Yes, door-to-door sales still happen. Someone may come to your door selling a new internet rate, vacuum, hot water tank or perhaps they want you to consider switching to natural gas. When someone comes to your door unannounced, and you agree to buy the product or services, you are likely signing a door-to-door sales contract.
Your door, your rules
In BC, there are rules when it comes to legitimate door-to-door sales, which means that you have rights. These types of contracts must have certain information in them for it to be binding.
And remember, you donât have to make a quick decision â take your time and do what feels right to you. After all, itâs your door, your rules.
When is it a door to door sales contract â and when isnât?
The law in BC refers to a door-to-door sale as a direct sale. These contracts must have a value of more than $50 and are signed during a visit from a door to door sales agent.
When is it not a door-to-door sales contract? When you ask the sales agent to come to your house more than 24 hours in advance of the visit.
TIP: You shouldnât be asked for a deposit of more than $100.
What information needs to be in the contract
By law, your door-to-door sales contract must have:
- the supplierâs information, including a name and signature of the individual who signed on behalf of the supplier
- your signature
- the place the contract was entered into
- date the contract was entered
- description of the goods or services
- cost of the items
- taxes and shipping charges
- description of custom duties, brokerage fees, or additional charges
- terms of payment
- total price under the contract, including the total cost of credit
- if applicable, a description and dollar value of any trade-in
- if credit is extended or arranged by the supplier, a description of the subject matter of any security interest
- notice of the consumerâs rights of cancellation
- restrictions, limitations or other terms or conditions that may apply to the supply of the goods or service
The law gives a full list of what is required and the contract is not binding if it has missing information.
How to cancel
If any of this information is not in your contract, you can cancel it. To do that:
- Print off and complete a cancellation form to send to the business.
- Send it in a way that allows you to get proof of delivery like registered mail, fax, or email to make sure you have proof that it was delivered.
- Keep copies for your records and be sure to follow up with the business.
- The law gives the business 15 days to respond. If that step is unsuccessful, submit a complaint to our office.
Learn more about your cancellation rights.
Knowledge is power. Help yourself and others when it comes to door-to-door sales.
We have lots of information and tools to help you make informed decisions around door-to-door sales. Brush up on your knowledge and share what you know with the people you care about. The important thing to remember is that there are rules when it comes to these transactions. Take your time before you sign anything and talk to someone you trust if youâre unsure. You got this.
Learn more about door-to-door sales in BC
What needs to be in the contract
How to say no
What questions to ask
Know your cancellation rights
Learn what scams to watch out for
Hear a real story
Learn how to spot the bad operators
Where do we fit in?
Our organization is responsible for overseeing certain aspects of these contracts, like contract requirements and your cancellation rights. Learn more about when we can step in and help.
About Consumer Protection BC
We are responsible for regulating specific industries and certain consumer transactions in British Columbia. If your concern is captured under the laws we enforce, we will use the tools at our disposal to assist you. If we canât help you directly, we will be happy to provide you with as much information as possible. Depending on your concern, another organization may be the ones to speak to; other times, court or legal assistance may be the best option. Explore our website at www.consumerprotectionbc.ca.
This is great information! My husband signed a contract from Simply Green for a furnace that was a lease for 10-15 years. How long does a furnace last. He was 74 and they put it thru by fudging his DOB as mine. I had no idea what was going on. After $4,800 in payments and 2.5 years of paying, my husband passed 17 months after install. I tried to do a buyout after install in 2017 and they wanted over $10,000, asked for a supervisor to call me with a reasonable price, when they sell for $3,000 and up.
Hi Zahia, thank you for leaving a comment here. Have you been able to talk to anybody at the company? We would like to get more information from you if possible. Would you be able to submit a formal complaint to us through our online form? Here’s is the link – https://www.consumerprotectionbc.ca/complaint-assistant/. Thank you Zahia!
Telus is sending out door-to-door salespeople, and they have absolutely no clue about the product they are selling. We signed up to have our ADT system updated and what we were told we would be receiving was false information. When the tech guy came, he had a completely different work order. We put a stop to any work being done when all of sudden, the bill started going up by a couple of hundred dollars. So not right………