When tradespeople come knocking
A word of advice about door to door sales of services.
13 February 2012
Do your hedges need trimming, or your house washed? You might not have even thought about it before a helpful tradesperson knocks at your door advertising their services.
That’s why you have a seven-day cooling off period for door to door sales of services that cost more than $40. This gives you a chance to think it over and decide if you want to go ahead with the deal or cancel. This only applies when the trader approaches you first, not if you called for a quote or waved out to a trader across the street.
Ask the trader to come back after the seven days cooling off period to do the work.
The tradesperson should give you some paperwork that includes a notice of cancellation that you can send to them if you decide to cancel the deal.
The paperwork should also include a signed contract with the trader’s details, the total cost and information about how you will pay and your right to cancel. If you don’t get this paperwork you have a month to decide to cancel.
If they’ve already trimmed the trees before you cancel, they are not entitled to any compensation for the services provided.
This seven-day cooling off period also applies to goods bought from a door to door salesperson, where you did not pay the full purchase price at the time you agreed to buy.
Consumer goods and services are also covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act, which means the goods must be of acceptable quality, and services must be done with reasonable skill and care.
