Pushy sales tactic results in a refund
Alison Barry admits to feeling foolish about her dealings with American home security firm Vivint.
She signed up for its system, which recently featured on TV’s Fair Go, after being visited by a salesman in late February.
Despite already having a home security system, ‘‘ Scott was very persuasive and told me that there are a lot of people taking [it] up. I felt as though I was being ram-roaded into accepting their offer. Scott mentioned the police officer who lives in my street and implied that the police officer endorsed the system.’’
Within minutes of accepting the offer, technicians were in her house installing the system.
Cancelling the contract proved difficult but after numerous calls to the United States she eventually got a refund and had the system removed.
Barry told Hutt News on Thursday that she had no problem with the system but felt the sales method was too aggressive.
There is a clear lesson to be learned from her experience, she says. ‘‘Don’t jump before you think. ‘‘Take your time and sleep on it and work out what is best for you.’’
We spoke to Vivint director of public relations in the US, Liz Tanner.
She agreed that the police do not endorse Vivint. She maintained all the salesman had said was that three police officers in the street had the system installed.
There are two Vivint signs in the street that Barry lives on and the occupant of one confirmed that her husband is a non-sworn officer and that two other people in the street had links to the police.
The occupant said she was happy with the system, had no problems with the salesman and said the discounted price of $49.50 a month she was given was OK.
Vivint featured prominently on Fair Go earlier this year.
The consumer affairs programme found a number of people who were given the impression the system was endorsed by police. Vivint said the salesman who had been making that claim had been sacked. Manukau police planned to talk to Vivint about its sales methods.
Petone resident Jenny Bramwell agrees with Barry that the sales pitch is hard to resist and people need to think about it before signing up.
In her case she felt pressured to say ‘‘yes’’ but immediately regretted signing the contract.
‘‘We see ourselves as quite intelligent people. I would not say we were suckered in but after I thought about it, I thought ‘that was a bit quick’.’’
Her concerns related to the cost (usually $70 per month) and having to sign a five-year contract.
The salespeople used the word ‘‘free’’ a lot but she was not sure if anything was actually free.
She has cancelled the contract and made sure her bank has blocked Vivint from her account.