Distributing Do Not Knock stickers to members of your local community is a great way to help stop high pressure selling in the home. Community education sessions can also give people the information and tools they need to prevent the problems associated with door-to-door sales and telephone marketing. Victoria Legal Aid has developed a ‘how to [...]
28
Sep
27
Sep
Even more complex energy deals to be hawked door-to-door
We’ve long argued that consumers can have difficulty making purchasing decisions in high pressure environments like door-to-door sales. We’re now concerned that things are about to get worse, following the Victorian Government announcement that flexible pricing for electricity will be more widely available from July 2013. While consumers will maintain the right to stay on [...]
18
Sep
Loophole in Australian Consumer Law allows door knockers to visit outside allowed hours
Many householders already know the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) sets nationally consistent limits on the hours when a salesperson can visit their home. However, Consumer Action is receiving complaints from consumers who are discovered that these limitations aren’t as restrictive as people might expect. Section 73 of the ACL sets out permitted hours for negotiating [...]
07
Sep
Would the Avon Lady be covered by the proposed Do Not Knock register?
At the recent Federal parliamentary inquiry into the proposed Do Not Knock Register, a representative of the Direct Selling Association of Australia (DSAA) argued that the register will be ineffective as it may not operate to bind independent Avon distributors. This was picked up by the news media, which questioned whether ‘the Avon Lady was [...]
30
Aug
Do Not Knock Register Bill Public Hearing
Transcripts of the public hearings into the Do Not Knock Register Bill are now available on the inquiry home page here. Consumer Action’s Catriona Lowe and Gerard Brody presented to the Committee on August 22, together with Financial Counselling Australia’s Fiona Guthrie. Issues discussed include the findings of the ACCC’s recent research into the door [...]
24
Jul
Do Not Knock campaign lodges 100 door-to-door selling complaints with ACCC
Over 100 complaints about door-to-door salespeople have now been lodged with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) since the national Do Not Knock campaign was launched in November. The most recent round of 18 complaints tells a familiar story with households complaining about pressure selling, misleading conduct and salespeople ignoring Do Not Knock stickers. [...]
06
Jun
More door-to-door complaints sent to ACCC, but further protections needed
Another 26 complaints about door-to-door salespeople have been lodged with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) as part of the Consumer Action Law Centre’s Do Not Knock Campaign. The complaints, received from around Australia, were made against a range of businesses including pay TV providers, home improvement companies and newspapers seeking subscriptions—but almost half [...]
18
May
Launch of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander ‘Do Not Knock’ sticker
Minister for Financial Services, the Hon. Bill Shorten MP, has helped Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) and CentaCare Wilcannia-Forbes launch a new front in the Do Not Knock campaign aimed at reducing harmful door-to-door sales practices in Indigenous communities. Minster Shorten launched the project, which includes a new ATSI Do Not Knock sticker, at Financial Counselling [...]
