It’s a brave man that vacuums his cat. Image from Pookles Cat.

Gosh, it’s all been bad news and warnings this week – I hate bringing you folks bad news, but sadly I have to again now as I’ve been contacted by a reader who’s rightly very worried about a cold-calling scam involving bogus ‘engineers’ offering discount servicing for your Dyson vacuum cleaner.

I hadn’t heard of this before, but having now done some research,it seems worryingly common. Which? have an article about the problem here, and Dyson themselves reassure customers here.

Reader Gina wrote:

Dear Bob,

I though I would let you know about a scam that is happening at the moment in the local area. On Tuesday night I was cold called by a man who said he was from Dyson saying that their engineers would be in Brownhills on Thursday and would be able to service your vacuum cleaner for £14.99 instead of the usual price of £40.00.

I thought this was good so I have booked a slot for this morning. I was told by the man called Connor that one of three engineers called either Gary, Thomas or Daniel will call and will have identification with them.

After thinking about it yesterday I felt uneasy and contacted Dyson direct who said under no circumstances do they cold call customers and there are none of their engineers in Brownhills or the surrounding area on Thursday or any other day and the identification these men have is fake.

Please ask people to be careful as I have arranged for these people to go to my Moms this morning between 9.00 and 12.00 and I and quite worried.

Best wishes
Gina

How worrying – I’m sorry to hear about this, and that you very much for the tipoff. I am, of course, happy to share this with readers of the blog.

Dyson say they won’t ever cold call customers offering them anything, as one would expect from such a respectable, well known bard. They ask that victims of this practice or those who have been called contact Dyson themselves and let them have details, as this helps them take action – you can call them on0800 298 0298.

Here’s what they say on the matter:

Genuine Dyson engineers are on hand to support you

Dyson engineers clock up over three million miles a year visiting homes and workplaces to carry out service and repair work. They drive Dyson vans, wear a Dyson uniform and carry a Dyson ID. Call or email us if your Dyson vacuum is not functioning properly. A Dyson engineer will only visit you if you’ve pre-arranged a visit through our contact centre.

We don’t ask anyone else to call you on our behalf

If someone calls you to talk about your Dyson vacuum, check that they’re from Dyson. Unauthorised companies are cold-calling UK households – offering to carry out service or repair work. Because we are the UK’s best-selling vacuum manufacturer, there’s a one in three chance they will speak to a Dyson owner.

Unscrupulous sales tactics

Some unscrupulous businesses are making speculative calls offering cheap services. They offer to service Dyson vacuums for sums as little as £20. However, customers have told us that these visits actually end up costing them up to £150. Poor workmanship carried out by these engineers can also invalidate your guarantee. They regularly use fake parts that don’t function properly and can cause damage that won’t be covered by your guarantee. There are even examples where the visitor has sabotaged Dyson vacuums in order to sell new machines.

Dealing with bogus engineers

If you think you have been contacted by a bogus engineer, or would like some help or advice, please email askdyson or call a Dyson expert free on 0800 298 0298 (open from 8.00am to 8.00pm Monday – Friday, and 8.00am to 6.00pm Saturday and Sunday). The information we gather helps us build legal cases against companies employing misleading or fraudulent business practices. We also work with Trading Standards to stop companies operating illegally.

It’s good practice never to buy at the door or from any kind of cold call – please advise your friends and any elderly or vulnerable relatives about this. You can always call West Midlands Police on 101, or Trading Standards at Walsall Council on 03454 04 05 06.

Thanks to Gina for the heads – reader information like this is vital and very much appreciated.