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Consumer Rights

I wish that I could have made a speech, but I have to attend a meeting. Is my hon. Friend aware, however, that the protection available to consumers who make purchases from salespeople who come to their property—the salesman might have come to see them after they answered an advert—is far weaker than that available to those who make purchases over the internet or by post? If the salesman comes to their property, consumers no longer have the right to cancel their order if the goods are not what they expected, although they would have that right if they purchased the goods over the internet or by mail. The problem often impacts on vulnerable people. A salesman from Willowbrook, which provides recliner chairs, visited an invalid in my constituency, who ordered some chairs. When the chairs arrived, they were not of the right dimensions and did not provide the therapeutic effect that the customer thought they would. However, she could not cancel the order and get her deposit back, because she had ordered from a salesman who came to her house. I wonder whether my hon. Friend can work with the Minister to see whether this egregious loophole can be remedied.