Does Verisure foment fear of theft?
Talking about psychological terrorism might seem excessive but after having seen or heard the advertising of Verisure, a leading company in Italy in alarm systems, a bit of anxiety about thefts certainly arises, so much so that, according to a report carried out by Censis and the Ministry of Interiors for the aforementioned company, this is the most frightening crime. All the details
Even those who don't spend hours watching television or listening to the radio will have come across advertisements for Verisure, a company specializing in alarm systems, but what are the data on thefts in Italy?
Verisure Italia itself provided an answer in the 2nd Report of the Observatory on Home Security “The house I would like. A safe and reassuring space", created by Censis with the contribution of the Criminal Analysis Service of the Ministry of the Interior.
CITIES AND REGIONS WHERE THEFTS ARE MOST FEARED
Home burglary is the crime that scares Italians the most. This is stated by the Verisure report, which shows that the loudest alarm sounds in metropolitan areas, with Rome in first place, followed by Milan and Turin. Among the regions, Marche is the safest, while Lazio is the worst.
DATA ON THEFTS IN ITALY
According to the report, home burglary is a very widespread experience: 9 million Italians (18.7% of the total) have suffered at least one and 44.5% know neighbors and friends who have been victims of home intrusions. inside the home walls.
In 2022, a total of 135,447 residential burglaries and robberies were committed, an increase of 7.2% compared to the previous year. However, we are very far from the pre-Covid numbers and the values of the beginning of the decade. In fact, between 2013 and 2022 there was a 46.9% decrease in home thefts and robberies.
THE ALARM LAUNCHED BY BIG CITIES
The situation then varies from city to city and this type of crime is mainly concentrated in large metropolitan areas.
In first place is Rome, where 11,600 home burglaries occurred in 2022, equal to 8.7% of the national total. Followed by Milan with 9,081 thefts (6.8%) and Turin with 5,875 (4.4%). 20% of all residential burglaries committed in a year in Italy are concentrated in these three metropolitan cities.
If we consider the incidence of thefts in relation to the resident population, Bologna comes first with 35.7 crimes of this type per 10,000 residents, followed by Florence (33.7 per 10,000 inhabitants) and Venice (33.5).
REGIONAL DATA
Through the Domestic Security Index at regional level, developed by Censis for Verisure Italia, the report was able to establish which are the safest Italian regions, i.e. where the probability of becoming a victim of a crime or of being exposed to other risks is lower linked to the housing dimension, and therefore a sense of security is widespread among citizens, and the less safe ones, where the actual possibility of incurring a dangerous event inside one's home and the social alarm are higher.
In first place for the level of real and perceived domestic security is the Marche region, with an index value of 117.3 out of 100. This is followed by Friuli-Venezia Giulia (111.9) and Trentino-Alto Adige (111, 7). Lazio is in last place, with an index value of 73.8, preceded by Campania (82.4) and Puglia (89.8). Lombardy is seventeenth, with 93.3 points.
GOOD NEWS FOR VERISURE
In total, 52.8% of Italians put the fear of suffering a burglary at home at the top of their fears, with percentages reaching 58.6% among those who live in a single home or in a detached house and 57.6 % among the elderly.
Nothing better for a company like Verisure, which rides the wave with a substantial advertising campaign. With over 35 years of history, which began in Sweden, and 26,000 employees worldwide, the company operates not only in Italy but in 17 countries between Europe and Latin America.
On average, according to Verisure, customers have relied on it for over 15 years, 5 million people have chosen it as an alarm system and they acquire 1 new customer every 10 seconds. In Italy more than 280,000 customers have already relied on it.
THE INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED BY THE ANTITRUST
Last July, the Competition and Market Authority (Agcm) started an investigation against Verisure Italy Srl for alleged illicit conduct regarding the marketing of the Verisure alarm system.
“According to the Authority – we read on the website -, the promotional activity relating to the Verisure plant, carried out through various advertising channels (roadside billboards, website, television commercials), would be misleading. The company, in fact, would imply that, by signing the contract, the consumer purchases an alarm system, when instead he subscribes to an alarm service with equipment and components given only on free loan; this would entail additional costs in the event of withdrawal or redemption."
Furthermore, according to the Agcm, Verisure "would hinder the consumer in the event of withdrawal from the contract, delaying the disinstallation and dismantling operations of the alarm system and continuing to invoice the subscription fees, even after receiving the withdrawal request ”.
“Finally – concludes the Authority -, in the contractual conditions Verisure would have included the automatic authorization to begin the service during the 14-day withdrawal period (provided for by law in the case of contracts signed outside the commercial premises) and a reference unclear regarding the competent court in case of any consumer disputes with the company".
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/primo-piano/verisure-furti/ on Tue, 07 Nov 2023 06:14:45 +0000.