DPS says fewer door-knocking complaints in Texas this year
By SSN Staff
Updated Thu July 22, 2010
AUSTIN, Texas—Last year's crackdown on proper licensing of door-to-door alarm sales is paying dividends with fewer complaints this summer, Sgt. Douglas Whitworth, head of the Texas Department of Public Safety Regulatory Licensing Division, told Security Systems News.
"This summer we've only had a couple of calls," he said. "Last summer we had multiple calls, between 30 and 50, I'd say."
Whitworth handles about a quarter of the state: the area from the west side of Fort Worth down to Louisiana. The region includes the cities of Dallas, Waco and Tyler.
"This summer we had one call from a suburb of Dallas. It wasn't a registration issue, it was someone using an aggressive selling techniques," Whitworth said. The other call, he said, was a local alarm company wondering about a summer-sales company that had come to his area.
Whitworth said that last year DPS aggressively filed cases against alarm companies who did not properly license their installers. "I think we made an impression," Whitworth said. "We want to make sure these [companies from out of state] take care of licensing before you put your people out to sell door to door."
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