Can the size of this forum be used for something?

[eggs]

Hi all.

Recently a contact of mine called me to ask if i would do some split installs for him. I'll have a look what we can do was my reply, as he knew nothing of "air to air heat pumps"
So I went to survey the jobs and what i found horrified me.

A renewable energy firm has been tele-canvassing a very suspect demographic. ie old age pensioners not living in the best part of town, sending out a high pressure sales man who often stay for hours until they get their deposit and sale.

The sales pitch is based around telling the customer that they can have their air to air heat pumps installed and switch their central heating and gas off, then start saving money. The trouble is they are being told that a 3.5kw wall mount in the hall way and one on their landing will do the job. Or if they live in a flat/maisonette just one in the hallway.

The price?? £6500 for a 5.2kw Hitachi multi with two 3.5kw walls attached or a single 5kw Worcester Bosch for £6000. Often with easy monthly payments not provided by high street banks.

I know something is only worth what someone will pay, but I'm sure you will all agree that those prices are extortionate and the systems are not fit for purpose.
I explained to my contact that I did not want to be involved in any part of this scam and he agreed with my judgement when I explained to him what was being sold.

So the question is. Can a thread be started on this forum that will rank high on Google letting people know that there is no way in the world that their local air conditioning company will ever charge these ridiculous prices, particularly when the systems are not fit for purpose.

We as an industry need to fight back against these thieves and con artists.

Any thought of what we can do?

Cheers

Eggs

[SeanB]

Trading standards? Call them, or put a little blurb in the local rag about this in the letters, about how the people are being ripped off by this.

[r.bartlett]

It's happening all over. I understand a company in the Essex area is doing the same and getting those prices as well. They also fit altherma's.

call watchdog and let them know what you know..

[eggs]

I understand a company in the Essex..

Hmmm Essex renewable company??

Eggs

[eggs]

Just noticed the facebook "like" button function on the forum.
Maybe we could all use it? and link the thread to our twitter, linkedin etc accounts? and ask all our friends to do the same.

Hopefully it may just alert at least one of our combined networks parents or grandparents to this.

Cheers

[install monkey]

dress up as an old woman and ask for a quote/survey!!

[frank]

There will always be the rogue businesses. High pressure selling in any trade always leaves the vulnerable at risk of parting with their hard earned and regretting it later.

Trading standards may be able to help, but I would only expect that to happen if it can be proved that what has been sold is not fit for purpose.

Read in the paper the other day about people using these 'Pay Day' loan companies - some having multiple loans and others using the money to buy drugs with no intention of ever paying back.

Similar thing in my opinion, but the loan companies are advertising on TV with interest rates of 2500+ %, vulnerable people are signing up and the authorities do nothing about it.

As to what the forum can do about it........

[chemi-cool]

Sad and yet driving me crazy, these people should be shot in the head from a close range in public!!
Its as low as human being can get, ripping off old people.

On the other side of the spectrum there is a small place not too far from me where people of all ages with heavy disabilities work, putting very simple parts together for pennies, I do all the AC for them for free for many years now, it calms me down after reading such stories.

[eggs]

While I was with one of these "victims" on Saturday, I was chatting to them and the topic of investing came up. The householders were a bloke in his 50's and his elderly mother. The son told me that he was paying for his green energy investment from a bond that was going to mature from an investment he had made in Carbon Credits. An "almost" guaranteed 17% return after 12 months.

Being a keen investor myself I asked for more details of the investment to supplement my own share holdings or just to play with in my speculation account. He very generously showed me his investment certificates totaling £15k of his mothers money, spread between two brokers. He then highly recommended that I got in touch with them as they are very good.
When I asked him how he found out about the brokers, he replied they called him on the telephone out of the blue.
Doing my own research and due diligence this afternoon, i find that both brokers are under investigation from the FSA.

I wonder if they have all bought the same tele-canvassing list of vulnerable people?? The parasites.

Eggs

[eggs]

The registered postcode **NOT ADDRESS** of one of the investment firms ????

Not exactly Canary Wharf is it?

[spimps]

I did an install for a plumbing firm and he showed me a brochure from a major boiler manufacturer also claiming two splits would heat an average 3 bedroom home,not very well I said even if you left all the doors open,stupid stuff.
He pestered me to do a couple he had sold to customers,it took me a while to get him to realise I wasn't going to do them for a multitude of reasons,took a couple of words one ending on "off" before he got the message.