smaller text
bigger textBeware of rogue traders
Some of the most vulnerable people in our society are being ground down by sales patter and false information by unscrupulous home salesmen - until they give in and buy products at hugely inflated prices.
These were just some of the findings by BBC One's Rogue Traders programme shown on October 10th.
In one case, the programme revealed that a mobility scooter salesman who refused to give up on a potential sale, spent over four hours in an elderly lady's home - not leaving until after 10pm - until she finally agreed to buy a scooter that was actually unsuitable for her.
The programme also featured sales representatives from an adjustable bed and a scooter company, showing how elderly and disabled people were being pressurised in their own homes into buying products they did not need or want. In some cases they were given false medical information, told fabricated stories about other buyers and basically ground down by constant sales patter.
Ray Hodgkinson, Director General of the British Healthcare Trades Association said: "It's outrageous that some companies stoop so low to sell. I don't know how some people sleep at night. Our Code of Practice is designed to stamp out this type of behaviour and in April, new European legislation will be introduced that will make some of these practices illegal."
For more on the BHTA Code of Practice go to www.bhta.com.
Back to News articles
