Report
to the People
4th
November 2002
Mis-selling of Utilities
If you’re reading this over your tea, the chances are you either have been, or are about to be, interrupted by someone trying to sell you some product or service.
Whether it’s a phone call congratulating you on "winning" a new kitchen, or a knock on the door by salesman offering revolutionary cleaning products, such cold-calling can be an almost nightly irritation.
But what if these sales calls were more than a nuisance? What if, instead of honestly inviting you to purchase his products, the salesman on your doorstep was in fact trying to con you? What if he was set on pressuring you into signing a contract which would end up costing you far more than you thought?
As sinister as it sounds, this is exactly what a number of my constituents have complained to me about after a visit from the door to door salesmen who urge you to change your gas or electric company.
And, from the other side, a constituent who used to be such a salesmen, shocked me with his account of the high-pressure sales techniques he was forced to employ. Armed, he alleged, with a fake identification card, which had no "bogus caller" number and was issued without him being subject to any Police vetting, he was sent out to lie and exaggerate to customers in order that they would agree to switch suppliers. If, he told me, the sales force had failed to meet their targets, they had to break industry rules by knocking doors after 8pm.
This is unacceptable. Of course companies have a perfect right to sell their products. They even have the right to let your tea go cold while you answer their early evening cold calls. But underhand tactics are not on.
I therefore demanded that these allegations be fully investigated. Thankfully, the Minister responsible for matters relating to energy and electricity, Lewis Macdonald, last week informed me that his officials have contacted the industry regulator and that the company in question is now under investigation.
Restoring our confidence in the utilities market, however, is about more than rooting out the odd cowboy operator. It will require a concerted effort by all concerned.
But it will be worth it. Not only for you and I as consumers, but for the industry. As I will point out when I meet power company representatives next week, public trust can only be good for their business.
Have you fallen victim to utility mis-selling or been subjected to high-pressure selling techniques? If so, call the energywatch consumer helpline on 08459 06 07 08 or log on to www.energywatch.org.uk
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