(ST.MARYS, ON) – On Thursday April 09, 2015, the Perth County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a call from a concerned St.Marys resident who reported receiving a number of phone calls from an “air vent cleaning / repair service”, which he deemed suspicious in nature.
On Monday April 6th and on Wednesday April 8th the resident received calls from a very persistent female caller who represented the heating company. The caller advised that their company was working in the resident’s part of town and that the air exchanger inspection (which the caller said was mandatory to do by law), would only take 5-10 minutes. The caller said that this was a free service and all that needed to be done was book a time. On the residents call display, the caller came up as a private unknown number. The resident suspected this to be a scam or a way to scout out his home for something that was worth stealing. The resident advised the caller not to bother him again.
The Perth County OPP wants to remind residents that “your home is your castle”, and to be extremely careful on whom you allow access. There is no law requiring your heating system to be checked. Don’t agree to anything over the phone and if you are not sure about local laws contact the Town Hall or the OPP.
Just remember, IT’S YOUR HOME! : Repeat, IT’S YOUR HOME! You do not have to let anyone inside your home and you have every right to ask anyone to leave your property anytime! If they don’t leave, call the police. An unwanted person in your home can be removed, arrested if necessary and charged under the Trespass to Property Act.
WHO ARE YOU DEALING WITH? : If you do not know them you need to ask questions. Who are these salespeople, companies and brands involved? Have you done any reference checks which could include calling the Better Business Bureau or checking on line. Remember there are always reputable local companies you can contact for similar services.
Within St.Marys and other municipalities, door to door salespeople are required to have a municipal sales permit and if requested, to show a potential customer a copy of it. If you have doubts simply do not deal with them and tell them to leave!
DEMONSTRATIONS or INSPECTIONS SHOULD BE ON YOUR TERMS: If you decide to allow a company into your home, find out how long it will take and set a time frame that works for you. Ask a relative, neighbour or friend to be there. Being alone with a stranger or multiple strangers can make you very vulnerable and you may be buying something or switching to a new company that you really do not want.
KEEP CONTROL: End the session when you want! Take time to think about it and if the salesperson insists otherwise, it may be a sign that things are not right. If it’s a good sale today, it will be a good sale tomorrow, so what is the harm in a grace period to think it over. You must act NOW!!!, should be a signal this deal may not be what you want.
DON’T BE TOO FREE WITH INFORMATION: There is a chance that in some cases the stranger you are dealing with is “fishing” for information that could be used for illegitimate purposes. Remember, you are there to get information about a product, not to give up information about you and your belongings.
YOU MAY HAVE AN OUT: If a sale is made to you within your home you are protected by legislation that allows you to undue a deal that might have been made under duress.
A contract signed in your home worth over $50.00 can be cancelled by sending a letter within 10 days to the involved company.
This is a protection for consumers afforded under the Consumer Protection Act.
It is important to educate family members and friends, especially if they are seniors who can sometimes be vulnerable to high pressure sales tactics.