Drinking water is a precious commodity. Regularly, municipalities across French territory find themselves deprived of drinking water for various reasons. In July 2023, this was the case for 56 municipalities in the Creuse department due to the presence of toxins, then around a hundred others throughout the country in August due to drought. More recently, 14 municipalities were affected by deprivation of drinking water in Vienne, due to heavy flooding due to bad weather, reports France 3 New Aquitaine. If recently agents rang your doorbell to offer you a drinking water subscription, be careful as it may be a scamas revealed by our colleagues atWest France.
Exorbitant drinking water subscription fees
Several fake agents belonging to fake companies offered individuals subscriptions to drinking water in Ille-et-Vilaine, reports the regional newspaper. Only, in reality, these subscriptions display exorbitant priceswith some “costs between 300 and 1,500 euros“, we can read on the site of the authority organizing the drinking water service in the Rennais Basin. These companies not mandated by the public service pretend to be intermediaries between the community and individuals, and offer abusive subscriptions.
On its way, the community reminds Internet users that the costs of access to the local public water service are between 44 and 62 euros including tax. For individuals who have doubts, it is possible to check the identity and contact details of the interlocutor of their subscription on the authority’s website, providing details of their municipality. If doubts remain, individuals are invited to contact their water supplier directly, between SPL Eau du Bassin Rennais, Veolia and Saur.
Protect yourself from drinking water scams
Last July, the organizing authority for the Rennais Basin drinking water service warned of the presence of fake agents in several municipalities. The scammers went to individuals’ homes to offer their services, then tried to break into their victims’ homes with the aim of “extort them for information or money“, we can read on the regional newspaper.
In order to protect yourself as best as possible from misleading and fraudulent direct sellers, always ask for identity papers and professional card agents who come to your home. Additionally, make sure they also wear their company’s regulatory attire. In order to guide you, the Ministry of the Economy has shared on his website several examples of “clauses prohibited or considered abusive“, after an investigation by the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF).
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