Editorial: Stickers good way to say no

Photo / Ben Fraser

Whether you're an Englishman or not, your home is your castle, as the saying goes.

These days, however, not many of us have moats and there's little to stop unwanted visitors knocking on your door.

Consumer NZ says everyone has an "implied licence" to enter your property and knock on your door.

The organisation has launched a campaign against door-to-door sellers because, it says, of the serious complaints it gets.

A recent Consumer NZ survey found 70 per cent of its members didn't like door-to-door salespeople and wanted them to stop calling.

Some sellers wouldn't take "no" for an answer and some residents had to threaten to call the police to get the salesperson to leave.

Clearly the methods of some salespeople are damaging the reputation of all of them, though it's in the very nature of the job that sellers are approaching people out of the blue and trying to persuade them they need something they probably hadn't considered buying.

Think about it - if it's not something you've bought already at the shops or online, how much do you really need it?

Other callers try to get you to switch providers, be it electricity, internet or whatever. But while you may benefit in the long run from a switch, who asked anyone to knock on your door? When it comes to power there are better options online to compare providers anyway. (Check out powerswitch.org.nz or whatsmynumber.org.nz.)

Rotorua residents are fed-up. The local Citizens Advice Bureau says it gets two or three complaints a week about door-to-door sellers.

The Consumer NZ Do Not Knock stickers the bureau is handing out are a great idea. If a seller ignores the sticker on your letterbox or door they're likely to be trespassing, says Consumer NZ.

Age Concern's advice that older people ask door-to-door sellers for their name and number, so they could talk with a family member before committing to any purchase, is also useful.

Sure, plenty of people have no problem saying "No, thank you" and shutting the door on cold callers, but not everyone can do that, and the more protections society's most vulnerable have available the better.