another scam targeting the elderly

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

A few weeks ago, a sales guy stopped in at my Grandma's house to sell her a satellite dish.  Grandma was home alone and I feel like the guy really took advantage.  For months now there have been ads on TV telling you that you have to either buy a new tv or get the box to upgrade because TV is going all digital in 2009.  Well, Grandma already had cable but she made the mistake of mentioning that the only channel she wishes she had that she doesn't get with her cable package is the Hallmark channel.  It's not that she can't get that channel with cable, but she had to buy a bunch of other channels that she wouldn't watch, and it was going to cost extra, so she said no.  Well this guy convinces her that her TV will no longer work after next February unless she gets a satellite dish, and furthermore he tells her that he can get her the Hallmark channel.  After an hour of more of him telling her that her tv won't work with regular cable after the new year, she gave in and let him install a satellite dish.  She wanted to talk it over with her kids first, but of course the guy told her she had to make a decision that day because the offer wouldn't be good the next day or the day after... it was supposedly a one-time great offer.  It was going to cost more per month than what she already had, and when he gave her a list of channels, the one she wanted wasn't on there... he then explained she had to pay extra to get it.  After he left, Grandma couldn't get any channels, including regular old network channels, and she couldn't figure out how to change the channel.  She was so frustrated she was nearly in tears.  When Mom found out what was going on, she called the company up to come get their crap off of Grandma's property.  They told her it would cost $550 to have it removed and cancel the service, supposedly for services rendered!!!  This was on the same day only an hour after they installed it!!!!  Anyone with half a brain can tell that Grandma wasn't really understanding what was going on.  She had a stroke a few years back, and although she regained most of her abilities, the ability to make logical decisions under pressure is one she hasn't gotten back.  They had her thoroughly convinced that her TV was just going to croak next year if she didn't get their stupid dish.  They were hateful and rude with her when she tried to get them to come take it off, and stressed her out so bad that my mom and aunt were afraid she'd either have another stroke or a heart attack.  She was in tears over it.  And they ended up having to close her bank account over the whole deal because it seemed so fishy and the names of the installer and the supposed manager were not listed anywhere in the state in the phone listings.  They are charging her $550  without ever having given her anything, and told her if she doesn't pay it immediately, she'll also be responsible for the $75 or more monthly charge.  The nasty woman we spoke with on the phone told us, "Well, if she isn't capable of making her own decisions, you should post a sign on the front door saying so."      Grandma was humiliated.  If I could've gone through that phone and choked the living daylights out of that woman, I would have.  My aunt asked her how she would feel if it were her own mother, and she refused to answer.  My aunt has decided since that episode that she doesn't think Grandma should be living alone anymore (I totally disagree, as she is completely able to take care of herself and losing her autonomy would kill her.)  Grandma seems completely depressed over it, and embarrassed that she made a poor choice.  I told her not to feel so bad because one of DH's coworkers, an intelligent guy with a master's in engineering, had something very similar happen to him, and the sales guy was in his house for more than three hours trying to pressure him into buying the stupid satellite dish.  Finally, big hulking guy that he is, he had to physically make the salesman leave his house... imagine the same sort of high pressure tactics on a little old lady!   So, especially if you have older relatives that live alone, tell them not to even let these guys in the door... have them tell them that if they'd needed a satellite dish, they would've gotten one already.

[John_C]

HG   you didn't put a time line in this, nor did you mention what state your grandmother lives in.

I believe that in some states you have the option of canceling an agreement made during a door to door sales pitch.  There would be a variety of hoops to jump through and definitely a 24 to 72 hour window.  I would check the laws in the state in which your grandmother lives.

The whole things make me long for a conversation like this......

Grandmother:  I want you to leave, please.
Salesman continues sales pitch
Grandmother:  Leave now or I will consider you trespassing.
Salesman continues sales pitch
Grandmother:  Trespass after warning is a felony.
Salesman continues sales pitch
Grandmother:  I feel threatened and endangered by you. Leave or die......
one less salesman

[considerations]

Report it to the Attorney General of your state, and if you are inclined, tell the paper.  Its amazing how fast things can move sometimes.

