Quebec consumer protection office warns of fraudulent door-to-door sales schemes

A survey by Ipsos shows many Canadians are falling victim to fraud, the most common being credit card fraud, email/phishing scams and debit card fraud. (Leeloo Thefirst/ Pexels)

Immense energy savings, free inspections, contests with tempting prizes, subsidies to finance work: Quebec's consumer protection office (OPC) is warning that online merchants or those who go door-to-door do not hesitate to resort to dishonest and illegal practices.

The OPC is reminding residents that it is forbidden by the Consumer Protection Act to use false pretences to solicit a sale.

"We see a lot of this kind of practice in the energy and decontamination sectors," said OPC spokesperson Charles Tanguay. "There seems to be a proliferation of ads on Facebook, which are specifically aimed at homeowners to make them believe in energy savings, home insulation grants, for example, energy-efficient inspections, and it's often presented under the guise of ecology.

"We don't know if it's a company, an association or the government. We play a lot on this ambiguity of not knowing who we are dealing with."

The OPC said the example of a trader who comes to a home offering to inspect or clean air ducts for free with the hidden aim of selling a new appliance or of an individual who offers to inspect the attic of a property and suddenly discovers the presence of mould, which would require urgent decontamination work, even though the photos he presents are not those of the inspected home.

Another example concerns social networks, where a company organizes a contest to allow participants to win a heat pump or save $5,000 on work, thus forcing the winner to do business with it.

"You have to take into account that many of these companies sell heat pumps for two, three or even four times the price they are worth," warned Tanguay. "Then it's easy for them to say you're getting $5,000 off when the price has already been inflated."

Another strategy used by these dishonest companies is to suggest to their potential customers that they will be able to sign up for large government grants that would allow them to significantly reduce their energy bills.

MISUSE OF INFORMATION

In some cases, Tanguay explains, the door-to-door salesperson suggests that the homeowner sign a form to see if he or she is eligible for financial assistance to carry out the work.

The next meeting turns out to be a sales session where no stone is left unturned to get the customer to sign up quickly for "contracts that are usually very expensive and not very advantageous."

"Remember that you are providing personal information that can be misused by these companies," the spokesperson said. "There are also companies that don't really exist, that rush to take a deposit and then disappear."

CHECK BEFORE YOU SIGN

"The law allows consumers who regret signing a contract to reverse their decision within 10 days. However, it is preferable not to sign anything under pressure, at the risk of regretting it and having to take steps to get rid of the agreement," said Tanguay.

He strongly recommends not initialling any agreement within 24 hours and taking the time to sub-weigh the merchant's proposal before accepting it.

This gives the informed consumer time to do some research to ensure the validity of the offer, particularly on the OPC website, where a register indicates whether a merchant has a permit to sell on the road, whether he or she has been sued, or whether he or she has already been put on notice by consumers.

The Transition Energique Québec and Hydro-Québec websites, among others, list subsidy programs and eligibility criteria.

Tanguay also invites consumers to validate the merchant's legitimacy on the Registre des entreprises or to consult the Registre des détenteurs de licence de la Régie du bâtiment du Québec if the company wishes to carry out work.

Finally, the spokesperson recommends that homeowners get several quotes before deciding on a company.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 18, 2023.