NMJournal.com
Consumer Alert

DOOR TO DOOR SALES

Patricia Madrid   by NM Attorney General Patricia Madrid

How often have you answered your door and found an eager, smiling face who is offering you a wonderful opportunity to spend your money? Probably more often than you can recall. There are a variety of "wonderful" opportunities, such as repaving your driveway or fixing your roof with left-over materials. My office receives numerous calls from people who have paid to have their driveway repaved or their roof fixed. People are told they being given a greatly reduced price because the material is left over from another job. Unfortunately, too many people go ahead and agree to have the work done. But these people rarely get their moneys' worth. More often than not the leftover materials offer is a scam.

The typical scam reported to this office involves individuals who claim to be from out of state with material left over from a job recently completed. These individuals may not have a state issued contractor's license, a business license, or even a city issued door-to-door sales permit. Contractors are licensed by the state. Before hiring someone to do home repair work, it is advisable to make sure that the contractor is licensed and checking references can be useful.

"My office advises consumers to be very careful in purchasing goods or services at the door," Madrid says. Purchases made at the door are covered by a 3-day right to cancel sales or leases of consumer goods or services of $25 or more that are purchased from a seller initiated contact. When a contract is signed at the door following a seller initiated contact, the buyer must be furnished with a "notice of cancellation" under New Mexico law which permits the buyer to cancel the contract within three business days of the date of signing.

Please beware of those selling costly goods and services door-to-door. Reputable home repair companies or individuals will give you references you may check and time to think about the offer they are making to you. Don't be rushed into making an on-the-spot decision. Take the time to check out home repair offers. Legitimate offers don't have to be made immediately.

If you have a question or consumer complaint you may contact the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's Office in any of the following ways:

  • call toll-free at 800 678-1508;
  • on-line at www.ago.state.nm.us;
  • or write to: P.O. Box 1508 Santa Fe, NM 87504-1508.

Patricia Madrid is the Attorney General of New Mexico.

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