BBB: Door-to-door sales season is a time for caution, many "want to rip you off"

MILWAUKEE -- The Better Business Bureau Serving Wisconsin advises that you prepare yourself for the annual arrival of these visitors at your doorstep. The BBB says any are legitimate, pedaling various products or services. However, there are also many salespeople who are transient and simply want to rip you off.

The BBB says your job as a consumer is to arm yourself with knowledge so that you don’t give in to some of their pushy sales spiels.

Not ready to replace your windows? Happy with your security system? Like your untrimmed trees? Not interested in a new driveway? Do you have all the magazines you could ever possibly read?

Here’s how to hold your ground and your hard-earned cash:


    Here are some of the door-to-door sales that the BBB receives complaints about:


      Cool off

      What happens if, in the heat of the sales pitch, you gave in and then had regrets afterward?

      That situation is the reason for the Federal Trade Commission’s Three-Day Cooling-Off Rule: Purchases of $25 or more that are made at your home can be cancelled within three days. You have the right to change your mind, and that’s why the rule exists.

      Also, the seller must tell you about this right to cancel at the time of the sale. The law says they must give you two copies of a cancellation form. Find out more about the Cooling-Off Rule by visiting the FTC’s website.

      Find BBB Accredited Businesses here.

      For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin or 414-847-6000 (metro Milwaukee), 920-734-4352 (Appleton), 608-268-2221 (Madison) or 1-800-273-1002 (elsewhere in Wisconsin).