Ontario banning door-to-door sales of some goods as of March 1
Consumers will be able to keep select goods and services with no obligations if signed in door-to-door sale
Say goodbye to the salesperson knocking on your door to ask when you last cleaned your ducts.
A ban on unsolicited, door-to-door sales of select household appliances — such as furnaces or water heaters — will take effect March 1 in Ontario.
Etobicoke Centre MPP Yvan Baker said he first introduced the bill after hearing horror stories from seniors in his riding who say they face aggressive sales tactics from people hawking their wares at their doors.
"One of my constituents said to me, 'We really need to do something to make sure people feel comfortable opening up their doors; that they feel secure in their own homes," he said at Queen's Park Friday.
The ban covers the sale of:
- furnaces
- air conditioners
- air cleaners
- air purifiers
- water heaters
- water treatment devices
- water purifiers
- water filters
- water softeners
- duct cleaning services
- any good or service that performs or combines one or more of the above functions
Overall, "door-to-door contracts have been among the top complaints received by the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services," the government's news release said. Baker says these specific goods and services were targeted because of the many aggressive sales tactics and scams that are typically used to sell them.
If you'd like to buy or lease any of these products, you can contact businesses and invite them to your home, according to the law. Contracts signed under the new rules will also be subject to a standard 10-day cooling off period, a period of time during which you can cancel the agreement — for any reason — without penalty.
Businesses representatives who come to your home for repairs, maintenance or energy assessments won't be able to sell you a new contract. They can only leave promotional information about their products or services.
If you call to request repair or maintenance, the business must inform you of any product or service they'd like to offer and if you agree, their service person can discuss it with you in person.
Under the new law, related businesses will need to maintain records for up to three years detailing how new contracts were made. They're also required to have a cover page on promotional material outlining consumer rights.