Maintaining good sales conduct
It's very important to us that our sales team operates professionally, ethically and with our customer's best interests at heart.
We continue to monitor, mentor and train our sales team to ensure that they give the best advice to you and your family. This quality sales advice and our industry leading monitored alarm systems are the reason we provide our service to more than 11,000 customers nationally.
We take very seriously any claim that highlights a deviation from our strict code of conduct and where sales advisors may be misleading customers. Monitored alarms systems bring great benefit to all; particularly the vulnerable, and we have a responsibility to provide a professional sales experience that is free of pressure.
The Direct Response Approach
As part of our training we insist that our sales advisors agree to, and sign, a number of documents that form our "Code of Conduct".
This has been built on years of good sales practice and with your help addresses commonly raised questions and concerns where poor sales advice may have been given.
We take very seriously any complaints that highlight a deviation from our strict code of conduct and where sales advisors may be misleading customers. Monitored alarms systems bring great benefit to all; particularly the vulnerable, and we have a responsibility to provide a professional sales experience that is free of pressure.
In the event that the code of conduct is breached we act swiftly to remove the offending advisor from our service.
We are proud to have developed a knowledgeable sales team who adhere to our code of "no pressure selling". We provide information pertaining to our sales advisors background and experience on our website, therefore before or after a visit, our customers are able to read about the advisor who will be visiting them.
Thank you Watchdog
Media scrutiny is essential to help consumers make informed decisions on the purchase of all services.
In 2010 one of our field sales advisors was audited by the BBC’s Watchdog programme and whilst our processes for ethical sales practice were in operation, when put to the test, the advisor in question harmed the reputation of our company by reverting to inappropriate sales techniques. As soon as it was brought to our attention by the Watchdog media team, we carried out our own internal investigation that resulted in the sales advisor being suspended, whilst we waited for Watchdog to share the evidence with us.
Unfortunately we had to wait with the rest of the country to see the footage on the Watchdog programme. Once we had seen this evidence, it was clear that the sales advisor had broken our code of conduct and harmed our reputation. We immediately dismissed the salesperson in question, as was documented at the time.
Don't wait for Watchdog
We urge anybody who has concerns about the approach of our sales advisors to contact our customer liaison managers immediately to help identify and stop inappropriate sales practices. It is vitally important that our entire team of sales advisors adhere in full to our programme of ethical sales practise.
How to contact our Customer Liaison Managers
Monitored Alarm Installation Incentives
There has some been criticism and confusion around Direct Response Security’s incentives, such as the installation of an alarm system at a nominal cost when a monitoring contract is agreed to for a number of years.
Most of the time this is a simple misunderstanding between the customer and our telemarketing team, with the confusion being that the whole alarm and the monitoring of it is free of charge.
While we naturally try to ensure the initial financial outlay is not a barrier to installation, our significant investment in technology and operating cost means there must always be a maintenance charge on the system.
For those customers who are serious about their peace of mind and who may be eligible for these incentives, we clarify all points thoroughly when sitting with our customers during the meeting.
We are happy to communicate out our incentives and ongoing costs in this simple guide to the cost of installing and maintaining a Direct Response Monitored Alarm system.
Customer Liaison Managers
If you ever feel that we have been misrepresented by one of our security advisors or that our offers are not being sold correctly, please get in touch with our specially appointed Customer Liaison Managers who are ready to talk about any questions or complaints youy may have.
Customer Liaison Managers also keep in touch with both the Police and Trading standards to ensure that they are aware of who we are, what we are doing and to continue the strong relationships we have built over many years.
More about Customer Liaison Managers
Beware Imposters
While the BBC's Watchdog programme in 2010 highlighted one of our teams misconduct and has affected our reputation as a result, we are pleased that this has raised awareness and will hopefully enable customers to distinguish between our business and less ethical companies, who offer what they describe as a 'Direct Response System' when telemarketing to potential clients, when in fact they are actually calling from another company. Again we urge you to raise complaints with us so we can identify whether it was indeed ourselves, or a ‘hard-sell’ competitor that has contacted you.
