In earlier days in Toronto, there used to be door-to-door sales people who would come around trying to sell you a vacuum cleaner or the ten volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Today, there still are door-to-door sales people selling the usual goods but they now also sell such things, as internet services and other telecommunication products. In 2002, Ontario enacted a new Consumer Protection Act consolidating 6 older consumer protection laws and reforming the area to reflect today’s technological world.
A typical example of consumer protection under the new Act is a sale in your own home. If you purchase goods or services from a door-to-door sales person, you have a right to cancel the sale at any time from the date of signing the purchase agreement until 10 days after receiving a written copy of the agreement. The 10 day period is usually referred to as the “cooling-off period.” Such a period of time allows a consumer an opportunity to have second thoughts about the purchase. All the consumer needs to do is to notify the seller of the decision to cancel. The consumer need not give a reason. The seller has 15 days to return your money and also has the right to the return of the goods by either picking them up or paying for the costs of sending them back. You should be aware that this consumer protection does not apply if you buy the goods or services at the seller’s place of business or other sales locations, such as a market place, an auction, a trade fair, or at your office.
There are other types of contracts which are also protected for consumers. Pre-paid goods or services, where some part of the contract occurs in the future, such as a fitness membership, are protected. Time share agreements and internet agreements are also protected.
Compared with city dwellers, the residents of the County of Haliburton are not pestered as much by door-to-door sales people but the same consumer protection applies here.