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.