Anti-door knock stickers prove popular

Richard Aston with the new Do Not Knock sticker. Photo / New Zealand Herald / Dean Purcell.

Stickers warning door-to-door sellers to keep away have been so popular, Consumer New Zealand says it is printing more to meet demand.

The organisation said it handed out nearly 100,000 "Do Not Knock" stickers since the launch of its campaign on 3 November 2014. The stickers were distributed for free as part of the "Do Not Knock" campaign.

"We launched this campaign because of the serious complaints we get about the hard-sell and exploitative sales tactics used by door-to-door traders," said Sue Chetwin, Consumer NZ chief executive.

"The most concerning cases involve elderly people who have been pressured to buy products - including extremely heavy vacuum cleaners - they don't need and are unable to use," she said.

"Our Do Not Knock stickers have given people a simple way to tell these traders they're not welcome."

Consumer NZ said since launching the campaign, it heard from more people who've had bad experiences with door-to-door traders.

Individuals around the country as well as budgeting services and community organisations have asked for the stickers.

"If a door-to-door seller ignores the sticker, they're likely to be trespassing," Ms Chetwin said.

Consumer NZ also wanted changes to the Fair Trading Act to make it an offence for sellers to ignore a "Do Not Knock" sign, following similar law changes in Australia.

The organisations said a Consumer NZ survey found 70 per cent of its members disliked door-to-door salespeople and wanted them to stop calling.

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