The case in summary: • Jostein Vist had to terminate over 30 subscriptions to various nutritional supplements for his father, who suffered from dementia. He believes that salespeople take advantage of people with dementia.• The father of enjoyed talking to salespeople and agreed to everything without understanding the consequences. This resulted in close to 30 subscriptions to natural preparations and magazines. • Astrid Saudland, dementia adviser in Arendal municipality, confirms that many relatives tell similar stories. She believes that some sellers are taking advantage of the situation for profit.• Coitio, a company that deals in direct sales, confirms that they have received inquiries from relatives who want to terminate sales agreements. They have clear routines in such cases.• The main organization Virke emphasizes that there must be good routines to avoid errors and that a written agreement with customers is required.• The Consumer Council confirms that they also receive inquiries from relatives who suspect that sellers have taken advantage of their family member’s illness . They emphasize that agreements entered into under the influence of dementia are invalid. – There were more and more debt collection claims. Eventually we found, among other things, nutritional supplements intended for joints, bad stomach and vitamins hidden in dad’s cupboard. Jostein Vist shows news a memorial album of his father, with the same name. He died last year. The son says that the father did not understand where everything came from. The father became fed up and frustrated by the situation. Sellers continued to contact the demented father of Jostein Vist, even after he had canceled the sale from them. Photo: Magnus Brenna-Lund / news The son describes his father as a friendly person who liked to chat with people. – He thinks it was great to talk to sellers who called. He was a “dream customer”. He agreed to everything without understanding the consequences. There were close to 30 subscriptions to natural preparations and magazines. A mess for the family to clean up. An invasion of the home, says Vist. Good advice to avoid unnecessary purchases can be found a little further down in the matter. Photo by Jostein Shown on the piano. He suffered from dementia and had agreed to over 30 subscriptions to various products before he died. Photo: Magnus Brenna-Lund / news – The worst part was that some sellers continued to contact Dad even after we had finally finished the sale. They wanted to give him an extra good offer since he was such a good customer, says Vist. All the inquiries from sellers meant that the family eventually had to consider whether he could have a telephone and e-mail. Vist believes that the ongoing sale reduced the father’s quality of life during the last time he was alive. – Driven by profit Astrid Saudland has extensive experience as a dementia adviser in Arendal municipality. When news meets her, she is busy training volunteers from the city’s own dementia choir. She meets many relatives who tell similar stories about their elderly. – We keep hearing about cases where things get really out of hand. There may be many purchases and debt collection notices. Saudland explains that dementia at one point or another makes it difficult to make choices. – It weakens the ability to assess financial issues. And often you don’t remember what you bought or ordered in the previous round. She also believes that some sellers are taking advantage of the situation. – They are driven by profit and have a desire to get good numbers. Saudland believes that sellers must have a reflective attitude about selling to vulnerable people. Otherwise, it’s easy to make mistakes. news has also had contact with dementia advisers in other municipalities who also confirm the problem. – Zero tolerance for dishonest sales news has contacted a number of companies that engage in direct sales. Only one company has responded to our questions. Coitio operates in several Norwegian cities. news is not aware of any complaints against this company. Tristan Dupré in Coitio says they have zero tolerance for dishonest sales, but confirms that they have received inquiries from relatives who want to cancel sales. Photo: Privat But sales director and partner in the company, Tristan Dupré, confirms that they have received inquiries from relatives who want to terminate sales agreements. He emphasizes that they have clear routines in such matters. – When we are in contact with pensioners, we suggest that we have a chat with the customer in which relatives also participate. Then more people can assess whether the product is suitable for this customer. He says this is done for the customer’s good, but also for his own. – No one, not even the industry, benefits from canceled sales and getting bad vibes towards customers. We have zero tolerance for dishonest sales with us. Good advice for relatives to avoid unnecessary purchases: Reserve the person in question against telephone sales. This can easily be done by contacting the Brønnøysund registers. Create a future power of attorney. It gives relatives the right to assist when necessary. Obtain a doctor’s certificate documenting dementia. It makes it easier to cancel unwanted sales etc. Follow up with the person who has dementia. Look through emails and messages together with the person. Do not log in without the person being aware of this. – Can’t disable Jostein Vist says that it has been extra demanding to clean up all the orders his father made. – He had messed up the username and password. It was a long and complicated process to finalize all the agreements, he says. Dementia counselor Astrid Saudland says it can be difficult for relatives to sort things out. The dementia coordinator in Arendal recommends that companies involved in sales be flexible when relatives make contact. Photo: Erik Wiig Andersen / news There are also legal restrictions on what the family can do. – It is rare for people with dementia to be disenfranchised. It’s also not good to log into someone else’s bank without consent to this, she says. She encourages companies involved in sales to be flexible when next of kin make contact. – I recommend relatives to help their relatives to reserve against telephone sales at the Brønnøysund registers. In addition, she recommends obtaining a doctor’s certificate documenting the illness. Jostein Vist looks at the memory book about his father. He wants to tell his story to bring about a change. Photo: Magnus Brenna-Lund / news – Requires a written agreement The main organization Virke has a number of members among companies involved in sales. The industry director there, Stein Johnsen, says he does not want to comment on individual cases. He emphasizes that there must be good routines to avoid mistakes. Industry director for Service in Virke, Stein Johnsen, says call centers that are members of him require, among other things, a written agreement with customers to prevent misunderstandings. Photo: Nicolai Strøm – The vast majority of our members are covered by our approval scheme for call centres. To be approved, the company must follow our industry standard. He says that this arrangement requires, among other things, a written agreement with the customers. – This is so that any misunderstandings are caught immediately, says Johnsen. – Very seriously, the Consumer Council confirms that they also receive inquiries from relatives who suspect that sellers have taken advantage of the family member’s illness. – It is of course very serious. And if the agreements entered into are affected by dementia, these will be invalid. They do not bind the consumer at all. That is according to Thomas Iversen, senior legal adviser at the Norwegian Consumer Council. Sales agreements entered into with demented persons can be considered invalid, believes Thomas Iversen of the Consumer Council. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news He emphasizes that this is thoroughly rooted in the case law of the Supreme Court. But even if the judiciary is on the patient’s side, it can be difficult for relatives to deal with this because they do not have powers of attorney. – It is very smart to think through such problems before they arise. Then you can make a power of attorney for the future which gives the next of kin the right to assist when necessary. Jostein Vist does not want to name individual companies or single out sellers. But the goal of telling one’s story is to bring about a change. – The aging population will only intensify this problem further. I think telemarketing should be banned, because we simply don’t need it. Evidently, the elderly wave will only make the problem of sales to the elderly even worse. He believes a ban on telephone sales is the best thing. Photo: Magnus Brenna-Lund / news Published 26.11.2024, at 05.59
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Relatives despair – father with dementia humiliated by sellers – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
