UK consumer groups call for total ban on doorstep selling by electricity suppliers

In the UK, consumer groups have called for a total ban on doorstep selling by power giants after one of the biggest suppliers, Scottish & Southern Energy, lost a case in the court of appeal over misleading sales practices.

Three appeal court judges turned down SSE's appeal against its conviction at Guildford Crown Court last year for tricking householders in 2008 and 2009 in a victory described by trading standards officers as a "David and Goliath" victory. The court will hand down the sentence against SSE, Britain's second biggest energy supplier on 4 May.

SSE had been caught by trading standards officers from Surrey County Council for using an "illegal script" to persuade consumers to go for switching their supply from rival operators. According to a doorstep seller, he had a printout showing consumers paying too much with their current tariff, but the printout did not contain the information and householders were left with the impression they were overpaying when that was not necessarily so.

"The seller didn't actually have a clue but the sales script was cleverly designed to put potential customers on the back foot and to open the door to a sale," Surrey County Council said.

A five-day trial at Guildford Crown Court found SSE was guilty last May on two counts of being involved in misleading selling practices between September 2008 and July 2009. At the time of its conviction, it said it wanted to reassure both existing and potential customers that the script was no longer in use.

SSE discontinued doorstep selling in July with all of the "Big Six" suppliers, except E.On, following suit. Doorstep selling as a practice has long been associated with mis-selling accusations.