"Domestic Assist Ltd" - scam domestic cover company preying on elderly

fazza1970

Hi,
Just wanted to make people aware that a company masquerading as a "24/7" domestic repair company - Domestic Assist Ltd (based, allegedly, in Poole, Dorset) - are preying on the elderly and vulnerable by telephone, regardless of whether their victims are on the TPS system or have call blocking etc.
I discovered last summer that this firm had cold called my elderly father in early April 2018 and persuaded him to pay £150 a year for domestic appliance cover by direct debit.
I have power of attorney over my dad's accounts, as he can easily get confused, and I work along with some fantastic employees at his local bank branch to make sure things are in order day to day with his account (eg they blocked him from making a £2000 withdrawal one day last summer when a fencing firm persuaded him he needed perfectly good fencing replacing).
But with me being 280 miles away and Dad not being good enough with a mobile phone for us to feel comfortable taking out his landline, he is vulnerable to cold call scammers.
Lo and behold, as I say, this company - Domestic Assist - had evidently called him and he had agreed to take out appliance cover with them. This is despite us ensuring he already has full appliance cover within his home insurance policy.
When I checked his accounts and saw that they had taken a payment of £150, I called them and challenged them, pointing out he was on the TPS system and that they had committed an offence in calling him.
After a 10-minute to and fro with an utterly unapologetic, brazen guy, I made clear that if they contacted my father again and did not cancel the direct direct, I would report them to the TPS system, Trading Standards and their local police.
Yet, incredibly, I have just discovered that the same company have AGAIN contacted Dad, and he has again been persuaded to part with ANOTHER £150.
I have only just discovered this this afternoon and tried to call Domestic Assist.
But it turns out I am too late and they are only contactable in office hours.
That is despite their website - http://domesticassist.co.uk/ - boasting they are a 24/7 domestic emergency repair operation!!
If anyone has the time to look at the website, you'll see it for what it is - an absolute scam site.
A quick check shows the company was set up in December 2017 by a Matthew Scott - a 20something whose work is "telesales".
There is no "24/7 call centre", as the website suggests.
Basically, it's clearly a case of Matthew Scott setting up a bunch of call centre monkeys to fleece the vulnerable and sod it if they actually have an appliance problem beyond 5pm or at weekends (who can say if they actually send anyone out to customers at all).
The fact that they have AGAIN targeted my dad, despite me playing and threatening hell with them just 7-8 months ago, suggests to me that they are calling a staggering number of people (I assume his number has just remained on their list and they got round to him again).
I'll obviously be speaking to these shysters first thing on Monday. But I just hope not too many other people are being duped by them.

DCFC79

You can get a device that blocks calls, maybe it can be programmed to block all calls except yours for example.
Just a thought.

Is there no neighbour who could help ?

hollydays

https://www.domesticassist.co.uk

Could they be reported to the ASA for false advertising, claiming to be available 24/7

I also see they say

"Rolling contract – your contract will be automatically renewed!throughout your protection period until the required period of notice is!given."



"If your appliance cannot be repaired a replacement will be provided"


I'd screenshot that one





I think the second statement is highly unlikely and they have a lot of t& c's, pick the bones out of them if you can!


Edit- it appears someone is allegedly
stealing the account details of legal and general customers , and no doubt can also see their date of birth

marlot

fazza1970 wrote: »

...I called them and challenged them, ...I would report them to the TPS system, Trading Standards and their local police...

I doubt those threats were mcuh of a deterance!

SnowTiger

Something like this might be a good investment: https://www.amazon.co.uk/CPR-Protect-Landline-Call-Blocker/dp/B00LL9H0FM.

It claims to block all calls from numbers (including WITHHELD, etc) that are not on a trusted list. The trusted list can be updated remotely.

hollydays

But be careful discussing the above with your dad .
There are also scammers who call you to discuss blocking scammers who call you.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4835990/telephone-con

Your father could now be put on a " suckers list"

hollydays

You could discuss it with " elder abuse"
https://www.elderabuse.org.uk/helpline

I also suggest you get literature sent from these . They explain how criminals get your details
https://www.thinkjessica.com/telephone-scams/

DCFC79

SnowTiger wrote: »

Something like this might be a good investment: https://www.amazon.co.uk/CPR-Protect-Landline-Call-Blocker/dp/B00LL9H0FM.

It claims to block all calls from numbers (including WITHHELD, etc) that are not on a trusted list. The trusted list can be updated remotely.

Thanks.

That was what I was thinking of.

hollydays

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5924202/warning-domestic-assist-anyone-dealt-with-them

hollydays

Matthew David Scot( aka David scott aka Matthew scott)
YESTERDAY opened another company called

" Fixed price repairs limited"
Here's another link about him

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9857640.in-the-dock-bournemouth/



This is the director of the management company who manage the address he gives, as a correspondence address, flat 8.( a house divided into flats.)

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/woJlYJOT566wcD-NR5VjSNFzv9k/appointments

Report to Action fraud .

[Deleted User]

There’s another one doing the rounds called you protect based in littlehampton
01903924514

Domestic assist also scammed my dad too and I had to get the bank to block their direct debits