People in Nottinghamshire are being encouraged to say no to doorstep salespeople as part of a National Consumer Week campaign.
To help protect people we are promoting the Office of Fair Trading's Doorstep Selling campaign, empowering local residents to deal with unwanted doorstep sellers. In particular we are aiming to help vulnerable people avoid being ripped off especially by salespeople who are invited into the home after a cold call sales approach, and specifically traders offering mobility aids and home insulation products and services.
Our Trading Standards team has received 159 complaints about doorstep sales people from local residents over the last 12 months. Research conducted on behalf of the Office of Fair Trading highlights the elderly as being at risk of doorstep selling scams they are also likely to be susceptible to mobility aid traders and targeted by home insulation sellers.
One in five people over the age of 70 who were interviewed admitted to not being confident in deciding whether to employ a tradesperson and a fifth of those questioned could not see through pressure sales tactics such as having to pay cash in advance or having to make a quick decision to get a good deal.
More information
Buy with Confidence - our directory of over 350 reliable traders who have been vetted by our Trading Standards team Web: www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk
Unsure of your rights or feeling pressured? - contact the Citizen’s Advice consumer service Web: www.adviceguide.org.uk Tel: 08454 04 05 06
NottsWatch - find the Neighbourhood Watch group in your area Web: www.nottswatch.com
