The government wants to tackle illegal sales canvassing, which leads to personal training account (CPF) scams or even the signing of energy contracts at excessive prices. In the line of sight, canvassing by email or SMS but also by telephone. The charge comes from the deputies of the Renaissance group (ex-LREM) who wish to strengthen the Bloctel system, which is still considered ineffective.

The purchasing power project that is being discussed in the National Assembly at the moment contains elements that could give pause to professionals adept at abusive canvassing, reports Capital. On the one hand, if the article regulating illegal commercial canvassing came into force, professionals would be exposed to heavy penalties. If the outcome of the solicitation leads to the signing of a contract, the prison sentence for the culprits would be 3 years, and 7 years if it is a scam.

“These measures have the effect of cleaning up the market by fighting against companies that enrich themselves through unfair practices, competing with companies with virtuous practices and weakening consumer confidence in an entire sector”, advances the study of impact of the bill.

But article 9, amended by the deputies of the Renaissance group, goes even further to limit the impact of abusive canvassing, since it wishes to extend the “explicit consent” to telephone calls. This principle of consent is already applied for canvassing by email and SMS. When there is a clear agreement or if the solicitation has a “direct relationship” with the subject of an ongoing contract, the professional is authorized to contact the individual.

This means that if the amendment were passed, any phone calls made outside of the “explicit consent” framework would be identified as an abusive business practice. The deputies thus wish to strengthen the Bloctel opposition list. This “proves to be ineffective because it is circumvented by unscrupulous operators”, deplore the parliamentarians.

Bloctel is a 100% free cold calling service. Entering your phone number on this list is supposed to prevent you from being called by professionals. However, some subscribers continue to be contacted, sometimes even up to ten times a day.