Following the success of the Doorstep
Selling activity in July, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), the Trading
Standards Institute (TSI), Citizens Advice and Action Fraud are working
together to empower consumers to stay safe when a trader calls. The campaign will launch jointly during TSI's National Consumer Week (12th – 19th November 2012) and the OFT's messaging will focus on invited and uninvited doorstep traders offering mobility aids and home insulation products and services, emphasising that consumers have the same rights even when they ask a salesperson to come to their home. According to latest Consumer Direct data, almost 36,000 complaints regarding invited doorstep sellers were received in 2012 with just under 8,000 complaints received for uninvited doorstep traders.
More information is available here, including downloadable materials and details of how you can order hard copy leaflets and booklets: www.oft.gov.uk/doorstepselling
The leaflet is aimed at an audience over 70 and includes signs to look out for, advice on how
to feel empowered to refuse making an instant decision, and suggested actions
on what to do next. The booklet is aimed at family, friends and carers,
advising on signs that show how a friend or relative may be at risk and the
action to take.