This week, Watchdog highlighted the dangers of buying house alarms from salesmen who cold call. Particularly vulnerable are the elderly. The company in question were trained to prey on their fears. They tried to frighten them into purchasing a house alarm.

The reporters highlighted the case of one pensioner who had been persuaded to buy a new monitored alarm system for over £3000. Even though she already had one.

The salesman told her that the company who had installed her existing house alarm system were no longer trading. After taking her money, they installed the new house alarm right next to her old one. The camera panned to show both of them with green lights.

Moving your house alarms maintenance to a new provider

What a lot of people don't realise is that house alarms don't always have to be replaced if a provider goes into liquidation. Or even if you just don't like the service you are getting and want to move to another provider. Many house alarm companies can take on the existing equipment. Although there may need to be upgrades to any out of date items.

Find out more about how Spy Alarms can take over or upgrade a house alarm system here.

Cold calls from House Alarm Companies

Another issue given focus in the programme was 'Crime Awareness Advisors' and 'Risk Assessment Advisors'. Some unscrupulous home security companies have call centres that cold call people across the country. They tell them that their home is situated in a 'crime hot spot'. They falsely cite local newspapers as confirmation that there have been 30 or more burglaries in their area in the last few months.

One salesman was asked about the fact that these figures were not verified by the statistics shown on http://www.police.uk.  This is a site produced by local police forces giving the figures for crimes in an area. He replied that the police deliberately falsified the records on these sites to make them appear less than the actual facts! The expert listening to this exchange was as shocked as everyone else to hear this deliberate lie.

See this infographic for the UK crime stats which show that domestic burglaries have actually fallen over the last couple of years.

Another salesman tried to frighten an elderly customer into a sale by saying that his town was the victim of gangs of criminals from Eastern Europe who monitored homes for 6-8 weeks before committing a robbery to fund their drug-related activities. Again, totally untrue.

House Alarms Installation Accreditation

Both salesmen also produced a Gold Certificate from the NSI.  However, a call to the NSI revealed that the company was not a member of their validation scheme.

At Spy Alarms, we are very proud to have been awarded our Gold Certificate. Go to the National Security Inspectorate and at the top right, you can add our name to the search bar. Make sure you select the 'Company' search.

Another sales tactic was offering a 'special deal' on house alarms that was only available for a short time. The customer was told that they could only get the deal if they signed up today. In fact, there was no time limitation. The experts said that this type of misleading statement was against the law.

When caught out, these rogue companies have a habit of going into liquidation. And then setting up again under a different name.  Of course, they still have the same directors and sales techniques.

Things to remember when buying house alarms:

• Don't buy from someone who calls you
• Research your house alarm installer
• Choose a company that has been around for a long time.
• Find one that can be recommended by people you know
• Check with the NSI to confirm their Gold standard rating

Be seen, be secure and be protected with an alarm

Alarm work, they prevent crime! Working across Kent and London, we specialise in the installation, maintenance and servicing of intruder alarms for businesses and homeowners. For a FREE site survey, please get in touch with our team today.