The Consumer Action Law Centre, creator of the Do Not Knock sticker and the organisation behind www.donotknock.org.au, has welcomed a Federal Court decision which found that salespeople who ignore visible Do Not Knock stickers are breaking the law and that their actions could result in fines of up to $50,000. The case, brought by the [...]
28
Sep
28
Sep
Community education programs – a great way to spread the word about Do Not Knock
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 [...]
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 [...]
20
Sep
South Australian Government looks to end ‘shonky door to door sales’
South Australian Government has announced its intention to put a stop to ‘shonky’ door to door sales. Premier Jay Weatherill said ‘for too long, people have felt they have been harangued into signing long-term energy contracts by pushy door-to-door sales people.’ He also said that ‘while customers can benefit from competition between retailers for their [...]
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 [...]
17
Aug
ACCC report gets wide spread media coverage
New research from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has highlighted the prevalence of door-to-door salespeople in Australia. The ACCC’s research noted that 1.3 million sales are made at the door step each year and that of those, 1 million are energy sales. Further details of the ACCC’s research can be found here: ACCC [...]
25
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. [...]
