Door-to-door sales consumer campaign launched

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment’s Trading Standards Service (TSS) is campaigning on consumer rights relating to mail shots and door-to-door sales.

The 'On Your Doorstep' campaign, which is part of National Consumer Week and runs from today until November 17, aims to educate and protect consumers from aggressive marketing techniques used by companies and focused on people’s home environment.

TSS Officer, Jimmy Hughes said: “Dealing with aggressive or misleading selling techniques in the home environment can be quite difficult. Many consumers, especially vulnerable people who are at home due to illness or are retired, find it distressing to cope with a persistent doorstep salesman. Quite often people sign forms, ‘just to get them out of the house’. People also find mailshots or junk mail arriving on their doormat at best a nuisance or at worst intrusive.”

On the issue of doorstep selling TSS is circulating a leaflet called ‘Doorstep Selling Know Where You Stand’ which outlines consumer rights. The leaflet explains the protection offered in law in the form of a cooling-off period.

Consumers interested in getting hold of a ‘On your Doorstep’ free information pack should contact Trading Standards Service (TSS) on tel: 028 9025 3900 or visit the website at www.tssni.gov.uk.

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