Foot in the door salemen targeting pensioners under spotlight from the OFT

Doorstep energy salesman have been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently, and many under-pressure energy companies have now scrapped their doorstep sales. But there's a reported new menace on the doorstep for disabled and /or the elderly - people selling mobility aids.


The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has warned of the threat to pensioners from some unscrupulous traders offering stair lifts and other mobility aids.

The watchdog said it had received thousands of complaints about sales of equipment like mobility scooters, adjustable beds and stair lifts.

The OFT has promised to try to stamp out unfair sales practices by removing credit licences and encouraging trading standards officers to prosecute. Ann Pope, from the OFT, promised more enforcement activity to protect consumers: "We are issuing a warning to the industry that we will take further action where necessary," she said.

Buyers can typically pay 50 percent more than high street prices on the doorstep and some have overpaid by hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Some victims, like May Bell, found the equipment they were promised failed to turn up.

Mrs Bell, an 88-year-old from Sheffield, told the BBC that she was left £1,800 out of pocket and trapped on the ground floor of her house after a visit from a salesman.

She had been promised a new stair lift, but after her old one was disconnected the replacement did not arrive. She was forced to sleep in a chair and use a commode instead of her toilet for five weeks.

Shane Johnson of Nottingham Mobility, the man who visited Mrs Bell, was convicted of breaching consumer protection regulations and sentenced to a year in prison.

Be aware of the rules

There is nothing to prevent traders knocking on your door, although there are rules about what they can do once they gain entry into your home.

If you make it clear that you aren't interested on the doorstep, they can't pressure you or come inside unless you allow them.

They must show you identification and be honest about who they are. They should also be clear that they are selling something and not put you under pressure to buy it.

Some doorstep sellers have pretended to be from social services to establish trust, while others stay for hours and refuse to leave.
 
Remember that PFNW on 01733 345581 will respond to a telephone call from you and will attend by invitation, if you have an 'unwanted' salesman in the house or need someone to be physically with you when they are giving their sales pitch. You are not alone!

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