ACCC propose Do Not Knock register
BRIBIE Island National Seniors Association secretary Bruce Kneller has welcomed calls for a "Do Not Knock" register, similar to the "Do Not Call" register which currently operates.
The calls came in response to an ACCC research report which found instances of companies preying on so called "easy targets" such as the elderly and disabled.
Currently there is a sticker available from the ACCC website which concerned residents can put on their door to discourage door-to-door salesmen but it's not legally binding.
Mr Kneller said he had ordered a large number of stickers to give to Bribie members of the NSA but agreed a tougher solution was needed.
"These stickers are the first step," he said.
"(But) the way these people operate, they're very slick.
"They've been trained up to push their product and basically don't take no for an answer."
The report found there were 1.3 million door-to-door sales, mostly relating to the energy sector.
Mr Kneller said the Bribie Island chapter of the NSA had done a lot in recent times to combat these tactics.
"We've had Rod Shelton from the fraud squad come and talk to us about all the different scams," he said.
"Not only for this type of thing but credit card and banking.
"We always tell members to be on the lookout."
The report also found instances of salesmen stooping to tactics such as pretending to have lost a pet just to get their foot in the door.
Mr Kneller had some simple advice for people to deal with any unwanted visits.
"Just be careful. If a salesman comes to your door and you're not interested just tell them," he said.
"Be firm and tell them to leave the premises or say 'I'll ring the police and report you'."
Bryan Johns operates bribieseniors.info and said he supported the moves and would like to work with Bribie NSA to get more information out there through his website.
"I get very upset about what people do to seniors," he said.
"People just seem to be prepared to take advantage."
Stickers can be ordered free of charge from the ACCC website via the link here.
