Doorstep and cold-call energy and internet sales traps

Terms used

• Desistimiento — The desistimiento is your legal right to withdraw from a contract signed away from business premises, without giving a reason.
• Burofax — A burofax is a postal service that proves the content and delivery date of your message.
• Hoja de reclamaciones — The hoja de reclamaciones is the official complaint form you can file with a consumer office.
• Lista Robinson — Lista Robinson is a free list where you register to stop taking part companies sending you advertising.

Key rules

• Cooling-off: A contract signed at your door can be cancelled within 14 days without giving a reason, by written notice that leaves proof.
• Verify: Check a visitor only through the number on your own bill or the distributor's official website.
• Consent: A company must prove you agreed to a supplier switch; if it cannot, demand a return to your previous supplier.
• Missing information: If the seller did not clearly tell you about your right to cancel, you get 12 extra months.

What to do when someone knocks or calls

Do not let anyone in unless the visit was announced or you asked for it. Real network companies do read meters and run announced gas checks, usually after a letter or notification. They do not sell contracts, take cash or card payments at the door, ask to see your bills to change supplier, or ask you to sign.

Verify the person before anything else:

• Ask for photo ID and company credentials.
• Check them using the phone number on your own bill or the distributor's official website. Never use a number the visitor gives you.
• If the visit looks suspicious, refuse entry, call 112 or the police, and sign nothing.

Your supplier cannot change your contract without your consent. The same goes for phone calls: do not confirm anything, give bill details or say "yes" to offers.

If you already signed

A contract signed at your door can be cancelled within 14 days without giving a reason or paying a penalty. For a service, the 14 days start the day you sign. For goods, they start the day you receive them.

To cancel:

1. Write a clear statement that you withdraw (desistimiento). The seller should give you a form, but any clear wording works.
2. Send it in a way that leaves proof: burofax, email with confirmation, or registered letter.
3. Send it before the period ends. The company must refund you within 14 days of your notice.

If the seller never clearly told you about this right, the period extends by 12 months.

The right can be lost in some cases: a service fully carried out after you agreed to start and accepted losing the right, custom-made goods, perishables, and urgent repairs you asked for. If you asked for a service to start within the 14 days, you may owe a proportional amount for what was used. Do not agree to "start at once" without understanding this.

If you missed the deadline or never agreed

You still have routes:

1. Written complaint. Send it to the company's customer service. It must answer. A phone or internet operator has one month.
2. Switch without your consent. Demand cancellation and a return to your previous supplier. The company must prove you gave valid consent, for example with a recording or signature.
3. Telecoms. Escalate to the telecoms user office of the Ministry for Digital Transformation. For energy, go to the supplier first, then the regional consumer body. Supply-switching disputes are resolved by the national energy regulator.
4. Consumer office. Complain to your regional or town consumer office (Consumo or OMIC) and file a hoja de reclamaciones. Consumer arbitration is also available if the company has joined the system.
5. Fraud. If your signature was forged, report it to the police or go to court.

Cutting down cold calls

Register for Lista Robinson, a free list that stops taking part companies advertising to you. Unsolicited commercial calls without your consent are banned, and you can complain to the data protection authority. You can also tell a company to delete you from its marketing lists. Block repeat numbers on your phone. The list does not stop fraudulent or foreign callers, or companies you already have a contract with.

The timeline, checklist, warnings and FAQ below cover the steps in order.

Timeline and deadlines

• Start counting: for a service, the period runs from the day you sign; for goods, from the day you receive them: from the day you sign or receive the goods

• Send a written withdrawal notice by a way that leaves proof, such as burofax, email with confirmation or registered letter: before the 14 days end

• If the seller never clearly told you about your right to withdraw, you can still withdraw: for up to 12 extra months

• Send a written complaint to the company's customer service if you missed the period or never agreed to the contract: as soon as you notice the problem

• Wait for the answer; a phone or internet operator must reply to your complaint: within one month

• Escalate to the consumer office and file a hoja de reclamaciones if the reply is no or never comes: after the company's answer or the end of its time limit

Checklist

• Keep the door closed unless the visit was announced or you asked for it.

• Refuse to sign anything, pay cash or by card at the door, or show your bills to change supplier.

• If you already signed, send a written withdrawal notice within 14 days by burofax, email with confirmation or registered letter, and keep the proof.

What to watch out for

• A visitor posing as a meter inspector: Real network companies read meters and inspect gas installations, usually after a letter or notice. They do not sell contracts, take payment at the door or ask you to sign. Refuse entry, verify through the number on your own bill, and call 112 or the police if the visitor insists.

• Signing at the door and missing the cancel window: A contract signed at the door can be cancelled, but only if you send a written notice that leaves proof. A phone call or a chat with the seller may not count. Send the notice by burofax, email with confirmation or registered letter before the period ends and keep the receipt.

• Losing the right by agreeing to start at once: If you agree to start a service straight away and acknowledge losing the right, you cannot cancel once it is fully performed. Custom-made goods, perishables and urgent repairs you asked for are also excluded. Do not agree to immediate start in writing unless you want it, and read what you sign.

• A supplier switch you never agreed to: Your supplier cannot change your contract without your consent, and the company must prove it with a recording or signature. A forged signature is fraud. Demand in writing to return to your previous supplier, complain to the consumer office, and report forgery to the police.

• Relying on Lista Robinson alone: The list does not stop fraudulent or foreign callers, or companies you already have a contract with. Block the numbers, object to marketing directly with the company, and file a complaint about unwanted calls with the data protection authority.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get my old supplier back if I never agreed to the switch?

Yes, you can demand in writing to return to your previous supplier and cancel the new contract, because the company must prove you agreed. It proves consent with a recording or your signature.

Where do I complain if the company ignores my written complaint?

Take it to the regional or municipal consumer office (Consumo or OMIC) and file a hoja de reclamaciones, the official complaint form. For phone and internet, you can also go to the telecoms users' office of the Ministry for Digital Transformation.

Do I pay anything if I cancel after the service has already started?

You may owe a proportional amount for the days of service if you asked for it to start within the 14 days. You cannot cancel at all once a service is fully performed and you agreed to start it and accepted losing the right. Urgent repairs you requested are also excluded.

Can I stop companies from cold-calling me in Spain?

Yes, you can join Lista Robinson, a free list, so that taking part companies stop sending advertising to your phone, email and address.