Dutch charities ‘wrong target’ for doorstep selling regulation

Proposed regulations around doorstep selling would have a major negative impact on the work of charities, according to Dutch fundraising association Goede Doelen Nederland.

The changes have been put forward by the country’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate in a bid to offer further protection for consumers with doorstep selling and online sales. They would mean that a consumer would only be bound to a contract if they explicitly agree to it in writing after their conversation.

The organisation says that door-to-door fundraising in the Netherlands recruits more than 400,000 donors each year for the sector, collectively worth tens of millions of euros. It suggests that adding an extra step to the signup and confirmation process the proposed laws would mean losing many of these.

As such, Goede Doelen Nederland has written to the country’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy saying that while it appreciates the importance of consumer protection measures, charities should be exempted from these rules.

The letter notes that when the Government presented its proposals, it included evidence about consumer complaints. These complaints mostly focused on energy suppliers, internet contracts, television subscriptions or lotteries, while charities were not mentioned. It also highlights that both the Dutch law and the European Directive exempt donations to charities from the current consumer protection rules, and that strong self-regulation already exists in the sector.

Picture by Daria Nepriakhina on Pixabay