Firms putting pressure on the old and unwell for sales

Published on Thursday 24 July 2008 10:58

SOME companies are using high-pressure and unlawful techniques to sell mobility aids to vulnerable customers, a consumer group said today.

Which? found companies were coercing elderly and unwell people into buying expensive and unsuitable products.

The watchdog secretly filmed sales representatives from 11 companies as they tried to sell adjustable beds, scooters and bath lifts to a 72-year-old undercover investigator and her husband, who she claimed was in hospital.

Six of the companies were chosen because of negative feedback from Which? members.

Experts rated five sales representatives as poor and only one as good.

Which? said five companies offered a discount if the woman agreed to buy immediately.

One company offered to help the woman break the law by suggesting she could make a fraudulent insurance claim.

Other practices included offering free products such as a widescreen television or laptop to secure a sale.

Just one company asked to see the husband before recommending a product while another recommended potentially unsafe equipment.