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Fight fraud at the front door

As the summer selling season kicks off, BBB teams up with the home security industry to warn consumers about deceptive sales. Often, unscrupulous sales reps see yard signs for ADT, an industry leader, and pretend to be with the company. They tell homeowners they are “upgrading the equipment,” offering a better package, or another deceptive story, and then get the unsuspecting homeowners to sign a new contract. In 2016, nearly 3,400 customers complained to ADT about deceptive sales from competitors. There were 800 less in 2017. Despite a downward trend in the number of home security customers victimized by fraudulent door-to-door security sales representatives, deceptive sales practices are still a problem and the industry is continuing to work to stop deceptive sales and to warn homeowners about the problem. In addition to home security sales, most homeowners are familiar with eager door-to-door sales representatives trying to sell you cleaning supplies, magazine subscriptions and more. BBB has the following tips if a salesperson of any kind comes knocking: » Know who you are buying from. Before you let anyone into your home, ask to see identification, a business card and some proof of the business they’re representing. Ask for a physical address and for local references. » Do your research. Look up the business online and get references from your friends, family, neighbors or from the company’s current clients. It only takes a few minutes to do a quick search on your phone or computer, and it could save you a lot of money and trouble. » Resist pressure to "buy now.” Don’t be pressured to take advantage of a time-sensitive offer, like "once in a lifetime" or "today only.” Do some comparison shopping and take time to decide whether you want the product being sold. » Get written estimates. A reputable business won’t try to sell you anything before completing a professional assessment of your needs and layout of your home. Remember, don’t let anyone who hasn’t made an appointment into your home. If an estimation or installation needs to be done, call the business directly to make an appointment.
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