Chris Lewis Fire & Security has been asked by Oxford Trading Standards officers to help investigate several incidents where elderly people appear to have been sold burglar alarm systems at vastly inflated prices.
Home-owners in the Abingdon and Witney areas have allegedly been duped into handing over sums ranging from £1,700 to £5,000 to have a security alarm fitted. The traders in question have been making initial contact by cold calling people, informing them that their property has been selected as one of only four in the area to receive a free alarm, and requesting an appointment for one of their representatives to visit in person.
During the visit, the sales reps present a range of worrying statistics on crime rates in the area. The elderly, who appear to be the primary target in this unscrupulous campaign, are often persuaded to part with their cash following suggestions such as that without a panic alarm button fitted with the burglar alarm, if they were to collapse in their homes they could be left for days before help arrived.
Chris Lewis, Managing Director of Chris Lewis Fire & Security, commented, “The use of this sort of scaremongering tactic makes me sick, especially where the elderly or vulnerable are concerned. It is possible that these people have paid 8 to 10 times the market rate to have a basic alarm system installed!”
He continued, “Unfortunately it’s not uncommon for people to be enticed by offers to have a security system installed for ‘free’ or at an apparently greatly reduced price, only then to be sold expensive 'additional extras' or tied into a lengthy maintenance contract which leaves them paying well over the odds for the equipment and service they receive.”
Chris Lewis Fire & Security recommends that everyone looking to install a home security system should consider their options carefully, and never sign contracts with, or hand-over cash to, unsolicited salespeople without first getting a comparative quote. It also warns people to be wary of fire or security installers who tie customers into long-term maintenance contracts, effectively forcing them to waive their option to shop elsewhere if they’re not completely satisfied with the service they receive.
Chris Lewis Fire & Security is a member of Trading Standards’ Buy With Confidence scheme, a local government initiative which vets companies to ensure that they operate in a legal, honest and fair way, and can be trusted. It is also an NSI Gold certified installer – the recognized industry standard for intruder alarm installation in the UK.