Dutch Consumer Association Wants to Ban Door-To-Door Sales

After a wave of complaints about aggressive and misleading sales tactics by door-to-door agents of the internet and cable provider Delta Fiber, the consumer association (Consumentenbond) is demanding a complete ban on all unsolicited commercial visits. The call extends far beyond Delta, and is targeting all door-to-door sales from energy, telecom, internet, and other companies, as reported by AD.

Delta’s recent scandal has sparked public outrage: multiple reports describe behaviour ranging from high-pressure persuasion to intimidation and verbal abuse at the doorstep. In one viral clip, a Delta salesperson used harsh and insulting language right at someone’s door.

The Consumentenbond argues that door-to-door sales have long caused problems: in surveys and undercover investigations they found that many of these salespeople ignore “do not disturb” stickers, use aggressive or misleading sales tactics, and pressure vulnerable people, such as older adults, into contracts.

Their solution would therefore be a total ban on unsolicited door-to-door commercial sales (in Dutch: “colportage”), especially in sensitive sectors like energy and telecom. They say partial regulation has repeatedly failed: even when rules exist (for example a ban on non-asked-for visits after 21:00), they are often violated.

The Consumentenbond suggests that any future contract from a salesperson should require a cooling-off period, written confirmation, and a clear, prior request from the consumer: not a surprise sales pitch at their door.

While the recent outrage concerns Delta Fiber, the complaint is not just about one company. The Consumentenbond emphasises this is a systemic issue affecting many companies; not only telecom or energy, but any business that uses door-to-door sales. According to their 2025 report, dozens of major energy and telecom providers (besides Delta) still use door-to-door marketing, despite repeated complaints.

The Delta case gave the push needed to make the demand public and urgent, but the proposed ban would apply to all companies using cold-call or cold-visit sales methods in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands government has previously asked the European Union to tighten rules on unsolicited sales, including door-to-door practices and telemarketing. The EU currently restricts bans on door-to-door selling partly because of internal market rules, which aim to ensure free trade across member states.

That means the Consumentenbond’s call for a nationwide ban may face legal obstacles, unless EU consumer-protection rules are changed. Still, the growing public pressure and media attention after Delta’s scandal could push the government to try.

Many consumers have welcomed the demand. A recent poll by Consumentenbond found that over 90% of respondents are annoyed by door-to-door sales. 71% say they view such visits as intimidating rather than respectful sales attempts.

On the other hand, energy and telecom companies argue that they are being unfairly lumped together for the behaviour of a few unscrupulous sales agents. Some say a total ban would hurt competition and customer choice — especially for people without stable internet access or familiarity with online contracts.