Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Our View: Exercise the right to just say no

Bay of Plenty Times
23 May, 2011 09:36 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Verbal contracts can be risky at the best of times but when they involve elderly people, much more care is required.
This was highlighted when the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend reported on Saturday that an 83-year-old Tauranga woman was left stressed and in tears after dealing with a telecommunications company.
Claire
Acott told this newspaper she thought she had agreed to being sent information about switching her phone line from Telecom to Compass Communications but returned home one night to find the switch had been made.
Upon hearing there had been some confusion, Compass Communications listened to the recorded verbal contract and confirmed that she clearly agreed to the switch.
To have the phone switched back was going to cost Mrs Acott $100.
The unfortunate thing here is that Age Concern Tauranga chairwoman Angela Scott says the story is not uncommon.
While Mrs Acott may have agreed to the service, companies that make cold-call sales pitches must do everything in their ability to ensure their potential customer is fully aware of what they are agreeing to - especially if they are elderly.
These companies often rely on approaching potential customers to get new business but they should show care and restraint when doing so.
Mrs Scott offers the best advice - if people haven't actually asked for the service, say no straight away.
It is common to feel pressured by salespeople striving to reach their targets but in reality, these offers are the easiest to turn away.
No one should feel obliged to stay on the line or agree to a contract with which they are not entirely comfortable.
Age Concern and other advocacy groups do a wonderful job of looking after the elderly but family and friends are also in a position to help protect the most vulnerable in our community.
Mrs Acott's case was a case of genuine mistake. But as this newspaper has published before, sinister phone scams are all too prevalent and the elderly can unfortunately make easy prey.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Driver who fled head-on crash that injured family gets home detention

Bay of Plenty Times

'Incredibly special': Student named on Y25 list for 'commitment to equity'

Premium
Letters to the Editor

Opinion: Why brachytherapy is crucial for prostate cancer treatment


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Driver who fled head-on crash that injured family gets home detention
Bay of Plenty Times

Driver who fled head-on crash that injured family gets home detention

Ute driver Stewart Wilson gets home detention after head-on crash left four injured.

17 Jul 08:34 PM
'Incredibly special': Student named on Y25 list for 'commitment to equity'
Bay of Plenty Times

'Incredibly special': Student named on Y25 list for 'commitment to equity'

17 Jul 08:01 PM
Premium
Premium
Opinion: Why brachytherapy is crucial for prostate cancer treatment
Letters to the Editor

Opinion: Why brachytherapy is crucial for prostate cancer treatment

17 Jul 04:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP