One of the most frequent questions we’re asked is whether the Do Not Knock sticker applies to charities, religious visitors, and market researcher agencies.

The Do Not Knock sicker applies to salespeople engaged in door-to-door selling. This is called an ‘unsolicited consumer agreement’ under the Australian Consumer Law, and it includes:

• when a seller, or their sales agent, approaches or calls you uninvited (ie knocks on your door) and
•  the total value of the agreement is more than $100 (or cannot be determined when the agreement is made).

You can read more about unsolicited sales agreements here.

Visits from politicians, those seeking donations for a charity, or market researchers are not unsolicited consumer agreements for the purposes of that law because there is no selling involved.  This means the Do Not Knock sticker does not apply to those visits.

Although the sticker does not apply to fundraisers or researchers, the Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA) has information for people wishing to make a complaint about charities and fundraisers who are FIA members.  If you have a problem with a market research company that door-knocks, the Research Industry Council of Australia recommends complaining directly to the research company in question or the industry Surveyline on 1300 364 830.

For more information, read our page on who the sticker applies to. The ACCC’s consumer guide to door to door sales also has detailed information on what is and isn’t covered, and more broadly your rights at the door.