With the help of some funding from the Direct Selling Education Foundation, The National Consumers League - has just released new material to help consumers recognize the difference between legitimate sales opportunities, charitable organizations and door-to-door sales and those that are scams.
There have been several cases over the years of salespeople from door to door operations committing crimes, not delivering products, or selling goods at higher rates than they should. Many of the dishonest companies piggyback on the good reputation of legitimate companies, making it easier to take advantage of people and scam them. Often, sales people make false claims that they are raising money for school or charity, or that you can win prizes by buying products.
The NCL recommends that every consumer thoroughly check out a charity or door to door sales company before buying anything. Some advice that the NCL gives is to be sure the seller has the proper permits, provides brochures and literature upon request and is willing to set an appointment to come back and speak with you, thereby giving you a chance to do any necessary research. If you suspect anything, you can always call the Better Business Bureau for more information or to complain about a company.
The report also discusses which traveling sales job might be right for you. The study is aimed primarily at young people who often take such jobs to earn extra money and travel.
These scams have been around for year and people are still getting taken advantage of. Don’t be afraid to say no, or ask a lot of questions. Hopefully the NCL along with the Direct Selling Education Fund, who is funding the effort, can continue their work and spread the word about the potential dangers of some of these sales companies. While many of these charities and sales teams good and reputable, there are also some are just looking to take advantage of innocent people who up until now have not been well informed.
You can check out all of the studies done by the NCL along with the DSEF here.
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