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Oconomowoc man pestered by contract he signed in a door-to-door sale
Oconomowoc man pestered by contract he signed in a door-to-door sale
OCONOMOWOC — He wanted to get rid of bugs around his house, but what pestered him most was the fine print of his contract with the pest control company.
Carl in Oconomowoc would rather kill his own mosquitoes than rely on the Hawx Services pest control company.
In June, Carl said a salesman for the company showed up at his home and said he could help with mosquitoes and other bugs around the property.
"So I said, 'Fine. Sounds good,'" Carl said. "I trusted him."
But when Hawx didn't show up in July for a scheduled appointment, and showed up in August instead, Carl wanted to cancel the service.
"I said, 'No. You guys didn't show up when you were supposed to,'" said Carl. "I said, 'You basically broke your contract, and didn't service the house like you were supposed to.'"
That's when Carl learned he'd signed a one-year contract with Hawx Services. Carl insisted he was not told about the contract length when he signed his name on the screen of a handheld device.
"It was such small print," said Carl. "It was nighttime. It was dark. It was like 8:30 at night."
He was charged a $240 cancellation fee.
"It is the worst customer service I have ever received in my life," Carl said.
Contact 6 has received four complaints about Hawx Services this year. After Contact 6 reached out, the Utah-based company said it would address all four. The company refunded Carl's cancellation fee.
The company sent Contact 6 the following statement:
Jim Temmer of the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau advised caution in any business transaction you don't initiate.
"Before you sign the contract, do your homework," said Temmer. "Don't do it afterwards. Ask them for a written contract. Get their contact information. Say you'll think about it for a few days, and you'll get back to em. If they're legitimate, they'll have no problem with that whatsoever."
The BBB received 330 complaints against Hawx in three years, but said the company has been responsive. Wisconsin Consumer Protection has nine complaints about the company.
It's important to remember that in Wisconsin, you have a three-day right to cancel any purchased you make from a door-to-door salesman. The three-day right to cancel also applies to sales made by phone or email, in a hotel room, or at fairs or trade shows -- if the purchase is more than $25. The customer can file a notice to cancel in person or by mail.