Residents are warned of door-to-door mattress sales



Issued by City of York Council

City of York Council has received reports from local residents saying that they have been ‘cold-called’ by people selling mattresses.

These approaches have reportedly taken the form of telephone calls to make an appointment to visit them at home, or door-to-door calls. One resident was even stopped in the street by a van driver attempting to sell one of the mattresses.

Trading Standards is advising residents to exercise caution if approached by a seller offering such items.

Cllr Dafydd Williams, City of York Council’s Cabinet Member for Crime and Safer Communities, said: “We are very concerned that there are a number of flammability tests for mattresses which are demanded by law and, in addition, the items must be correctly labelled. Residents who buy a mattress from someone who calls on them or stops them in the street are unlikely to have full details of the seller if things go wrong, if the items prove unsatisfactory or, worse, unsafe.

“The law requires a seven-day ‘cooling off period’ for most contracts when a sale is made in the buyer’s home. This allows buyers who have a change of mind to receive to a full refund.

“We doubt that those who are attempting to sell mattresses in such an unconventional way will be providing their customers with written details about the right to cancel, contact details or any form of written agreement, despite the law saying that they must.”

It is not an offence to sell goods door-to-door. But anyone with concerns about approaches that have been made to them to buy goods and who would like further advice on their rights, or who would like to report an incident, is urged to contact Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06.



This content has not been created by YorkMix but by one of our trusted news sources. YorkMix is not responsible for the accuracy of the text.