Make sure you’re ‘scam aware’ this summer

Council leaders are warning residents to be wary of doorstop sellers, and potential scams over the coming months.

With the weather improving we’re likely to see an increase in doorstep selling during the summer. Doorstop selling refers to someone who visits properties to sell goods or services in the home, or on the doorstep. These can include salespeople visiting homes offering a range of services, from garden makeovers to driveway repairs, double glazing and more.

These sellers can sometimes offer a convenient option, and home visits from sales teams can be a technique used by many business. However, doorstop selling also comes with some risks, including people being pressured to buy goods or services they don’t want, being sold things for much more than their value, or paying for goods or services that never appear.

Cllr Jenny Kent, Executive Member for the Environment at City of York Council, said:

“Sadly, each year some residents are pressured into schemes or purchases by doorstop sellers and end up in difficult situations.

“Our teams work very hard to try and keep the residents of York safe from scams or rogue traders, but we always encourage residents to be cautious, check for third party recommendations and take their time deciding on any major projects or works they’re planning.”

To help residents avoid any issues, City of York Council are sharing some top tips to help make sure you’re buying from legitimate businesses, and ways to keep yourself safe. These include:

• Be confident – if you don’t want to buy goods or services, you have every right to say no, ask for more time to think about it, shop around and get other quotes or discuss the purchase with someone else
• Check the facts – any reputable business should be happy to provide you with all their details. Try to think about what you know about them, do you know about their training and experience, have they given you all the information you need for a quote, do you understand the rights and obligations of any contracts and are they offering any kind of warranty?
• Be cautious – it’s sensible to shop around for any projects you might want doing, getting multiple quotes, talking to other people who’ve had the same work done and taking your time makes you a smart customer. Don’t forget, if something sounds too good (or too cheap) to be true, it probably is.

Residents are also being reminded of their legal rights when it comes to doorstop selling. In most situations if you sign a contract worth more than £42 with a trader in your house, you usually have 14 days to change your mind and cancel, providing the right to cancel is given to your in writing.

Different contracts will have different terms and conditions but some include ‘cooling off periods’ and cancellation fees. If you do want to change your mind and cancel a project, you should get in touch with the trader as soon as possible, and try to keep a copy of the cancelation in writing as proof. This could include emails, or even recorded delivery or proof of postage.

Anyone looking for more advice on their rights, or to report a trader to trading standards, can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 2231133, or by visiting www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scamsadvice.