Have you ever received goods or services that you never asked for in the first place? In BC, there are rules that protect consumers from having to pay for unsolicited goods or services – learn more in this blog post!
What are unsolicited goods or services?
According to BC’s consumer protection law, “unsolicited goods and services” are goods and services that are supplied to you even though you didn’t ask for them. An example of an unsolicited good or service would be if someone came to your home and did landscaping work without getting your permission beforehand. There are some exceptions to what’s classified as an unsolicited good or service, including goods or services that were supplied to you, but you knew (or should have known) they were intended for someone else as well as and goods or services that are free.
Do I have to pay for unsolicited goods or services?
By law, you have no obligation to pay for unsolicited goods or services (here’s the section of the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act that speaks to this). Remember, there are exceptions to this rule, such as if you had an ongoing contract with the supplier (the company) or if you accepted (in writing) your intention to accept the good or service.
What can I do if someone is demanding payment for unsolicited goods or services?
Know your rights! Point the supplier to the relevant section of BC’s Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act and let them know that you are not legally responsible for paying for the unsolicited good or services.
If you have further questions, you can contact us and we’d be happy to share information about your rights and responsibilities as it speaks our authority related to unsolicited goods or services.
This past year I ordered a book through Amazon.ca. It came from the UK in one of those very large mail bags the UK uses. Everything would have been fine for me, except that they sent two copies of the book, and charged me for two copies. As this was a very heavy textbook, there was no way I was paying the cost of sending it back to the UK, so there it sits on my shelf, and I am out the used book cost of $25+. It was cheaper to pay for the book than for the Canada Post cost of returning it to the UK.
Hi Alfred, thanks for your comment and for sharing your story. Did you have a question for us?
About year ago I reluctantly accepted a free 1 year membership to CARP,unknown to me this included a long distance phone service which charges a plan fee of $2.95and a network charge of $6.45/per month—- my normal charges were usually about $3/month with no other fees—last month my calls amounted to $.05,they are billing for $9.45—I do not intend to pay(I didn’t sign anything)——AJF
My 15 year old daughter went online to check some cosmetics. They asked her to fill in the form with her address and name in order to see the price of the product.
She only wanted to see the price.
In two weeks we were surprised to receive an unsolicited product delivered to our door with an attached invoice from Digital Sourcing company.
I emailed them with my complaint, and they told me that I have to return their product at my own expense. Now they keep sending me those invoices with snowballing late payment fee included.
There is no way I am going to pay a penny to those scammers.
Hi Sergiy, thank you for sharing your experience. If you are having a hard time resolving the issue with the company please feel free to fill out a complaint form with us. Depending on how they operate, we may not have the authority to help you but it may help us determine if there are other consumers affected by the same company. Here’s where you can submit a formal complaint.