Say "No" to Door Canvassing. 'Time To Act........ Sign Our Petition' below

We have recently been in contact with 'Help The Aged' to investigate how we can promote our business to the elderly, they advised us about Norfolk Homecall. This has opened our eyes to the problems associated with contracting service's to OAP's and the disabled. I have a disabled son and have strong feelings against those who do not operate their business ethically. I am against any form of door canvassing to tout for business, whether it is a 'pay-for' service or religious group. I wonder if those concerned really understand the grief it causes to individuals. We plan to actively campaign against such practices and would like to gain support from you. Help us make it clear that door canvassing is not an ethical way to conduct business. Garden service's are becoming tarnished with many cases of over priced work with the bogus contractor insisting on pre payment.

Typical so called professional 'Door Caller' industries: Double Glazing, Power Suppliers, Telecoms, Home Improvements plus many more. Other businesses using such tactics is endless. It's time that all industries totally refrain from such marketing tactics. We have stood up and shouted enough about spam but frankly we have not adequately suppressed the act of knocking on the general publics doors and pushing unwanted goods. Come on lets give our customers the choice of contracting our services or by our products, by informing them through public notice.

Join Our Campain Click here to contact us

Please sign our online petition below

Bogus Callers
Bogus callers all have one thing in common, they want to gain entry into your home, and you are not stupid enough to let a stranger into your home are you. Bogus callers take many forms, from Gas Officials to Police Officers,tradesmen, please be aware.
Tips on dealing with them
1. We are all brought up to be polite, but you can say NO.
2. Look through a window, see if you want to open the door.
3. Always use your door chain, stay in control of your door.
4. Don't engage in polite conservation if you don't want to, remember while your talking someone could be entering your back door.
5. Even if a caller is wearing a uniform and is not expected, but has a identity card use your own phone book to check the number, both may be fake.
6. Be confident, ask them to call back later if unsure, if someone is genuine they wont mind.
7. Trust your instincts they are usually right

Say "No" to Door Canvassing by signing our petition. All you have to do is fill in this simple form and I will personally present it to as many MP's as possible. We will also present to many suitable organisations and media.

DTI factsheet on Doorstep Selling, Cold Calling

Relevant or Related Legislation:

• The Consumer Protection (Cancellation of Contracts Concluded away from Business Premises) Regulations 1987.
• The Consumer Protection (Cancellation of Contracts Concluded away from Business Premises) (Amendment) Regulations 1998.
• The Consumer Protection (Cancellation of Contracts Concluded away from Business Premises) Regulations 1998.

These are more commonly known as "The Doorstep Selling Regulations"

Current Position:

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) published a report on their Market Study of doorstep selling www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics2/doorstep.htm on 12 May 2004.

The Government considered the report’s recommendations with other Government Departments and responded on the 14th July 2004 with a public consultation www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/selling.htm#doorstep.

A Statistical Summary of the responses to the consultation was published in October 2005 and can be viewed at www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/selling.htm#doorstep. We intend to consult further on the detail of specific options before making a full response to the consultation.

Recent Campaigns or Consultation:

In July 2002, the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (NACAB) published a report on doorstep selling, titled "Door to Door", containing evidence of problems experienced by CAB clients across a range of goods and services.

NACAB submitted the report to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) as a "supercomplaint" within the terms of the Enterprise Act. In November 2002, OFT announced that they would investigate the supercomplaint. The investigation would include looking at current practices in other EU member states and a particular in-depth look at the home improvements and assistive products sectors.

In April 2003, the Trading Standards Institute (TSI) launched a report on cold calling titled "Door to door calling of property repairs maintenance and improvement - long overdue for statutory control". The report was based on a national survey launched in November 2002 during the TSI National Consumer Week. TSI's recommendations included prohibition of salesperson offering home improvements calling on householders unannounced. The TSI report provided input to OFT's investigation.

In January 2004 Andrew Robathan MP introduced a Private Members Bill - The Property Repairs (Prohibition of Cold Calling) Bill, to ban cold calling offering property maintenance and improvements. The Minister for Consumers, Gerry Sutcliffe stated that he was sympathetic to the aims of the bill. However, before considering new legislation, it was necessary to see the full OFT market study report and recommendations so that the issue of a ban can be considered in the context of consumer protection in the doorstep selling market as a whole. The Bill cannot progress further as it did not reach second reading debate on the 30th April.

