Tuesday 9 November 2010

Marky's Home Improvements, but you need to be sure, to be sure

There's some dodgy door-to-door scams doing the rounds, following complaints from Manunda and Edge Hill.

It sounds like a joke, an Irish joke at that. There's been three Irishmen attempting to coerce home owners to employ them.

The three men, with Irish accents, and knocking on doors selling their services to do maintenance, including yard and cleaning work. A number of elderly women have been the targets. They're handing out fliers advertising their services. One is from "Marky's Landscaping and Home Improvements."

One resident said thee men came to the door and asked for a glass of water. Another said they climbed onto the roof.

Residents in the Cairns area are urged to be vigilant when dealing with door-to-door sales people. Some legitimate businesses use this approach however some unscrupulous operators can still act illegally to the detriment of others.

Acting Sergeant Cary Coolican at the Cairns Police said these scams involve the promotion of goods or services that are either of poor quality or not delivered at all.

"Some scams may involve you getting billed for work that you did not agree to or want," Cary Coolican said. "Residents should ask for identification from these salespersons and remember they have the right to ask them to leave their property. We also remind residents to read all the terms and conditions of an offer carefully before agreeing to it. If something sounds too good to be true, then chances are it probably is."

“If you are interested in what the door-to-door salesperson is offering, then take the time to find out more about the business and research the offer. Do not agree to any offer involving a significant amount of money. Shop around and find the best deal.”

Acting Sergeant Cary Coolican said there were a number of leaflets being circulated around Cairns, but one in particular was from Marky's Landscaping and Home Improvements.
"I’m hoping though that we can encourage all residents who receive visits from door to door sales people to be vigilant as some businesses are legitimate and use this sale tactic, whereas others can be quite unscrupulous," Cary Coolican told CairnsBlog.
  • CONTACT Office of Fair Trading on 13 13 04 or local police station.

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