator has recently emailed me in relation to the email that was sent earlier in the week with regards to unsolicited calls from people claiming to be linked to microsoft.
He has kindly forwarded me some information from a recent article that he has read that suggests that people have also been receiving unsolicited call from people pretending to be from NTL or Dyson. As with the microsoft scams the callers are trying to convince people that there is some sort of problem with their service / Dyson product and are trying to persuade the home-owner to part with their cash or bank details. As with many such calls, it is unlikely that the caller actually knows that someone is an NTL or Dyson customer but similar to the phishing bank emails - due to a saturation of calls it is likely they will eventually reach someone who does have NTL or a Dyson at home.
At this time, I have not had any reports of anyone in this area being targeted by people purporting to be from Dyson or NTL. However, having checked online there have been a number of reports of this elsewhere in the country, as nearby as Staffordshire. In the articles that I have read they make reference to statements that have been made by Dyson where they confirm that they never cold call their customers in this manner and would not turn up at a customers home unless a customer has arranged the visit with them beforehand.
Is anyone does receive any telephone calls that they believe to be suspicious from these or any other company please report this directly to Cheshire Trading Standards
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Unsolicited Calls
A fellow coordinator has recently emailed me about several phone calls that he has had from companies claiming to promote a national scheme for intruder alarm systems. The gist of their initial calls is that manufacturers are giving away a number of free alarm systems as a promotion. This is not an uncommon offer and many companies may offer similar deals. However, it is worthwhile being aware that whilst the actual system may be free the extras such as installation, monitoring costs etc are likely to be at a substantial charge as the companies are selling an overall service.
We are often asked if a particular company is genuine or not. When we are asked the question some of the details provided to the householder about a company may be somewhat sparse so it can be very hard to trace. The difficulty is that many alarm companies do operate within the boundaries of the law but some of these companies also have various legal but possibly unscrupulous techniques for selling their items. The only way to ensure that you remain safe from any bogus companies is to follow a strict 'no buying from door step or telephone callers approach'. As mentioned in other emails if you require an alarm system or any other such service it is best practice to do some thorough research yourself - take recommendations from friends or family members who have had similar work done, contact several companies for quotations to ensure that you aren't being grossly overcharged and try to employ companies that are accredited under a recognised body in their particular field.
It is also worthwhile to ask yourself if you actually need the item that someone is trying to sell to you. Most of us go out and purchase goods and services as we need them but can sometimes be swayed into an impulse buy if we are offered a fantastic deal. Many cold calling companies will offer various fantastic deals to try and encourage a follow up visit from one of their operatives. In some cases the fantastic deal may have a lot of hidden extras, the company may employ pressure selling tactics during their visit and operatives may be on commission which encourages some sales people to be overly pushy when they attend a property. Unfortunately, what many people don't realise is that when you make an appointment with a company where you are inviting them to attend at your property at a particular time and date it can affect some of the consumer rights that you might ordinarily have, as by inviting them around they are no longer cold calling.
With Xmas and New Year approaching companies may be cold calling with fantastic Christmas and New Years Sale offers. Remember that if something sounds too good to be true it usually is and encourage members not to buy any goods and services via cold calls.
We are often asked if a particular company is genuine or not. When we are asked the question some of the details provided to the householder about a company may be somewhat sparse so it can be very hard to trace. The difficulty is that many alarm companies do operate within the boundaries of the law but some of these companies also have various legal but possibly unscrupulous techniques for selling their items. The only way to ensure that you remain safe from any bogus companies is to follow a strict 'no buying from door step or telephone callers approach'. As mentioned in other emails if you require an alarm system or any other such service it is best practice to do some thorough research yourself - take recommendations from friends or family members who have had similar work done, contact several companies for quotations to ensure that you aren't being grossly overcharged and try to employ companies that are accredited under a recognised body in their particular field.
It is also worthwhile to ask yourself if you actually need the item that someone is trying to sell to you. Most of us go out and purchase goods and services as we need them but can sometimes be swayed into an impulse buy if we are offered a fantastic deal. Many cold calling companies will offer various fantastic deals to try and encourage a follow up visit from one of their operatives. In some cases the fantastic deal may have a lot of hidden extras, the company may employ pressure selling tactics during their visit and operatives may be on commission which encourages some sales people to be overly pushy when they attend a property. Unfortunately, what many people don't realise is that when you make an appointment with a company where you are inviting them to attend at your property at a particular time and date it can affect some of the consumer rights that you might ordinarily have, as by inviting them around they are no longer cold calling.
With Xmas and New Year approaching companies may be cold calling with fantastic Christmas and New Years Sale offers. Remember that if something sounds too good to be true it usually is and encourage members not to buy any goods and services via cold calls.
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