Watchdog warns of pushy sales of home batteries and heat pumps
Dutch watchdog ACM warns of pressure selling of home batteries and heat pumps by phone and at the door. Here is how sellers work and what you can do.
Dutch consumer watchdog ACM and 4 consumer and advice organisations are warning people about unreliable sellers of home batteries, heat pumps and energy-saving advice. They report a growing number of complaints.
The joint warning started on 2 November, at the beginning of Climate Week, with a campaign called “Stop het gesprek. Start je eigen check.” That means: stop the conversation, start your own check. ACM’s partners are the Consumentenbond, Fraudehelpdesk, Juridisch Loket and Vereniging Eigen Huis.
The warning is about unreliable sellers, not every installer or offer.
How sellers apply pressure
ACM says these sellers first come across as friendly and expert. They may claim to know your energy use, or to work with your energy supplier or municipality.
Then the pressure starts. A battery would pay for itself quickly, a subsidy is about to end, or a discount only applies today. Sellers may leave out important information, or suggest that a signature or deposit is only needed to arrange advice.
Home batteries can cost more than €20,000, and sometimes up to €50,000. ACM says promised products or services are sometimes not delivered, and people report difficulty getting a deposit back after cancelling.
How common the sales approaches are
In an ACM survey of more than 1,800 respondents, nearly half said they had been approached by phone or at the door to buy one of these products. By product, 33% were approached about solar panels, 30% about home batteries, 29% about energy-saving advice and 18% about heat pumps.
These figures measure sales approaches. They do not show how many people were misled or lost money.
What ACM advises
ACM’s consumer page tells people to hang up on unsolicited calls. You also do not have to open the door, and you can close it if you are not interested.
Do not sign, click or pay under pressure, because a signature may already commit you to a contract. If a seller says they work for your energy supplier or municipality, look up that organisation’s number on its official website and call it yourself. Do not use a number or link from the seller.
For independent advice, many municipalities have an energy desk or volunteer energy coaches, often free of charge.
If you have already agreed
If you bought at the door or by phone, you often have 14 days to undo the agreement, ACM says. An agreement can sometimes be annulled if you were misled or pressured.
Juridisch Loket offers free legal advice to people on a low income with little savings, and Vereniging Eigen Huis has a complaints point that is also open to non-members. ACM also wants to hear about unsolicited calls and pressured sales, even if you bought nothing. If you think you have been scammed, you can report it to the Fraudehelpdesk.
