Guide 3 of 6
Energy salespeople at the door and on the phone
Where the national rules apply, energy salespeople may knock or call only at set hours, must tell you who they are and why they are contacting you, and must stop if you tell them to. In Victoria, the law prohibits door-to-door sales and cold calling to residential customers.
The AER’s rules on energy rights apply in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT; the Victorian rules come from the Essential Services Commission’s code.
General information, not legal advice. If you signed up and changed your mind, the cooling-off rules are in Switching retailers.
What a salesperson must and must not do
Energy Made Easy sets out both lists.
They must
- explain why they are getting in touch
- ensure you understand what you would be agreeing to
- tell you that you can change your mind, the cooling-off period
- stop visiting or calling if you ask them to
They must not
- pressure you
- make false promises
- let you sign anything while they think you don’t understand
At the door, a salesperson must show identification with their name and who they work for; on the phone, they must tell you both. The AER puts it in one line on its energy services page: “by law a salesperson must show you ID and tell you the purpose of the visit/reason for the call.”
The hours they may contact you
| How | Monday to Friday | Saturday | Sundays and public holidays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knocking on your door | 9 am to 6 pm | 9 am to 5 pm | Not allowed |
| Phoning you | 9 am to 8 pm | 9 am to 5 pm | Not allowed |
How to stop the contact
Energy Made Easy lists three ways to tell energy retailers to stop:
- a Do Not Knock sticker at your front door or gate;
- asking the retailer or the salesperson to put you on its ‘no contact’ list, which the AER says retailers are required to keep;
- registering your number on the Australian Government’s Do Not Call Register.
If you are asked to sign today
You don’t have to sign up to a new plan straight away, or tell a salesperson anything. Energy Made Easy suggests thinking about the plan first, asking the salesperson to come back another day, and looking up how the plan compares with others in your area.
“Salespeople might claim they are making you a ‘limited offer’ and insist that you need to accept the offer today.”
Australian Energy Regulator, Energy servicesSigning up does not need paper; it can happen by telephone, online or face to face, and the retailer must give you written information about the price and the terms and conditions. You then have 10 business days to change your mind and pay nothing. Where the salesperson has not done everything required, the cooling-off period could run longer, from 3 to 6 months.
In Victoria
The ESC’s code notes that door-to-door selling and cold calling to residential customers are prohibited by section 40EB of the Electricity Industry Act and, for gas, section 40DB of the Gas Industry Act. The Victorian Government described the ban among its energy reforms in 2022.
For contact the code still allows, it sets out what a marketer must give a small customer:
- in person: the person’s name, any relevant identification number, the retailer’s name and contact details, and the purpose of the contact;
- on the phone: the caller’s first name (and operator number on request), the retailer’s name, the purpose of the call, and on request the name of the marketing company employing them.
Retailers must keep a no contact list for small business customers approached by mail or in person; an entry lasts two years and is refreshed each time the business asks. Marketers must also obey signs saying no advertising material is to be left at a property.
Complaining about a salesperson
Energy Made Easy suggests writing down the salesperson’s name, who they work for, the time and date of contact and what they said. If you think they were not honest, it points to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) or your state or territory consumer protection agency; the ACCC can’t sort out problems between you and a retailer, but can take action against retailers whose salespeople did not follow the law.
Concerns about salespeople or how a service was sold are also for your retailer first, and then your state’s energy ombudsman.