New documentary Crooks reveals abuse and manipulation of elderly people during product demonstration trips

A new documentary called Šmejdi, or Crooks, focuses on the phenomenon of so-called product demonstration excursions. On these trips, especially elderly people are often abused and manipulated into buying overpriced products. The film, which premiered in Prague on Tuesday, has already sparked a debate among lawmakers about tightening the rules and increasing the penalties for such practices. The film’s producer, Hana Třeštíková, describes what goes on these trips.

Photo: Aerofilms

“The film is about these product demonstration trips for seniors which has become a huge phenomenon in the Czech Republic. They take elderly people on buses to places where they almost lock them up and force them to buy some very expensive goods such as cooking pots or bed blankets, and many others.

“The products are three or four times more expensive than in regular shops. But the seniors have to sit at these demonstrations for hours and hours and are manipulated into buying the goods at very high prices. In the end, these elderly people, who mostly live on their pensions that are not very high, pay a lot of money for something they don’t need.”

I know that you were not the one with the camera in those venues. But how difficult was it to actually get in there and capture what was going on? These sales people are experienced crooks, as the name of your film suggests…

“It was difficult because they are very careful about who is coming to the demonstrations. They don’t want any younger people there because they think young people could understand what’s going on so they try to keep it open only for the elderly. The director of the film, Silvie Dymáková, went undercover to the events acting as a mentally challenged person, and they let her in. Getting in was an adventure every time but when she had a hidden camera with her and made hours and hours of footage.”

What methods do the sales people use to make the seniors sign buy the goods?

Hana Třeštíková, photo: archive of Hana Třeštíková

“As we understand, the methods were actually developed by intelligence services. They use all kinds of manipulation and pressure, they are aggressive; for example, they pick up the seniors and then drive them around for a long time to make them think they are far away from home although in reality, they might be close to their homes. This is to make them feel they cannot escape on their own and feel captured. That’s part of the manipulation. They also use threats like if you don’t sign the agreement you get no lunch or if you don’t buy anything you will not be allowed to get back on the bus.”

The film features interviews with some of the victims. What do they say about why they take part in these excursions?

“There are several aspects. One of them is that they feel lonely and like to get away from home to meet people. I would say that loneliness is the main factor. Some of the elderly people also seem to develop a sort of addiction to it, similar to gabling: you bet the same numbers every time but if one day you don’t bet, you could miss the win. So these people think that if they skip one trip they will miss something.

“Some of the people also go on these demonstrations just to feel important. At the beginning of the demonstration, the salespeople try to convince them that they are important and can make their own decisions of what they want to buy. That makes them feel like they are in the game again.”

There have been reports that last year, some 2,500 people sought assistance with cancelling the contracts; this year, there have already been 500 of them. But who are the actual manipulators?

'Šmejdi', photo: Aerofilms

“There are several big firms here in the Czech Republic; I don’t want to name them but I’m sure you can look them up on the web. The owner of the biggest company learnt the technique of manipulation during these product demonstrations in Germany. So it came from Germany; that’s what we know.

“As for the salespeople, I guess they are recruited in the areas where these events take place. They are offered good money, and are taught the technique. Those who are good in it then rise in the company structure.”

This phenomenon has been reported about for years now but it seems that it was only your movie that has finally prompted lawmakers and politicians – we saw that Trade and Industry Minister Martin Kuba attended your premiere – to actually start thinking about changing the law and doing something about it. How do you feel about the impact the film has had?

“We are very pleased and very surprised. We were not expecting such uproar about it. I think we just pointed to a problem that everybody knew about but were only tiptoeing around. There have been some newspaper and TV reports but no one really captured it on camera and made a documentary about it.

“We also found great partners – Czech TV which has a lot of power, and also Czech Radio and Blesk, the best selling tabloid publication in the country. All of them felt it was important to focus on the issue, and that’s what’s happened.”

You are of course not a lawyer but do you think the changes to the legislation that are now being considered - which should give more powers to the abused people – do you think they will bring an end to the notorious product demonstration excursions?

'Šmejdi', photo: Aerofilms

“I don’t think so. I think the people will find new ways of continuing their business. But I believe we can reduce the number of the companies; we can change the way the society perceives the issue. There will always be people who will be victims of manipulation but I think we can reduce their number of companies operating in this field.”

There is also another thing: we don’t just want to change the law but we also want the people to know about the problem. Some of the elderly people don’t sometimes even know that there is something wrong going on.”

And finally, are you planning to show your film abroad? It is after all about a phenomenon that might be difficult to understand for foreign audiences.

“We would definitely like to show it abroad. We have just finished English subtitles for the film, and I will start talking to film festivals about it. I’m not sure how comprehensible it would be for foreign audiences but when we showed the film at the One World film festival here in Prague, people from a Jordanian film festival were very interested and want to screen it there. So it might be interesting as a human rights film that shows that something like this is happening in central Europe in the 21st century.”