Thankfully, we as a company already comply with this regulation, and our customers have always had the right to cancel within a seven day period, but here is a report from Reuters about this issue.
LONDON (Reuters) – Consumer watchdog the Office of Fair Trading has launched a campaign to make householders aware they now have more rights when buying goods at home.
They have always had seven days to change their mind after signing a contract but now that “cooling off” period also applies even if they have asked a salesman to call — and as long as the goods involved are worth more than 35 pounds.
Last year, the OFT received more than 50,000 complaints from people who had bought goods at the door, with double-glazing products one of the main problems.
An OFT study discovered 94 percent of consumers were unaware of their rights when buying goods at the door and that most householders felt more pressurised buying at home.
The OFT ad campaign will also remind householders that home salespeople must tell them of the right to cancel, in writing.
”These new regulations will mean that the law is a lot clearer for consumers,” said the OFT’s consumer policy director Colin Brown.
”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.”
The campaign will appear in local newspapers throughout October while consumers in the East of England, the Midlands, Scotland and Wales — areas with the highest levels of home sales — will be leafleted.
Apart from double-glazing, services attracting the most complaints were those for home and garden maintenance.
(Reporting by John Joseph; Editing by Steve Addison)
It really does make me cringe when I here locally of people who have been rail roaded and told that they could not cancel an agreement and the sorry thing is alot of people don’t know there rights as a consumer so this can only be a good thing..
The only problem is how does it regulate the cowboys who work on cash and no contract????
Heres also another good link for you to check out your rights:
http://www.which.co.uk/advice/what-you-need-to-know-about-doorstep-selling/index.jsp