Below is section 5.2 taken from the REAL assurance code that all of our competitor are bound by. If a competitor is in breech of this code then surely we are duty bound to report them. If they are found in breech of the code then their membership of REAL and therefore MCS is withdrawn. It's unlikely to happen but it's worth a shot each time you encounter a lying salesman.
5.2 Behaviour of sales representatives
Members will be held responsible for all the actions of their employees, those individuals they contract with or who sell on their behalf. Members must make sure that all these people receive suitable training. This should cover the general standards described in section 4, and all the requirements of the Code, in particular those in sections 5, 6 and 7. Members must ensure that any-one visiting consumers' premises on their behalf must show identification. Job titles or descriptions used by sales employees, representatives and any-one acting on their behalf should not be misleading in terms of the holder's qualifications and experience.
Employees must not give false or misleading information about their company or the product, services or facilities being offered. They must not make any statement that is likely to mislead the consumer in any way. Sales employees and representatives, whether employed directly, sub-contracted or selling on the company's behalf, must not use any selling techniques designed to pressurise the consumer into making an immediate decision. These techniques are prohibited by law as well as contravening this Code. They include, but are not limited to:
staying in the consumer's premises for more than two hours except in exceptional circumstances;
offering an inflated initial price followed by a discount, or equivalent, for
signing on the day
agreeing to provide testimonials
providing customer referrals
providing performance monitoring data;
withholding price information until the end of the visit; or
claiming that there is limited availability of the energy generator .
Members are only permitted to offer any discounts of more than £200 where:
the undiscounted price quoted is a genuine price at which a significant number of retails sales of a energy generators could reasonably have been expected to have been made; and
the discounts have been specifically advertised a reasonable time beforehand on the website or in press or other media advertising.
Members must not follow up sales visits by offering further discounted prices intended to pressurise consumers into signing a contract.
Members should keep a record of the length of time they spend in the consumer's premises. This record will be required as evidence in the event of an investigation, but will not be a justification for spending more than two hours in the consumer's premises. Members' sales employees, representatives and any-one acting on their behalf must act with integrity and, in particular, they must respect the consumer's right to privacy and to bring any contact to an end if requested to do so. They must answer consumers' questions honestly and clearly.
Members must check whether a consumer is vulnerable in any way. (See section 4 above for more information on which groups of consumers may be considered vulnerable.) In such a case, they must adapt key information accordingly, and suggest that the consumer reads it with a trusted friend or relative.
Members must check in advance of a sales visit whether the consumer is vulnerable in any way. If so, they must request that the consumer arrange for a trusted friend or relative to be present. If this has not been possible, the member must re-schedule the visit at a time when a trusted friend or relative is available to be present.
