BEWARE OF ALARM SCAMS

[Kintyre Forum News]

BEWARE OF ALARM SCAMS

Argyll and Bute residents are being urged to be on their guard against signing up with cold-calling alarm companies.

The warning came after Councillor Ellen Morton received an unsolicited call from an individual who claimed to be offering a ‘free’ alarm system.

The council’s trading standards team has now advised against anyone being tempted to sign up for such an offer.

These unscrupulous companies appear to be calling local residents claiming to be doing a survey and offering ‘free’ alarm systems.

Their sales pitch may use so-called ‘statistics’ and information which is obviously designed to cause fear and alarm. They might, for instance, inform you that you live in an area with a high crime rate and are therefore at more of a risk of being broken into than others who don’t have an alarm.

This phone call then usually leads to the person being visited by a salesperson and subjected to a lengthy and intimidating sales pitch which can result in the individual feeling pressurised into signing an expensive maintenance contract. The ‘free’ alarm could end up costing up to £9,000 in maintenance fees.

Councillor Morton said it is vital that people are aware of this sort of scam before they are personally affected by it.

“This sort of deal seems too good to be true when they’ve got you on the other end of the phone, and it might be hard to resist at the time,” she added.

“In fact, of course, it is too good to be true. Individuals who are taken in by this sort of scam inevitably find themselves very significantly out of pocket once the details of the small print are made clear to them - usually long after they’ve signed on the dotted line.

“These rogue traders tend to prey on some of the most vulnerable members of our society, so I would urge these people and their families to be on their guard against this sort of scam, and be extremely cautious in signing up to anything at all on the basis of a cold call.”

The council’s trading standards team has advised anyone who feels they need to have any work done on their property to get two or three quotes for it so that they can compare prices to ensure they are being charged a fair and reasonable price.

Consumers who do sign up to such deals are protected by legislation to a certain extent. The Cancellation of Contracts made in a Consumer's Home or Place of Work etc Regulations (2008) affords protection for people who buy goods or services from a trader on the doorstep or in the home, at their place of work, or when they buy from a trader on a trip they’ve arranged away from their business premises.
If an individual changes their mind about a purchase above the value of £35, they have at least seven days to cancel the contract (the 'cooling-off' period).

It does not matter whether they invited a trader into their home or not. The regulations cover both solicited (invited) and unsolicited (uninvited visits or 'cold calling') visits.

More information on consumer rights can be found on www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.