Mississauga City Councillors Push to Ban Door-To-Door Sales

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Published April 21, 2016 at 2:41 am

doortodor

Knock knock. 

Who’s there? 

Not a salesperson, if the province decides to place a ban on door-to-door sales. 

City councillors from Mississauga and Markham are calling for an end to the practice of selling products right at people’s doorsteps, according to a recent article from CBC News. 

Karen Ras – the Mississauga councillor in favour of the ban – believes it will help protect Ontario residents, particularly seniors, from aggressive sales pitches that pressure them into making a purchase. 

“These people prey on the most vulnerable and it’s so disheartening to see that,” CBC heard from Ras on Monday. “There’s got to be a way that we can stop them and it’s got to be at the provincial level.” 

The push for this ban comes after more than 140 charges were laid against the Ontario Energy Group last week. The door-to-door sales company is accused of violating the Customer Protection Act, following a provincial investigation into hundreds of complaints from customers. 

David Orazietti, Minister for Government and Consumer Services, said that he has heard the complaints and is not ruling out the possibility of implementing a ban. 

While the ban would put an end to direct sales, it would not prevent all door-to-door solicitation. Charities and other such organizations would be exempt. 

Meanwhile, a caller by the name of Kevin spoke out against the ban on 640toronto’s radio program The Stafford Show. A door-to-door salesman himself, Kevin opposes the ban as it would severely hinder how he and many others make a living. 

“There are a lot of crooks out there and I hear [about] them pretty much every day,” he said, acknowledging that not all salespeople do their work ethically. “Stories of people that got ripped off… honestly, it’s making my job more and more difficult.” 

Do you think it’s about time to ban door-to-door sales, or might there be another solution?

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