Dunedin has become New Zealand's latest target area for pushy door-to-door salesmen, Consumer NZ says.
An 83-year-old Mosgiel widow was targeted on Monday by a vacuum cleaner salesman believed to be from the same company that targeted others in the city earlier this month, Consumer NZ adviser Maggie Edwards said.
The woman had to get her neighbour to remove the salesman from the house after her attempts failed.
The neighbour had to ask the salesman to leave at least three times, Ms Edwards said.
"It's been going on for a while now and we are getting quite concerned,'' she said.
"They won't leave.''
The elderly and vulnerable were routinely targeted by the salesmen, who conducted a phone survey before calling back and offering a prize, to be delivered in person, Ms Edwards said.
They took the acceptance of a prize as an invitation to enter someone's home, she said.
The phone call was legal but using it to justify entering a person's home to try to sell a product was not, she said.
Police were notified, she said.
Previously, Lower Hutt, Tauranga and Hamilton had all been targets of door-to-door sales companies and Ms Edwards believed a company had recently been set up in the area, accounting for a surge in complaints.
Age Concern Otago executive officer Susan Davidson said it was aware of a company targeting people in Dunedin and considered it a "form of [elder] abuse''.
Ms Davidson recalled one instance where an elderly person spent "many thousands'' of dollars they did not actually want to spend.
"I wouldn't be shy about calling police.''
Police gave advice yesterday on how to handle the salesmen.
"Should anyone feel pressured to buy from door-to-door salespeople, we remind the public that they should never be in a position where they are forced to buy.
"Furthermore, the public should be reassured that door-to-door salespeople have no right to be on householders' property if they don't want the salespeople to be there.''
