Neopost Franking Machines Malpractices

EDM number 791 in 1992-93, proposed by Nigel Griffiths on 10/11/1992.

That this House notes that the British Red Cross, the universities of Manchester and Bournemouth, Oxford City Council, Wessex Water plc and more than 120 charities, hospitals, universities, councils, housing associations, companies and businesses with franking machines have been duped by sales representatives of Neopost Limited and Neopost Finance Limited; deplores the policy of Neopost managers and directors instructing sales staff to tell customers currently on two-year leases that their franking machines were obsolete when they were not, and of deceiving them into signing six-year contracts, which have been misrepresented as the continuation of the old contract; notes that 52 page dossier of malpractice by Neopost has been presented to the DTI and to the Director General of Fair Trading; urges the Director General to investigate these cases and to review the consumer credit licences of these firms; notes however that even the loss of their consumer credit licence will not prevent them from trading; calls on the President of the Board of Trade to ensure that criminal proceedings are instigated against Neopost; calls on Neopost and Anglo Leasing to stop harassing customers who have been victims of gross misrepresentation and fraudulent practice, and to release customers from contracts obtained by such unscrupulous methods; and urges the Finance and Leasing Association to investigate this matter.

This motion has been signed by a total of 65 MPs, 3 of these signatures have been withdrawn.