Sucked In

The firm spent about two hours in his home telling him how it was filled with dust mites which could cause lung cancer, blood poisoning and breathing difficulties.

The 80-year-old, who suffers from spinal problems, was sucked in by the salesman's patter and parted with part of his life-savings to pay for the machine. Since buying the machine, which is too heavy for him to use, he has written to the Brighton-based company to get his money back.

He has also sought advice from a solicitor and the Citizens Advice Bureau, but he is still waiting for the refund.

Mr Coombes, who is 80, is not alone.

The Argus has contacted several elderly people who have been subjected to a two-hour long sales patter in their homes by Global Air Systems's salesmen in a bid to make them part with their savings.

Mr Coombes' first contact with the firm came when a woman telephoned him asking if he needed help in his home.

When he said yes, a salesman visited his home and spent about two hours demonstrating the Filter Queen vacuum cleaner.

Mr Coombes said: "After buying it I realised had been foolish and had got carried away with the demonstration.

"You see I couldn't manage it. I have spinal trouble and my knees had just been operated on, so I cancelled within five days by writing to them using recorded delivery. I didn't hear anything so I wrote again and went to my solicitor. He sent a letter and nothing happened."

Harold Knight, 80, handed salesman David Blick £1,499 after being given a demonstration of the machine and then driven to his building society to get the money.

The company was taken to court by East Sussex County Council's Trading Standards on May 23 and fined £2,000 for not telling the 80-year-old of his right to cancel within seven days.

It was also ordered to pay back the cash to Mr Knight. He is still waiting for his money. Mr Knight was also telephoned by the firm, this time on the pretext of "market research" last September.

He was asked if a salesman could call at his home in Longridge Avenue, Saltdean, to give a display of a "household product".

Mr Knight said: "It lasted more than two hours. He asked if I would be paying by cheque or installments. I said I did not have a cheque book, just a building society account.

"He drove me to the building society in Peacehaven and I obtained a cheque for £1,499, was given no receipt and nothing was signed either by myself or Mr Blick."

After Blick left the demonstration model at the pensioner's home, promising to return with a new one, Mr Knight changed his mind.

Global Air Systems shares the same offices as Crystal Air Systems, which also sold Filter Queen products.

The Argus revealed in 1998 how Crystal Air Systems sold vacuum cleaners to pensioners for hundreds of pounds and even told an 80-year-old cancer sufferer she could leave the machine to relatives in her will.

Our investigation into the firm's high-pressure sales tactics prompted Brighton Pavilion MP David Lepper to write to Dr Kim Howells, Minister for Consumer Affairs, calling for sales legislation to be toughened up to protect the public.

In March last year, the Department of Trade and Industry introduced new laws meaning people who agree to a visit by salesmen and buy goods have a right to cancel in seven days. The seller must also give information in writing about the right to pull out or face a fine of up to £2,500.

It was Blick's failure to comply with this part of the law which resulted in his appearance before Lewes Magistrates yesterday.

The 19-year-old was given a conditional discharge for his part in the sale where his solicitor, Rodney Warren, told magistrates Blick, of Seaford, was as much a victim of the company's "totally unscrupulous" sales techniques as the pensioner.

Mr Warren added that the incident was Blick's first sale and he left the firm soon after because he was "very, very unhappy" with the firm's techniques.

Mr Warren showed the court a copy of Blick's contract which read: "In the event of prosecution arising from contracts entered into by the company, the Demonstrator Blick shall in no way be deemed liable".

He said: "This is, of course, a nonsense in law. It is amazing a company can exist and contemplate a prosecution and write it into a contract."

Mr Lepper is now so concerned about the firm's practices he is considering writing to Dr Howells again to see if legislation needs further tightening.

He said: "I am pleased that since the Argus investigation the law has been changed.

"But it seems we need to ensure that where people exercise their right to change their minds, there is some sanction on the company to promptly return any money."

Mr Lepper said he would be seeking a meeting with Robin Lusted, managing director of Global Air Systems.

Mr Lusted, who lives at Avis Close, Newhaven, told the Argus in January he employed none of the other firm's staff.

But he didn't mention how he himself worked for the firm and was the subject of a police disciplinary investigation for his part in the sale of a vacuum cleaner to an elderly woman.

Lusted, who was a special constable based at Newhaven while working for Crystal Air Systems, was facing possible police disciplinary action for the sale. The investigation halted when he left the force.

It is now unclear if Global Air Systems is still trading but insiders at the firm say Lusted is running a similar business under a different company name.

Despite Mr Lusted's claims that Global Air had nothing to do with Crystal Air, since it was incorporated last August, it has had no qualms about adopting its controversial sales techniques as Leslie Bampton, 75, discovered.

The pensioner, who lives in Cornfield Road, Seaford, paid £1,200 for a vacuum cleaner.

He said: "They knocked at the door and asked if they could show me how the appliance worked and like a fool I said yes.

"They were in here for easily an hour and they roped me into buying it."

When they left, Mr Bampton decided he did not want the machine and cancelled part of his payment, a post-dated cheque.

But he said: "I have called trading standards and asked them to help, but I'm still waiting for my money."