'Winnipeg Health' call led to vacuum sales pitch, says woman

Winnipeg Health Systems, a company accused of using health surveys toentice people into buying expensive vacuum cleaners, is facing new complaints about its sales tactics.

This time, a woman in Brandon, Man., says she thought she was taking part in a health survey, only to get a visitfrom a salesperson who sold her a high-priced vacuum cleaner she didn't really want.

Furthermore, Tilda Mutuaclaims she was led to believe she was applying for a job to help pay the bill, but then she later learned she had actually signed a credit form.

Earlier this year, CBC News reported that Winnipeg Health Services was phoning people using the call-display name "Winnipeg Health"and offering them a chance to win travel vouchers if they took part in a health-related survey.

After the survey was completed, sales representatives went to the individuals' homes to drop off the travel vouchers and try to sell them air purifiers and vacuum cleaners for upwards of thousands of dollars.

• Winnipeggers get vacuum sales pitch after doing health survey

Mutua said Winnipeg Health Systems called her last month to conduct a health survey.

"I was thinking that it has something to do with, like, Manitoba Health," she told CBC News, adding that the company name gave her a false sense of comfort.

Salesperson shows up

Mutua said arepresentative later showed up at her door to say she had won a voucher.

"Then they start pulling out an air cleaner system out of their bag, and then after that they were going to pull out a vacuum cleaner," she said.

In addition to purchasing a vacuum from the salesperson, Mutua said she signed what she thought was a contract for a job to help pay off the bill.

However, she said that form turned out to be a credit application.

Mutua said she had to track down the salespeople to get her contract back, along with her old vacuum cleaner.

Company president Jack Sullivan told CBC News it does offer programs in which customers can work off the amounts they owe on products, but he declined to elaborate further.

Sullivan said while he had not heard of the incident involving Mutua, he believes the story is "grossly exaggerated."

The federal Competition Bureau would not say whether Winnipeg Health Systems is or has been under investigation.

A spokesperson said if anyone believes the company has engaged in anti-competitive practices, including misleading representations, they should contact the bureau.

In January, the Better Business Bureau said it had received several calls about Winnipeg Health Systems.