§ Baroness Burton of Coventryasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made towards adoption of the EC directive on doorstep selling.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Lucas of Chilworth)The directive on doorstep selling (the directive to protect the consumer in respect of contracts negotiated away from business premises) was adopted by the EC Council of Ministers on 20th December 1985. Member states have two years in which to implement the directive's provisions.
The directive will give consumers a statutory right to a seven-day period of reflection when they sign 430WA agreements at their home or work place, during an unsolicited visit by a trader, to buy, by cash or credit, goods costing more than 60 ECU (about £35). Many reputable direct selling companies already provide a cooling-off period for sales made in the home. This directive will ensure that the industry as a whole adopts a similar standard of service. It will give the consumer the opportunity to consider—in private and without pressure—whether he really wants the product or service which seemed so attractive when it was offered.