You still may have recourse.  The press and the law....

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

We live in OK.  There are laws about scamming the elderly.  My aunt has contacted the attorney general's office already, but not sure what's happening on that front yet.  Also it all happened within a few hours... the sales guy had just left when Mom got a call from Grandma telling her that she couldn't figure out how to change channels... mom stopped in to help her and SHE couldn't change the channels either... that's when Grandma spilled the whole story to mom and we started making phone calls.  Mom and my aunt have discussed calling a local news station that has an "in your corner" segment where they go after bad businesses to get wrongs righted.  It is usually pretty effective.  There is no way they did $550 worth of anything.  My cousin went down and disconnected the satellite dish and reconnected her cable, and he boxed up their crap and sent it back to them... for $550, he should have taken a sledge hammer to it first. 

[ScottA]

I belive you have 3 days to cancel a contract. They won't cooperate but cancel it anyway and don't give them a way to bill her. If they have CC or bank info cancel it first. This is why I'll never have cable or sat service again. They are all crooks. They put alot of pressure on their sales people to meet quotas so they'll say or do anything to write a contract.

[benevolance]

Leave or die

Man that is an awesome statement if ever I heard one... I shall work it into my lexicon

If I was your grandmother I would not worry about their penalties fees and surcharges if you cancel.

Seriously what can they do to her? Nothing they have no recourse for collecting the money...Tell them to piss off enough and they will piss off. For an elderly woman that owns her own home free and clear the threat of a blemish on her credit report is meaningless....

I would seek out the salesman and have someone in the family "convince" him it is in the best interest of his health and well being to make the call to the parent company to cancel the contract.

Find out where the piece of S**t lives maybe knock on his door every night at 11 pm or 3 am until he gets the message.

I had to go knock on a banking ladies door at 3 am a few times and bother her to send the message that she could not call or harass me after I specifically told her never to call me again...I just found out where she lived... went to the payphone and called her over and over after supper until she had to get a unlisted number..

payback is a b**ch...Sometimes that is the only way people understand that they cannot bother you... you have to push back a little.

But yeah writing a letter to the local newspaper editor or calling the local television station will also solve the problem in my opinion...They do those small town investigative reports... 7 on your side type of thing

[NM_Shooter]

This breaks my heart to hear stories like this.  So many predators out there.

A guy I worked with related how some scammers fleeced his grandfather who was suffering from early alzheimers.  They told him that a big tree in his back yard was threatening a power line and it had to be removed asap or he would be liable for damages to the utility.  They charged him $75k to remove that tree.

-f-

[benevolance]

what in the name of god???

I would remove the tree with a pair of tweezers for 75k

Holy crap

there is a special place in hell for people that rip off the elderly

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Unbelievable!!  We have new neighbors across the street who just moved in a few weeks back.  They're an older couple from Canada.  He is retired, but she is still working.  Well, he left his little Lexus SUV parked in the driveway a few nights ago because like us, their garage still has a lot of boxes to unpack and go through.  Someone stole his car!  Just for the nice radio that was in it... they ditched it at a construction site an hour and a half away.  They also stole his wallet which was in the glove box, so he lost some cash.  He warned us to try to squeeze my truck in the garage if there was any way possible... I don't think a Dodge would be as attractive to thieves, but don't want to take any chances.

