安省推出2017上门推销新法规： 推销员上门时不准许签署合同

 

 

当你忙完一天的工作刚刚坐上餐桌，或是正从壁橱里拖出吸尘器准备料理家务时，门铃突然响了，你打开门后却发现自己面前站着一位巧舌如簧的推销员。

 

You’ve just sat down at the dinner table after a long day at work or maybe you’re lugging the vacuum out of the closet to finish your housework. That’s when the doorbell rings and you open the door only to find yourself in the middle of a sales pitch. 

 

 

推销员会连珠炮般地追问你的能源消费习惯以及每月的能源消费支出，甚至有可能要求你向他们出示最近的电费或天然气账单。

The salesperson has all kinds of questions about your energy habits and how much you pay for energy each month.  They might even ask you to show them your latest electricity or natural gas bill.

 

 

对于一些人来说，这可能是一段可怕的经历。

For some people, that can be an unnerving experience.

 

 

但是，根据安省能源局（OEB）在2015年向省府提出的一系列建议，安省省民在应对推销电力和天然气合同的能源推销员时将会得到更有力的保护。

 

But Ontarians now have stronger protections when it comes to dealing with energy retailers that sell electricity and natural gas under contract, based on recommendations that the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) made to the government in 2015.  

 

 

在对2010年推出的《能源消费者保护法》(ECPA)进行修订后，于2017年1月1日生效的严格新规规定，上门推销的能源推销员在居民家中签署能源合同属非法。因此，居民消费者不必在推销高压下而被迫当场作出决定，他们将有更多时间考虑相关能源合同是否适合自己，然后再作出明智的决定。

On January 1, 2017, tough new rules came into force under the revised Energy Consumer Protection Act, 2010 (ECPA) that make it illegal for door-to-door energy retailers to sign you up for an energy contract while they are at your home.  As a result, residential consumers won’t have to feel pressured to make a decision on the spot.  They will have more time to think about whether an energy contract is right for them and make an informed decision.

 

 

同时生效的其他一些重要新规还包括对能源推销员上门推销或做广告的时间段做出限制，以及降低大多数居民消费者的解约罚款等。

 

Several other important new measures now also apply, including limits on when energy retailers can come to your home to market or advertise their business, and reduced cancellation fees for most residential consumers.    

 

 

OEB主席兼首席执行官Rosemarie Leclair称：“保护安省的能源消费者是OEB的核心任务，我们相信这些新规将让消费者更有信心，相信他们可以免遭不公商业行为的伤害。现在，当能源推销员上门推销时，他们不能再要求消费者当场签署合同（中文多用主动，英文常用被动），他们可以按照自己的需要（节奏），在了解更多信息的情况下选择适合自己的能源供应商。”

“Protecting Ontario’s energy consumers is at the heart of what the OEB does every day,” says Rosemarie Leclair, OEB Chair and CEO. “We believe these new rules will give consumers greater confidence that they are protected against unfair business practices. Now that consumers can’t be asked to sign up for contracts while an energy retailer is at their home, they can make choices about their energy supply at their own pace and with better information.”

 

 

自2011年开始生效的《能源消费者保护法》旨在帮助保护消费者免遭隐藏费用，过高取消合同费以及其他不公商业行为的损害，并确保他们能够获取所需信息以就能源合同作出明智决定。

The ECPA has been in effect since 2011, helping to protect consumers from hidden costs, excessive cancellation fees and other unfair practices, while ensuring they have information they need to make the right decisions about energy contracts. 

 

 

但是，在经过长期探讨（检讨review 不能翻检讨）并结合OEB所提建议后，安省政府对《能源消费者保护法》进行了修订以便能为消费者提供更有力的保护，同时OEB亦制定了自己的消费者保护新规。

But after a lengthy review and recommendations from the OEB, the government revamped the ECPA to make it stronger, and the OEB has also developed new consumer protection rules of its own.

 

 

新的保护措施包括：

The new protection measures:

 

•禁止上门推销的能源推销员在居民家中签署能源合同

•Ban door-to-door energy retailers from signing you up for an energy contract while they are at your home

 

•对能源推销员上门推销或做广告的时间段做出限制

•Place limits on when energy retailers can come to your home to market or advertise their business

 

•延长消费者可以随时取消能源合同的时间，允许他们在收到签约能源公司发来的第二份账单后的30天内随时取消合同并无需缴纳罚金

•Extend the time that consumers can cancel an energy contract without penalty to 30 days after they receive their second bill under the energy contract

 

•要求包括在线所签合同在内的所有能源合同在签订后的10-45天内交由消费者复核，以确认他们是否愿意继续履约

•Require all energy contracts –  now even those entered into online –  to be verified by the consumer 10-45 days after they’ve entered into the contract to confirm that they wish to continue with it 

 

•取消所有能源合同的自动续约

•Eliminate auto-renewal of all energy contracts

 

•降低大多数居民消费者的解约费

•Reduce cancellation fees for most residential consumers

 

•能源推销员在能源合同中必须包括OEB认可的简明条款和条件。

•Require energy retailers to include OEB-approved plain language terms and conditions in their energy contracts 

 

 

此外，OEB还致力于通过提高消费者的能源知识，增强消费者自我保护意识。将于今年晚些时候生效的其他一些新措施将为更好保护消费者利益而向他们公开包括价格比较等更多相关信息。此外新规还会要求能源合同更加清楚地列明账单费用。

The OEB is also committed to empowering consumers by increasing energy literacy and consumer awareness. Other new measures that will come into effect later in the year are more consumer friendly disclosures and price comparisons, and rules that will make energy contracts more visible on the bill.  

 

 

目前，OEB已经为想要对比水电气价格和合同报价的消费者提供了在线账单计算器，此外，OEB的网站上还公布了该局收到的有关能源推销员的投诉，以及该局所采取的执法行动的信息。

The OEB already offers an online bill calculator for consumers who want to compare their utility price with a contract offer, and the OEB’s website has information on complaints received by the OEB about energy retailers and on OEB enforcement actions.

 

 

Leclair称：“作为负责保护能源消费者的独立监管机构，我们的核心任务就是确保能源推销员依规行事。”如果OEB发现有能源推销员违规，该局可以采取执法行动。对连续违规行为，OEB可实施的财政罚款上限去年已增至每天$100万元。此外，OEB还可以命令能源推销商取消合同并向消费者退款，或是暂停或吊销能源推销商的牌照。

 

“A core part of our role as the independent regulator that is tasked with protecting energy consumers is to make sure energy retailers follow the rules”, Leclair says. If the OEB finds that an energy retailer has broken the rules, the OEB can take enforcement action. Last year, the level of financial penalties that the OEB can impose was increased to $1 million for each day the violation occurs or continues.  The OEB can also order an energy retailer to cancel contracts and refund money to consumers, or suspend or revoke an energy retailer’s licence.

 

 

OEB鼓励所有消费者登陆oeb.ca/knockknock网站更好地了解自身权益，以及能源推销商必须遵守的规则，如若消费者有任何疑虑可随时联系OEB。

The OEB encourages all consumers to visit its website at oeb.ca/knockknock and learn more about their rights and the rules that energy retailers have to follow, and to contact the OEB if they have any concerns.