This summer many door-to-door home alarm sales people have been going across the province. Patrick Heffernan, Executive Director of the Better Business Bureau of Saskatchewan advises people that they should be wary of high pressure tactics used by those sales people. The sales tactics used are the area where the BBB sees concern, Heffernan says, and he advises residents to keep such sales people outside of their home rather than letting them in. "They want to get inside, because it's harder to get them out when they're in. Once they're inside, they'll talk to you about the weaknesses of your security and start asking questions about whether or not you're away much. They get your interest," Heffernan notes. One of the most common tactics used is to say that all of the equipment is free. While he notes that this might be true, it's not the equipment that is the major cost factor for the home alarm systems offered by these companies. "It's a throwaway, because where they make their money is the servicing and the monthly monitoring fee. Most of them are offering a contract of a minimum of three years or five years," Heffernan says. Another tactic often used is mentioning other people in the neighbourhood who have gotten the service installed. Heffernan says that this is just more pressure on the consumer.
Heffernan notes that in many cases these companies will also have an installer in the neighbourhood waiting to install the system as soon as the contract is signed. "I have a real problem with that because many of these calls happen in the evening, when people are more likely to be home. They bring the installer into your house, say it will only take a half-hour or an hour to get it done. When they run into issues or problems, midnight they're still there. If you're like me, as a consumer, sometime between ten or eleven you are getting ready to go to bed," Heffernan notes.
The main thing consumers need to do is ensure they know what they're getting into, Heffernan explains. He recommends that nobody sign anything on the first visit, and that they get a copy of the contract if they are interested in a system, in order to be able to read the fine print.
The other thing people need to do is shop around to other service providers, to ensure that they get the best security system for them, and make sure they are not charged for more than they need, Heffernan recommends.
"The consumer really needs to manage this process, right from when they knock on the door," Heffernan says.
Heffernan asserts that he is a believer in home security and that his own home is equipped with one, but says that people interested in such a system need to shop around and study the contracts before signing their name.
