B.C. changes consumer laws including banning door sales of certain products
British Columbia has implemented new consumer protection laws to combat predatory sales practices and unclear subscription renewals. The regulations mandate advanced notice for automatic renewals and ban high-pressure door-to-door sales for specific household appliances.
Why it matters
These changes provide significant legal recourse for consumers against deceptive digital and physical sales tactics.
Some recent changes went into effect in B.C. that could impact you as a consumer.
If you’re sick of seeing auto-renewal charges on your credit card bill that you didn’t realize were coming, changes that went into effect Aug. 1 give you slightly more power.
The B.C. Ministry of Attorney General states that there are now stronger protections against automatic contract renewals and high-pressure direct sales in force.
“The measures will better protect people from unclear contract terms, unexpected automatic subscription renewals of services, such as food delivery and streaming subscriptions, and predatory sales practices on everyday items and services,” the ministry states.
As part of the changes, there are now rules against automatic renewal of subscription contracts without giving customers advanced notice, “so people can decide if they want to renew a subscription and are not charged unexpectedly.”
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