Jo Stolzenberg and her father Reg, 81, who was sold a nearly $9000 massage chair despite having terminal cancer. Photo / supplied
Jo Stolzenberg and her father Reg, 81, who was sold a nearly $9000 massage chair despite having terminal cancer. Photo / supplied
An elderly man with terminal cancer was charged nearly $9000 for a massage chair by a door-to-door salesman who allegedly told him the vibrating chair "would help his pain immensely."
The man's family are furious and said the company is preying on elderly in vulnerable positions.
The salesman from GulfHarbour Healthcare visited 81-year-old Reg Stolzenberg and his wife Jean, 78 at their Matamata home in February this year.
The visit came after the company cold-called over the phone offering free in-home demonstrations of healthcare products.
Reg Stolzenberg at Waikato Hospice. Photo / supplied
Daughter Jo Stolzenberg, a Waikato nurse manager, is furious the sale was ever made and said neither of her parents were in a fit state to make any decisions.
"My father has terminal cancer which is very upsetting for our family and my mother is dealing with the fact she is going to lose her partner of more than 50 years," she said.
"I feel these companies are preying on the elderly who don't understand what they are signing up for and are on pensions so can't afford such expensive purchases."
Reg Stolzenberg is now living at Waikato Hospice but through his daughter said he was told the chair would "help with his pain immensely." He said the salesman was aware his cancer was terminal.
Jo Stolzenberg said her mother was completely unaware of the cost of the chair and called in a panic when her credit card bill came in.
"She called me and said her card must have been stolen because someone had spent nearly $9000 on it," Stolzenberg said.
"I told her she could cancel the card but then I Googled the name of the company, found the website and realised the money was for the chair."
An image of the massage chair on GH Healthcare's website
Stolzenberg contacted the company and said owner Stephen Oughton said her parents were capable of making their own decisions.
"He called me sweetheart and honey and told me I was belittling my parents by saying they couldn't make their own decisions," she claimed.
Stolzenberg said she argued on compassionate grounds and when she said she would go to media Oughton agreed to refund the money and collect the chair.
He withheld $772 for costs.
In an email the breakdown of costs were stated as a delivery fee of $300, a pick up fee of $150, process fee of $100 and credit card cancellation fee of $222.
The Commerce Commission New Zealand's Door to Door and Telemarketing Sales Act fact sheet states if a cancellation occurs all payments need to be returned to the consumer and collection is at the cost of the supplier.
The Stolzenbergs also said they were left with no paperwork which is in breach of the Act.
Enquiries by the Herald with the couple's bank of ANZ revealed no such cancellation fees exist.
A spokesperson for the bank referred the couple to a local manager to get a refund.
When contacted by the Herald, Oughton said he had acted fairly and had refunded the money for the chair, less costs, despite it being outside the five day return time.
He said he had not had a chance to speak to the salesperson, who was currently on holiday in South Africa.
When asked about the salesman's claims the chair would "help with pain immensely" Oughton said he "had no idea what was said" and said Stolzenberg didn't either "she wasn't in the room."
As well as "easing pain" the expensive massage chairs and massage beds use "Cycloidal Vibration Therapy" and the website claims use can "can improved bloodflow", "improve lymphatic drainage" and "assist bowel/bladder fungosity."
Twenty minutes sitting in the chair is "equivalent to a 5km walk" it states.
Oughton said staff at the company were fully trained and did not prey on elderly.
He said the company had "a strict policy that people over 80 years contact their son or daughter". This did not happen with the Stolzenbergs despite Reg being 81.
"We are not there to rip people off we are there to help people they spend a lot of money with us."
Oughton said he would "look into the Act" and if required would refund the rest of the money to the Stolzenbergs.
"I'll have a look at that but if that's correct I'll pay it back, sometimes we make mistakes."
Stephen Oughton was previously employed at the New Zealand branch of Niagra Healthcare which was the subject of complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority for therapeutic claims.
One, by consumer advocate Mark Hanna, was upheld in 2013.
Niagra Healthcare was also the subject of numerous news items with children of elderly parents concerned the company were targeting the vulnerable.
In 2015 a bank stepped when an elderly woman paid $13,000 for a massage chair she didn't want and couldn't afford.
There were also concerns with the use of the word "healthcare" in the names of the companies as some elderly thought they were dealing with a medical clinic.
Consumer NZ ceo Sue Chetwin said consumers had extra protection in sales made door-to-door.
