The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan has issued a warning after a series of calls and visits have been made by people asking to have their water heaters inspected, stoking their anxiety by saying things like ``it's old and in a dangerous condition,'' and forcing them to replace their water heaters with expensive ones. is calling for.
According to the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, 1,099 inquiries regarding the ``Water Heater Inspection Business Method'' were received at consumer affairs centers nationwide in the nine months from April to December last year, compared to the same period the previous year. This is approximately three times more than the previous year.
As a specific example, a man in his 80s agreed to a visit from a contractor to inspect his water heater, and was told that it was old and dangerous and needed to be replaced. When I asked the company to take another look, I was told that ``it's not time to replace it and the cost is too high.'' ▽A woman in her 60s had an unknown company come to her home and say, ``We're offering a free inspection of her gas water heater.'' We have received complaints from people who visited the building and ended up signing a contract for around 300,000 yen on the spot, saying, ``It's deteriorated and there's a risk of fire.We can give you a discount now.''
The average contract amount is approximately 450,000 yen, and more than 70% of those who contracted were in their 70s or older.
At the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, even if someone asks for an inspection over the phone or in person, they do not allow the inspection to be carried out easily, and if you want an inspection, you must contact the contracting party yourself, and even if you receive an inspection, you do not sign a contract on the spot. If you have any concerns, please contact the Consumer Hotline number 188 (Iyaya).
Itsuki Fujita of the National Consumer Affairs Center's Consultation Division 1 said, ``Up until now, most of these inspection commercial methods were related to roof construction, but as administrative sanctions have been imposed and warnings have become more widespread, they have shifted to water heaters. "First of all, it's important not to have the facility inspected by sudden phone calls or visits, and if you have any concerns, please feel free to consult 188."