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STEPPING UP SAFEGUARD ON VISITING SALESPEOPLE

PROTECTION: The new measures will safeguard customers

Wednesday October 1,2008

By Holly Thomas

VICTIMS of pressure-selling techniques will have extra protection from today with a package of new measures from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

Any customer who buys from a salesperson visiting them in their own home will now have seven days to cancel the agreement.

The law has always provided a one-week cooling off period when buying from people whose visit has not been sought by a homeowner.

However, the new rules mean that, provided the transaction is for more than £35, consumers now have seven days to cancel any agreement they enter into, whether they initiated the visit or not.

The Doorstep Selling Regulations cover all salespeople who visit homes to sell any goods or services, such as conservatories, double glazing, orthopaedic furniture and utility contracts.

The OFT claims the most vulnerable consumers are in eastern England, the Midlands, Scotland and Wales, where
doorstep-selling is most common.

Last year, the OFT’s Consumer Direct helpline received more than 50,000 complaints about goods and services bought from visiting salespeople.

The top complaints were about home maintenance and improvements services, glazing products and installations, and gardening products and services.

Colin Brown at the OFT said: “These new regulations will mean the law is a lot clearer for consumers.

"People buying goods in their own home now have a safety net of seven days in which to change their mind — regardless of who arranged the visit.”

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