Deb Thurgood
Another word of warning this week, this time around mail order items.
You will have seen the glossy catalogues that arrive in the mail sometimes. Mail order companies often try to lure us in with the promise of big prizes or a free gift with a purchase. If you read the fine print, the chances of achieving the prize are often small or the territory over which the prize is being offered is international.
It is indeed important to read the fine print. One company’s FAQ, states that as a “prize winner”, you actually need to place a new order with them to claim the prize they say you have already won. In such situations, prizes are more a marketing ploy to gain attention and solicit more business. They could be running more than one campaign at once and even sending you multiple brochures. Be wary to whom you give your money – is the item really a good value buy and the company reputable? Do your research by checking independent reviews online as that will give you an idea of any potential issues.
Related to this, it can often be hard to get off an advertising mailing list once you have been put on it. Contact the mail-order companies direct and keep a record of making any request to be removed. The NZ Marketing Association also has a do not phone, do not mail list accessed by reputable marketing companies. You can add your details Click here to reduce your exposure.
In other news, we continue to see pan-Waikato dishonesty offending in town. There has been an increase in thefts from shops and it is clear that if offenders succeed at one store, they will go on to steal from others in town. A recent high value theft from a local shop turned out to involve the same offenders responsible for two earlier equally high value thefts in Hamilton. If we can catch them in our town, we not only stop their spree continuing locally, but also across the whole district. My goal is for Cambridge to be seen as too hard for these regional thieves to target, so let’s hold them to account.
If you are in a store and see someone concealing items, make sure to let a staff member know as soon as possible and have them call 111 at the time. Ideally get details of any vehicle the suspects get into, including a registration and description, and watch where the go. Any direction of travel is helpful in directing police patrols. CCTV instore and at the shop frontage is essential these days. Good CCTV footage is invaluable from an evidential perspective and again, provides a level of deterrence.
I’ll be organising a Retail Crime Prevention hui soon. Have a great week! Deb
