Hard-selling of Packages by Retailers Targeted at Seniors and Measures in Place

Dr Shahira Abdullah asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether there has been an increase in the number of reported incidents of hard-selling of packages by retailers targeted at seniors; (b) if so, what enforcement measures are in place to ensure that retailers do not engage in such hard-selling activities; and (c) for retailers issued with warnings from the Consumers Association of Singapore, whether the Ministry will consider mandating cooling-off clauses for packages offered by these retailers.

The number of complaints made to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) involving pressure sales tactics targeted at seniors has remained around 80 annually.

Pressure sales tactics are an unfair practice under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act. Retailers who engage in such unfair practices may be investigated by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) and subject to an injunction order under the Act. MTI will continue to keep a close watch on the trends in pressure selling and review regularly whether additional measures, such as mandating cooling-off clauses in certain circumstances, are needed.