Read the Premier’s media release here or watch his interview with the ABC here.

A survey conducted by Consumer Action earlier this year found that 56 per cent of shoppers feel the greatest pressure to purchase when visited at home, and 77 per cent of respondents said they disliked door-to-door sales – indicating that the Australian public is tired of persistent doorknockers.

The Committee’s report also highlights the importance of a number of ACCC cases before the Federal Court which will test the legal standing of the Do Not Knock sticker. If the court confirms that the sticker represents a request that a salesperson leave the property and they ignore it, the salesperson could be opening themselves up to significant fines under the Australian Consumer Law.

‘The Committee and industry have both pointed to the sticker as a reason why further protections aren’t needed at this stage, and we’re hopeful that the ACCC’s case will confirm our view of the legal status of the sticker. But, if it doesn’t, the Federal Parliament needs to be willing to revisit this issue and either amend the law to make the sticker legally binding, and reconsider a do not knock register,’ said Gerard Brody, Director of Policy and Campaigns at Consumer Action.

‘The Do Not Knock stickers have been a resounding success but we know from complaints coming through the Do Not Knock website that there are plenty of sellers ignoring them or coming up with excuses as to why the Australian Consumer Law doesn’t apply to them. So if our politicians are going to point to the stickers as a reason why we don’t need further consumer protections, they need to make sure the sticker is adhered to.

‘We’ve sent out tens of thousands of stickers and have research that shows only three percent of Australians have a positive opinion of door-to-door sales, so it’s clear that many Australians are looking for a way to opt out of door-to-door sales. We’re urging all parliamentarians to ensure the rejection of the Do Not Knock Register Bill 2012 isn’t the end of efforts to protect vulnerable consumers from high pressure door-to-door sales,’ said Mr Brody.

Consumers wishing to order a Do Not Knock sticker can do so at www.donotknock.org.au.

Further details of the ACCC’s research can be found here: ACCC cracks down on door to door sales practices

The ACCC’s report was widely reported on in the media including:

Do not knock!
Breakfast with Spencer Howson, 612 ABC Brisbane, 23 August 2012, Spencer Howson

Do not knock
ABC TV News, 17 August 2012, Simon Palan

ACCC to crack down on door-to-door salespeople
ABC News, 17 August 2012, Simon Palan

Door-to-door deceit
Sydney Morning Herald, 17 August 2012, Graham Downie

Opportunity knocks . . . ACCC to target dodgy door-to-door brigade
The Australian, 17 August, 2012, Natasha Bita

Single mums, elderly preyed on by power price scammers
Herald Sun, 17 August 2012, Wes Hosking

The complaints also show that energy retailers continue to worry households, making up over 60 percent of complaints.

‘We’re pleased that people are taking the time to visit www.donotknock.org.au to tell us their stories and register complaints, but we continue to be disappointed by energy retailers who are at the heart of complaints time and again,’ said Gerard Brody, Director of Policy and Campaigns with the Consumer Action Law Centre.

‘Energy retailers introduced their own marketing code of conduct back in January and we’d hoped that it would lead to an improvement in their door-to-door selling practices, but early signs suggest that problems are still rife.’

Australians have also been complaining about salespeople ignoring their Do Not Knock stickers, which Consumer Action believes amounts to trespass, as well as a potential breach of the Australian Consumer Law.

‘If someone has put up a Do Not Knock sticker their message to salespeople is clear – “leave me alone.” The fact that some salespeople are ignoring them shows a complete lack of respect for the household’s request and, in our view, this would be trespass.

‘If salespeople are going to continue to ignore the sticker we need to assign it greater legal standing under the Australian Consumer Law or introduce further consumer protections like a do not knock register or, if all else fails, an outright ban on contracting at the doorstep,’ Said Mr Brody.

Other businesses to feature in previous complaints, as well as in this most recent round are those selling pay TV and newspaper subscriptions. Consumer Action has written to these companies seeking information about their selling practices.

END

Media Contact: Dan Simpson, 0413 299 567

Consumer Action’s Director of Policy and Campaigns, Gerard Brody, said the new research supported evidence garnered through the complaints page on the Do Not Knock website (www.donotknock.org.au) that Australian households don’t like salespeople visiting their homes and those who do buy at their door often regret their decision. 

‘Our research found a measly three per cent of consumers have a positive opinion of energy door-to-door sales which helps explain the groundswell of public support we’ve had for our “do not knock” sticker. The figure makes a lot of sense given the tactics salespeople use can be intimidating, misleading and rarely perceived to result in the consumer getting the cheapest deal.

