Netherlands wants EU politicians to tackle aggressive telemarketing, door-to-door sales
The Cabinet wants the European Union to make it possible for member states to ban door sales and telemarketing. Minister Micky Adriaansens of Economic Affairs discussed it on Thursday with the European Commission in The Hague, NOS reported.
The Cabinet has been intensifying regulations for telemarketing and door-to-door sales. Companies can now only contact consumers who have explicitly consented, and contracts are only binding with the consumer's written agreement. Adriaansens proposes to extend these rules to door-to-door sales, including a cooling-off period for consumers following a visit from a salesperson.
However, Adriaansens also noted that these rules are not enough."We see that many people still receive cold calls and that consumers cannot always make well-considered decisions when a pushy salesperson is at the door,” she told NOS.
Last August, the Consumers' Association reported that the telemarketing law is not fully effective, with 80 percent of consumers still being disturbed by calls from marketers. The majority of these calls were from energy suppliers, followed by lotteries and charities.
Adriaansens explained that a general ban on telemarketing and door-to-door sales is not feasible in Europe. "We only want a ban on products or contracts where consumers cannot make good decisions, like complex energy agreements,” she said.
The Cabinet is not seeking a Europe-wide ban on telemarketing and door-to-door sales, but rather an exception for the Netherlands. This comes in anticipation of next year's evaluation of European consumer protection rules.
