Don’t get burned when buying a fire detection system

In the old days, long before paved roads in Maine, there was the medicine man, who traveled by horse and wagon from town to town, hawking his magic in a bottle. He was clever, had a way with words, and sold lots of bottles of his potions and at a very high price. The products were useless at best and often dangerous to the health of those beguiled into buying them.

Today the horse and wagon are gone, and the Food and Drug Administration does an adequate job of protecting us from worthless or harmful products, but the smooth-talking, high-pressure sales pitch is still out there. The products cover a wide spectrum of the consumer market.

Sometimes the products are adequate – that is, they are approved by recognized and highly respected agencies – but priced way over fair market value. The high-pressure sale pitch is not unlike those time share sales, where those with an interest in these vacation units are sequestered, and then hammered mercilessly until they sign on the dotted line and part with their cash. Another one of these products is a comprehensive fire detection system for the home.

One of these high-pressure groups working inside the state of Maine organizes “fire safety presentations.” This is followed by a visit to your home to do an assessment. Later the “package deal only” estimate is provided. If you want only two smoke detectors, sorry, buy all or nothing. We have reports of a local couple who wished to purchase only two smoke detectors and ended up paying more than $1,200 for the package deal. Was the product worthless? No, but the price was very high and the true value was many hundreds of dollars lower.

Sometimes these “packages” include items of questionable value. Case in point: At many baseball stadiums the souvenir shop carries miniature wooden baseball bats with the team’s name on them. They look like an overgrown drummer’s stick.

Some questionable fire safety vendors add these or similar items to a package and call them Firebats, fire escape tools, or some other gimmicky name. These items are to be kept under your pillow at night or near the bed or window. When fire breaks out, these miniature Barry Bonds Specials are meant to be used to break out bedroom window glass to allow one to escape.

The only thing not miniature about these items is the price. Bangor Fire Department fire safety educator Jason Johnson says that according to state and local building codes, bedroom windows should be able to be opened easily. Why break out something that can be opened? That is equivalent to breaking out your car window when your keys are in your pocket.

Consumers at all ages can be susceptible to buying into these overpriced fire protection systems. If you don’t buy these systems, you are often portrayed as being less than a caring soul and you are clearly not interested in the safety of your loved ones. Therefore, sign up now. Seniors and people with disabilities are very vulnerable to these high-pressure tactics.

Try never to buy anything under pressure, especially something that is higher priced than you are able to afford. Seek out other reference sources, including calling your local fire department (on the nonemergency line). Many times they can offer helpful advice about the products you might need, do a fire assessment of your home at no cost, and give a rough estimate about what such a system might cost. If you think you are being bamboozled by a flimflam artist, do not buy before Googling the company’s name online to see how others view the firm. Many times what you read as a result will clearly solidify your suspicions and help you avoid getting fleeced.

Fire safety is serious business for the welfare of your family and community. Don’t get huckstered into buying an overpriced system of average or marginal protection. Shop around. Ask around. If you choose to purchase from the medicine man, it is your choice. However, we strongly recommend keeping both eyes open and your mouth shut.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast CONTACT, Maine’s membership-funded nonprofit consumer organization. Individual membership costs $25; business rates start at $125 (0-10 employees). For help and information write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.