‘We’ve written to the CEOs of all energy retailers who are signatories to the Energy Assured Limited Code of Practice, asking that they voluntarily stop selling door-to-door and we’re sure that the first company to announce that they’ll end the practice will be rewarded with a huge amount of goodwill,’ said Mr Brody.

In its letter to energy retailers Consumer Action highlighted a number of other telling results from its research, including that:

• Over 55 per cent of those surveyed nominated in-home or door-to-door sales as the shopping scenario in which they felt the most pressure; and
• Of those who thought they’d received a bad deal, the most common reason for purchasing the product was feeling pressure to sign up on the spot.

Mr Brody said the commission-driven nature of door-to-door sales commonly resulted in misleading and high pressure tactics which were bad for consumers and bad for competition.

‘Each time a sale is made, not only the retailer but the salesperson reaps a financial benefit, so there’s an incentive for agents to pressure-sell or mislead consumers. These sales also deny consumers the chance to shop around and look for the best deal because they’re only being shown one retailer’s offer and even details on that offer can be limited.

‘We’ve put the challenge out there and we’ll be keen to see which, if any, energy company steps up to the plate and does the right thing by consumers. In Britain five of the six biggest energy retailers have announced that they’ve stopped door-to-door sales so we believe it’s time Australian energy retailers starting listening to their customers and followed suit,’ said Mr Brody.

Click here to see Catriona Lowe’s appearance on Channel 7′s Sunrise, 29 November 2011

Perth residents wishing to pick up a sticker should visit 6PR on Level 1, 169 Hay Street, East Perth.

Canberra residents can also get their hands on a sticker thanks to radio station 2CC. The 2CC office is located at Level 1, 52 Hoskins Street Mitchell.

A full list of where you can pick up a sticker can be found on the Get the Sticker page. If there’s not one near you, remember you can always send in a self addressed envelope or print out your own Do Not Knock sign.

The campaign was launched by Karen Collier’s Herald Sun article ‘New warning for door-to-door sales‘ before being picked up by radio stations 3AW, 2UE, Triple M, Fox, Gold, 6PR, 2CC, ABC Breakfast Melbourne, ABC Statewide Drive, ABC Breakfast Adelaide, ABC Gold Coast, and 5AA. 3AW and 2UE have also published Do Not Knock information on their websites under the headings Door-to-door ‘pest’ crackdown and An end to door-to-door salesman?.

We anticipate a number of other news outlets will be reporting on the launch over the coming days. If we’ve missed any, please let us know!

For many Australians, particularly the elderly and people living on their own, being visited by salespeople can be an unnerving experience. For others, having valuable time at home with family and friends interrupted by pushy salespeople is simply an unwelcome distraction. But help is at hand.

Campaign director Gerard Brody said the centrepiece of the campaign was the Do Not Knock sticker which, when displayed in a prominent location, sends a clear message salespeople—‘you’re not welcome here.’

‘We developed this sticker a few years ago and, not surprisingly, it struck a chord with community members, as well as organisations including Financial Counselling Australia and Victoria Legal Aid who have lent their support to the campaign.

‘Thanks to wide-spread support we’re now in a position to run a national campaign, where we can provide do not knock stickers to the community on a larger scale and give people a say about who visits their home.

‘We’ve also established a website, www.donotknock.org.au, where people can go to print their own sticker, find stockists and find out about their legal rights as a consumer and householder.

Mr Brody said the Do Not Knock stickers will not only significantly reduce the inconvenience of having people bother you at home, but it will help stop some of the dodgy sales techniques used in this form of selling.

‘Door-to-door salespeople often use high-pressure tactics to get people to buy products they don’t want, don’t need, and can’t afford—many of them are snake-oil salesmen plain and simple.

‘We’ve also seen cases of people being deliberately misled, and even being unwittingly signed up to high cost financing to pay for the product.

When a household displays Do Not Knock sticker the message to salespeople is clear, whether you’re selling electricity, vacuum cleaners, cable television or gym memberships, you’re not welcome here and if you do knock you will be considered to be trespassing.

‘Residents have rights but are often unsure of their position or feel rude telling salespeople to go away. We’re hoping that, through this campaign, Australians will start to assert their right to be left in peace,’ said Mr Brody.

‘Some businesses may kick up a fuss, but we firmly believe that residents should have a say in whether or not they are visited by salespeople and we won’t be backing down.

More information on the campaign, including where to get the stickers and residents’ legal rights are available at www.donotknock.org.au.

Media contact: Dan Simpson 0413 299 567