I am happy to share some good news regarding door-to-door sales from the provincial government.
Starting March 1, 2018, Ontario will ban unsolicited, door-to-door sales of certain household appliances to better protect consumers from aggressive and misleading contracting at home.
Businesses will only be able to enter into a contract in the consumer’s home if the consumer has contacted the business ahead of time and invited them into their home for the purpose of entering into a contract. Contracts that are in violation of the new rules relating to door-to-door contract solicitation will be considered void, and consumers will be able to keep the goods and services with no obligations.
The new rules will apply to:
- Air cleaners
- Air conditioners
- Air purifiers
- Duct cleaning services
- Furnaces
- Water filters
- Water heaters
- Water purifiers
- Water softeners
- Water treatment devices
- Bundles of these goods and services
In addition, businesses will be required to keep a record of how contact with the consumer entering the contract was made, and all contracts signed in the home for these goods and services will also have a 10-day cooling-off period, allowing consumers to cancel the contract for any reason without penalty.
This is great news for the community as it protects residents from the potential of door-to-door sales scams that have become popular again in recent years.
For more information, please visit Ontario.ca
