How John + Mary navigated a misleading contract

Mary lives in Kelowna with her son’s in-home caregiver, John*. John was approached by a door-to-door salesperson who was selling a new furnace with a 20year lease.

John was not properly informed about the lease agreement and therefore did not fully understand his long-term payment plan, which was very expensive. This was when Mary stepped in to try to help John find a way out of the contract. “I was rattling around, trying to find a solution. Then I contacted Consumer Protection BC,” says Mary.

Consumer Protection BC investigated and found the company had engaged in deceptive behaviour and misrepresented John’s cancellation rights. When everything was resolved, John was able to keep the equipment that had been installed and paid a reasonable rate instead of the expensive 20-year lease.

“If John had been left alone in this, he would have become entangled in the process and gotten lost in it,” says Mary. “Consumer Protection BC unraveled it for us – it was easy to get through the logistics of it all.”

Mary hopes that her story inspires others to learn their rights as consumers when encountering a problem transaction and encourages people to put the time into finding a solution. “I wish people were more aware of where to go for help,” she says.

YOU FEEL LIKE SOMETHING ISN’T RIGHT, REACH OUT TO US.

If you walk away from signing a contract or paying for a product or service and something just doesn’t feel right, contact Consumer Protection. They are responsible for overseeing certain consumer protection laws in BC, and are a step on your path to a solution. Depending on your concern, another organization may be the ones to speak to; other times, court or legal assistance may be the best solution. Either way, Consumer Protection does their best to help figure out the best path to take. Visit consumerprotectionbc.ca for information.