Key Facts:

The Doorstep Selling Regulations give consumers:

• The right to a seven day cooling-off period during which they may cancel an agreement to buy goods or services worth more than £35 from a trader whose visit is unsolicited.

• The same right to a seven-day cooling of period where a visit by a trader follows an unsolicited doorstep or telephone approach.

The Regulations also provide that:

• Traders who fail to inform consumers in writing of their right to a cooling off period will be committing a criminal offence.

• Door-to-door sellers must provide a notice setting out cancellation rights when any agreement is made. Failure to do so makes the agreement unenforceable. This is the case whether a deposit is paid or not.

Energy Suppliers

• The Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets (OGEM) regulates the gas and electricity industries in Great Britain.

• OFGEM have a licence condition to control the sales and marketing practices of gas and electricity suppliers.

• The EnergySure scheme introduced in 2002 administers training and oversees sales staff by placing them on an approved register. A new code of practice introduced an automatic compensation of £250 for "proven forgery".

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What are my rights when purchasing goods or services at the door?
Q2. I have purchased goods or services on the door and I want to cancel my order. What can I do?
Q3. Are my rights affected if the trader did not inform me of a cooling-off period?
Q4. Are my rights affected if the goods I purchased were installed before the cooling-off period elapsed?
Q5. I have had goods I purchased installed in my home (e.g. fitted kitchen units) during the 7 day cooling-off period. Can I still cancel the contract?
Q6. Will the Government ban traders calling on householders unannounced?
Q7. What action is the Government taking in response to the Office of Fair Trading’s Market Study report on Doorstep Selling?

Q1. & Q2. What are my rights when purchasing goods or services at the door? I have purchased goods or services on the door and I want to cancel my order. What can I do?

You have the legal right to:

• a seven day cooling-off period during which to cancel an agreement more than £35, if the visit from a trader was unsolicited.

• a seven-day cooling of period if the visit by the trader followed an unsolicited call.

Q3. Are my rights affected if the trader did not inform me of a cooling-off period?

No. Traders who fail to inform consumers in writing of their right to a cooling off period are committing a criminal offence. Door-to-door traders must provide a notice setting out cancellation rights when any agreement is made. Failure to do so makes the agreement unenforceable, whether a deposit is paid or not.

Q4. Are my rights affected if the goods I purchased were installed before the cooling-off period elapsed?

Cancellation rights and the obligations on the trader still apply. But, under Section 7(2) of the 1987 Regulation, if goods are installed (e.g. a fitted kitchen) before cancellation, the consumer is under a duty to pay in accordance with the contract for the supply of goods and the provision of any services in connection with the supply of goods before cancellation.

Q5. I have had goods I purchased installed in my home (e.g. fitted kitchen units) during the 7 day cooling-off period. Can I still cancel the contract?

You may still cancel the contract but you may nevertheless by liable for the costs associated with the installation of the goods.

Q6. Will the Government ban traders calling on householders unannounced?

The Office of Fair Trading has produced a market study on Doorstep selling, which included a recommendation to consider legislation to curb cold callers offering property services. The Government welcomes the study and has launched a public consultation on possible legislative changes.

Q7. What action is the Government taking in response to the Office of Fair Trading’s Market Study report on Doorstep Selling?

The Government has responded by launching a public consultation on 14 July based on the recommendations set out in the OFT's Mark Study report. The consultation will run for 4 months and concludes on 15 November 2004. A later consultation will seek views on draft legislative proposals, taking account of stakeholders’ responses.

Further Enquiries

You should contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau (www.nacab.org.uk) who can give you legal advice about your rights under the current law. Local Trading Standards Departments (www.tradingstandards.gov.uk) are responsible for enforcing the doorstep selling legislation within the UK. You can find the address and telephone numbers of the local office of both these organisations by visiting their respective web sites shown above and then entering your local postcode. Both should also be listed in your local phone book.

Enquiries or complaints about trading practices of energy suppliers should be directed to OFGEM (www.energywatch.org.uk).

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