The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is reminding B.C. residents to be extra cautious when door-to-door security system sales associates come knocking.
Mark Fernendes, a spokesperson for the BBB in Vancouver said there has been an uptick in the number of complaints based around sales reps' high-pressure sales, making claims they can't deliver on, misrepresenting who they work for and selling systems without being properly licensed by the province.
Over the past two weeks, residents on the Coast have noticed some companies making the rounds on the Sunshine Coast using some of those tactics.
"The main tactics we are concerned about is the high-pressure sales tactics. Basically these unscrupulous door-to-door sellers are putting pressure on individual residents the moment they open the door and there have been some claims where these people say these alarm systems are directly connected to the police or ambulance of fire services and that's just not possible," he said.
Fernandes said door-to-door sales reps tend to blitz potential customers with information until the customer has been worn down and will agree to a sale they might regret. He said the best way to deal with that situation is to end the conversation quickly, ask for a business card and then contact the company if you wish to make a purchase.
Gibsons resident Harry Turner said he had a bad experience with a sales rep when he came to his home on the B.C. Day holiday Monday.
"I just got suspicious. The salesman's pitch was so smooth," Turner said. "He told me he was a representative of General Electric and I said 'if I phone GE, what are they going to tell me about it?' And right away he said 'Oh don't phone GE,'" Turner said.