I feel really bad because this is generally a really quiet neighborhood, and the night before his car was stolen and the night of the theft, someone was cruising up and down the street in front of our house with one of the radios that you can feel long before you can hear it.  It woke me up, and I thought about going to check out what they were up to, because they kept going back and forth several times, and it was like 2-3 in the morning.  Also, the night before the theft, I'd just gotten the kids to bed, and was giving the baby a bath when someone knocked on the front door.  All the lights that they could have seen in the front of the house were out.  Anyway, they were basically knocking on a door at a dark house that looked like either everyone was asleep or gone somewhere.  So, by the time I got the baby out of the tub and dried off, and ran to the door, whoever it was was gone and my dog who hardly ever barks was throwing a fit.  The big girls were hollering from their room, "Who was ringing the doorbell and pounding on the door??"  Also, Dave's house was the perfect one to knock off because the street light in front of our house is the only one on the whole street that is burned out.  It is seriously dark out there at night if we don't turn on the porch light and the lights on the front of the garage.  So, I ran out and one of my other neighbors across the street was chasing his dog and another had come out to get something out of her truck, so I hollered and asked them if they'd seen someone just a minute before knocking on our door.  Neither of them had seen anything, which means that whoever it was probably took off as soon as they came out of their houses.  Just down the road a month or so ago, a woman answered a knock at her front door in broad daylight and a man waiting on her doorstep stabbed her in the face and took her money.  Just seems like crime is going way up around here!

$75 K to remove a tree???  Good grief! Robbery.  Around here, people have been stealing the copper wiring from AC units, especially commercial ones, so in the past few months, they knocked off a church, a cafe, and several other residences and businesses. 

[apaknad]

hi HT,

where do you live? and some of those things you mentioned seem like signs. i used to live in detroit and i am always on the lookout for troublemakers. live in a quiet area now in the country( Jackson,mi.) but have still had problems. almost shot a guy 15 y.a. when he broke into my house in the country. i never said a word and when he went to walk in i had a .38 pointed at his nose from 10 ft. away. if he would have had anything in his hands i would have shot him. he turned and ran. be careful, things in general will get worse.

[benevolance]

we have to get our kids off drugs

In my opinion 99% of all non domestic violence type crimes are drug related...

Anyone that would break into someone's home and risk being shot to death has to be on drugs

[muldoon]

Horrible to hear about elderly folks getting scammed. 

And you guys are right, violent crime has been escalating quite a bit.  We are having burglaries in my neighborhood and gang grafitit is popping up nearby.  I agree, be careful things are getting worse. 

As for the news bit that had me floored today, from Manitoba Canada.  seriously - just wow. 
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080731.wmanbus0731/BNStory/National/home

[benevolance]

yeah my dad called me this afternoon when it happened....Shocking

[peternap]

Horrible to hear about elderly folks getting scammed. 

And you guys are right, violent crime has been escalating quite a bit.  We are having burglaries in my neighborhood and gang grafitit is popping up nearby.  I agree, be careful things are getting worse. 

As for the news bit that had me floored today, from Manitoba Canada.  seriously - just wow. 
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080731.wmanbus0731/BNStory/National/home

Society in decline!

[Sassy]

I'm speechless...     signs of the times??? 

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

hi HT,

where do you live? and some of those things you mentioned seem like signs. i used to live in detroit and i am always on the lookout for troublemakers. live in a quiet area now in the country( Jackson,mi.) but have still had problems. almost shot a guy 15 y.a. when he broke into my house in the country. i never said a word and when he went to walk in i had a .38 pointed at his nose from 10 ft. away. if he would have had anything in his hands i would have shot him. he turned and ran. be careful, things in general will get worse.

Apaknad,
We live in Oklahoma City for the time being.  I grew up just 45 minutes east of here, and I've always thought that there was no place in the city that I wouldn't feel safe walking alone (well, maybe a few that I wouldn't walk through alone at night, but that's just good sense.)  And generally, the people here are just as good as they've always been, but it seems like there are some that are getting pretty out of hand.  For the most part, gentlemen still take their hats off in the presence of a lady, everyone says hello, and people will stop to help a complete stranger who has car trouble on the side of the road.  But Oklahoma used to be unique, and it seems like more and more it is just like the rest of Generica... a starbucks, IHOP, and McDonald's every mile or two, beginning to look just like everywhere else.  I believe the more generic the cities become, the more crime will rise because there is more anonymity in a generic city, whereas if you know all the people who work at the little mom and pop grocery stores and the local cafes, it would be harder to commit crimes against them.  Just like this neighbor's car being stolen.  To the people who took it, it was just another rich guy's Lexus sitting in front of another generic subdivision house...he wasn't their neighbor.