door-to-door energy sales
Albertans widely approve of the provincial government’s decision to ban doorstep sales of home energy products, according to a new poll.
The online survey conducted by Insights West found 85 per cent of Albertans back the Notley government’s recent prohibition on utility companies and those they contract hawking their wares door-to-door.
As of Jan. 1, companies must rely on phone calls, the Internet and other means to sell energy contracts, furnaces and water heaters.
Only eight per cent of those polled disagree with the government’s move.
While 92 per cent of those who voted NDP in the provincial election said they were supportive of the ban, sizable majorities of those who voted Liberal (86 per cent), Wildrose (83 per cent), and Progressive Conservative (79 per cent) also are in favour.
“It is rare to see this level of support at a time of extreme political volatility in the province,” Mario Canseco, vice-president of public affairs at Insights West, said in a statement.
According to the poll, only a third of Albertans (32 per cent) said they have not had a person try to sell them energy products at their doorstep over the past four years. Two in five Albertans have dealt with salespeople outside their home three times or more.
When announcing the ban, Service Alberta Minister Stephanie McLean said aggressive vendors have used fear and misleading sales pitches to force residents into purchasing what they often don’t need, and at grossly inflated prices.
She also said that since 2010, the province has received more than 1,000 complaints about abusive doorstep sales, including 244 for energy contracts and 19 for furnaces.
The Insights West results are based on an online survey of 606 Albertans, conducted from Jan. 13 to 17. The margin of error is plus or minus four percentage points, it said.
Albertans thrilled with NDP’s ban on door-to-door energy sales | Calgary Herald
Albertans widely approve of the provincial government’s decision to ban doorstep sales of home energy products, according to a new poll.
The online survey conducted by Insights West found 85 per cent of Albertans back the Notley government’s recent prohibition on utility companies and those they contract hawking their wares door-to-door.
As of Jan. 1, companies must rely on phone calls, the Internet and other means to sell energy contracts, furnaces and water heaters.
Only eight per cent of those polled disagree with the government’s move.
While 92 per cent of those who voted NDP in the provincial election said they were supportive of the ban, sizable majorities of those who voted Liberal (86 per cent), Wildrose (83 per cent), and Progressive Conservative (79 per cent) also are in favour.
“It is rare to see this level of support at a time of extreme political volatility in the province,” Mario Canseco, vice-president of public affairs at Insights West, said in a statement.
According to the poll, only a third of Albertans (32 per cent) said they have not had a person try to sell them energy products at their doorstep over the past four years. Two in five Albertans have dealt with salespeople outside their home three times or more.
When announcing the ban, Service Alberta Minister Stephanie McLean said aggressive vendors have used fear and misleading sales pitches to force residents into purchasing what they often don’t need, and at grossly inflated prices.
She also said that since 2010, the province has received more than 1,000 complaints about abusive doorstep sales, including 244 for energy contracts and 19 for furnaces.
The Insights West results are based on an online survey of 606 Albertans, conducted from Jan. 13 to 17. The margin of error is plus or minus four percentage points, it said.
Albertans thrilled with NDP’s ban on door-to-door energy sales | Calgary Herald
