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Consumer Rights

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that example. The answer to her question is that I was not aware that there was less protection for someone who orders from a salesperson at the door. I hope that the Minister will specifically address the issue, because that loophole clearly should not exist, particularly given that door-to-door salespeople often target more vulnerable people with their sales patter. We have all been told that we have won a prize draw and that we have to send a fee to get the money. When we read the small print, however, we see that we are only being entered into the draw. We have all had e-mails saying that we have won a foreign lottery prize, but anyone who takes up the matter—I have not—discovers that the prize does not exist. We have all heard of the entreating e-mails from Nigerian business people who cannot spell and who need our help to get a large sum out of the country. We have also heard of boiler room scams, with cold callers offering shares and property investments, which might exist, but which are usually wildly overvalued if they do. Another trend is the increase in pyramid selling. The practice is illegal, but it is thriving, especially on the internet, and the credit crunch makes it particularly tempting. Bernie Madoff is one example. Ponzi schemes are widespread, and one in my area of Birmingham targets women, telling them that they can make £21,000 in weeks. Pyramid selling is already illegal, but we need a lot more consumer awareness, particularly among vulnerable groups who do not realise what is involved. The hon. Member for Edinburgh, North and Leith mentioned builders, and everyone probably knows somebody who has fallen victim to cowboy builders who have done a job that is incomplete or of insufficient quality. If the consumer pays the bill, there is, as the hon. Gentleman said, no redress and no incentive for the company to come back and make good the work, which should have been done properly in the first place. One lesson that I recently learned at the hands of a builder is that people should never pay the final sum until they are completely satisfied. A constituent ended up with a bill of £30,000 for a new drive. The builder kept finding more little jobs to do, saying, "I'll just do this for you," and my constituent ended with a huge bill. I intervened. Trading standards said that everything was perfectly legal, but the threat of being exposed by an MP had some effect, and my constituent did not end up paying the whole amount.