I loathe door-to-door salespeople, so this news makes me very happy: the Federal Court has slapped a $1 million fine on two electricity sellers for repeatedly ignoring consumer law. More importantly, the court finding also confirms the validity of ‘do not knock’ signs.
Neighbourhood Energy and Australian Green Credits (who got taken to court by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission back in May) had the fines imposed in part because staff repeatedly ignored ‘do not knock’ signs and refused to leave premises when they encountered such signs. As such, ACCC chairman Rod Sims sees it as a major victory:
The effect of the Court’s order is that every time a salesperson ignores a visible ‘do not knock’ sign on a consumer’s door, the company they represent is exposed to a maximum penalty of $50,000.
Dodgy sales behaviour is nothing new in the power segment, with an ACCC study earlier this year identifying electricity as the biggest source of door-to-door calls. It’s your house and you can slam the door in their faces whenever you like, but remember the legal requirements too: no calls before 9am or after 6pm on weekdays, before 9am or after 5pm on Saturdays, or at any time on Sundays or public holidays. Better yet, get a sign and remind anyone who ignores it of the $50,000 fine.
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