THE FREE DIGITAL TV service Saorview has issued a public notice advising people to be wary of door-to-door sales people misrepresenting themselves as sales agents for the service.

Saorview, which is fully owned by a subsidiary of RTÉ, said neither itself nor RTÉ had commissioned or endorsed any door-to-door sales, and had not agreed to allow its logo be used by direct sales companies.

“We are aware of a small number of people misrepresenting themselves as employees of RTÉ or Saorview,” a notice published on the service’s website read.

“Some of these people may be wearing clothing with the RTÉ or Saorview logos… these people are not employees or agents of RTÉ or Saorview.”

While other TV providers do engage in door-to-door sales, these salespersons are not permitted to display either of the two logos on their branding or vehicles.

“As with any stranger appearing on your doorstep, please exercise caution when dealing with any person offering to install a set-top-box, or suggesting you need a new aerial installation,” the notice read.

The majority of homes will already have an aerial compatible with receiving digital TV signals, though many will need to upgrade their TV sets or to purchase a set-top box to make their TVs compatible with the new generation of broadcasts.

“Our advice when choosing an aerial installer is to ask friends or neighbours for a recommendation or to choose one from one of the three recognised registration bodies on our website,” Saorview said.

The service said it will take appropriate action against anyone “misusing” either the Saorview or RTÉ brands to secure their own sales.

Saorview is officially tasked with ensuring that the Irish population is prepared for a switchover to digital TV in advance of analogue broadcasting services being discontinued.

It is expected that analogue broadcasts will be turned off in Ireland late next year, in line with the majority of other European countries.