Flintshire Trading Standards service is warning residents to be on their guard after a call from a local resident who said a company had tried to persuade them to sign up for an expensive alarm system that they were told was free.
The scam starts with a phone call from a firm offering a free burglar alarm system as part of a campaign. They mention that there may be a fee for monitoring the alarm but they don’t say how much.
If the householder already has an alarm installed, the business uses scare tactics, saying that according to Home Office statistics there has been an increase in crime in their area and that the Police don’t attend to ordinary alarms. They say that their alarm is monitored by them so they can guarantee some sort of response and they charge a ‘small’ fee for that service. The firm then offers a free risk assessment to visit and check the property and see what security is needed. In fact this turns out to be a visit from a sales rep.
Householders who agreed to the ‘free assessment’ and have a ‘free alarm’ fitted have been charged between £3,500 and £9,850 for the monitoring service. Many of these people signed credit agreements which meant they had to pay in excess of £90 every month for 8 years.
Trading Standards advice is that anyone receiving a cold call should be on their guard. Consumers should also remember that if you agree to a contract for more than £35 in your home you must be given written notice of seven day cancellation rights.
