Saying no to a pushy or persuasive salesperson can be hard. Here are a few tips on how to take control of a situation when you are being given the hard sell:
- Ask for time to think about the offer. If they claim the offer is only for today, alarm bells should ring (creating a sense of ‘scarcity’ is a well known technique to try and make you buy).
- Ask for written information to confirm the terms of the offer. This will also help you shop around if you want to compare prices and terms.
- Tell the salesperson you want to independently check that the business and the offer is legitimate. This is good practice and it’s important to be vigilant against scams.
- Make an informed decision by getting all the details before you sign, rather than signing and reading it later.
- Don’t rely just on what the salesperson tells you – read the documents to make sure you haven’t missed any of the important aspects of the contract.
- Check if there is a cooling-off period.
- Avoid the hard sell in the first place by getting a Do Not Knock sticker and getting on the Do Not Call register.
The MoneySmart website publishes an excellent page on tips on avoiding high-pressure sales tactics and the above tips are based on that page.
Victoria Legal Aid’s free DVD Dealing with door-to-door sales tells the story of one consumer’s experience of signing up to a contract under pressure from a door-to-door seller. It also has a second part where a lawyer talks about what you can do if you have signed up to a contract that you do not want.
You can watch these short films at http://www.youtube.com/user/VictoriaLegalAid/videos
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The ACCC also a short film to help inform and empower Indigenous people to exercise their consumer rights.
Door to door sales—cooling off rights and hidden costs encourages Indigenous consumers to know their rights when a door to door salesperson visits their home. Consumers need to understand what goods or services they are actually buying and that they have a ten day cooling off period if they want to change their mind. Small payment plans may make goods seem affordable but be aware that they often come with hidden costs.
