Elderly feel ‘pressure’ sales tactics during water crisis

Elderly residents in Havelock North are being ‘‘pressured’’ by door-to-door sales people in the middle of the water crisis.

Carol Winters, a manager at Age Concern, said that in the past week HRV had been pressuring elderly people to buy expensive water filter systems.

HRV, which has used the star power of former Black Caps captain Stephen Fleming to endorse its products, sells heating systems as well as the water filters.

Winters said an elderly woman, who is allergic to chlorine, was considering taking out a mortgage on her home to pay for the water system after she had already put down a large deposit.

‘‘She can’t shower, she can’t wash her clothes she can’t do anything.’’

Winters said she had called HRV and told them she had agreed to buy the filtering system as she did not know what else she could do.

‘‘We have been able to help her out and get people to do her washing.’’

The timing of the services being offered was ‘‘very suspicious’’, Winters said.

HRV marketing director Justin Boyes said the company’s ‘‘whole home water filtration’’ system would not kill campylobacter and the company would treat any staff who made claims to the contrary ‘‘extremely seriously’’.

The filtration system would remove up to 98 per cent of chlorine and Boyes said people who didn’t like the taste of chlorine would like that.

Boyes said HRV was keenly aware of sensitivities people had in Havelock North and had ‘‘pulled back’’ its sales operations in the community in recent days.

Winters said another elderly woman had been pressured into purchasing a $2000 upgrade for her heating system ‘‘she did not need’’.

Brett Feehan, a board member for Age Concern Havelock North, said the elderly were suffering enough without being put in this position.

They are trying to do their best to keep themselves healthy and they are having these predators out there. Brett Feehan

‘‘They are most at risk physically and mentally. They don’t feel like they can go out, they’re embarrassed, and we feel they are taking advantage of them. They are trying to do their best to keep themselves healthy and they are having these predators out there.’’

Dr Michael Baker, Otago University Professor of Public Health, said boiling, adding chlorine and the use of UV treatment would kill campylobacter.

It was probably unnecessary for people to invest in other tools or precautions, he said, adding that the safety advice and public messages from Hawke’s Bay authorities seemed adequate.

He said that once the water was free of ‘‘protozoans’’ like giardia and cryptosporidium, the ‘‘boiling water alert’’ would probably be lifted.