The Isle of Man Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has today launched a consultation on a Bill which proposes to ban cold calling in the Isle of Man.

The Bill makes it an offence for a trader to enter into a contract for the sale of goods and services as a result of cold calling. The Bill covers all forms of cold calling, including by telephone. At a practical level, the main impact and real benefit will be to disrupt the activities of those who use doorstep pressure selling techniques.

Chairman of the OFT, David Quirk MHK said: “There has been a long-term intention to address the activities of unscrupulous traders, especially those operating within the home improvements sector, who prey on the most vulnerable in society by using cold calling techniques to sell goods and services that are not needed, or to sell goods and services at prices that are exorbitant.”

“Whilst the OFT can and will continue to educate consumers to reduce the risk of them being successfully targeted by unscrupulous traders, we have to accept that there are vulnerable members of society for whom education will not be enough. My officers frequently have to help people who have suffered pressure from traders on the doorstep or on the phone. This Bill gives us teeth to tackle the matter and will help towards achieving the protection they need and deserve.”

The consultation is open until 25th September 2015 and the OFT looks forward to hearing the public’s views. The consultation document can be found on the OFT website at: -

http://www.gov.im/oft/consultations.gov?menuid=16916&type=current