Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 4404 – Unlawful practices
Section 2513(b)(2) of this title notwithstanding, in connection with any door-to-door sale, it is an unlawful practice within the meaning of § 2513 of this title for any seller to:
(1) Fail to furnish the buyer with a fully completed receipt or copy of any contract pertaining to such sale at the time of its execution, which is in the same language, e.g., Spanish, as that principally used in the oral sales presentation and which shows the date of the transaction and contains the name and address of the seller, and in immediate proximity to the space reserved in the contract for the signature of the buyer or on the front page of the receipt if a contract is not used and in bold-faced type of a minimum size of 10-point, a statement in substantially the following form:
“YOU, THE BUYER, MAY CANCEL THIS TRANSACTION AT ANY TIME PRIOR TO MIDNIGHT OF THE THIRD BUSINESS DAY AFTER THE DATE OF THIS TRANSACTION. SEE THE ATTACHED NOTICE OF CANCELLATION FORM FOR AN EXPLANATION OF THIS RIGHT.”
Beginning 1 year after the effective date of this section, such statement shall be printed in an ink of a conspicuous color other than that used for the rest of the contract and/or receipt.
(2) Fail to furnish each buyer, when signing the door-to-door sales contract or otherwise agrees to buy consumer goods or services from the seller, a completed form in duplicate, captioned “Notice of Cancellation,” which shall be attached to the contract or receipt and easily detachable, and which shall contain in 10-point, bold-faced type the following information and statements in the same language, e.g., Spanish, as that used in the contract:
“NOTICE OF CANCELLATION
________ (Enter date of transaction)
You may cancel this transaction, without any penalty or obligation, within 3 business days from the above date.
If you cancel, any property traded in, any payments made by you under the contract or sale and any negotiable instrument executed by you will be returned within 10 business days following receipt by the seller of your cancellation notice, and any security interest arising out of the transaction will be cancelled.
If you cancel, you must make available to the seller at your residence, in substantially as good condition as when received, any goods delivered to you under this contract or sale; or you may if you wish comply with the instructions of the seller regarding the return shipment of the goods at the seller’s expense and risk.
If you do not agree to return the goods to the seller or if the seller does not pick them up within 20 days of the date of your Notice of Cancellation, you may retain or dispose of the goods without any further obligation.
To cancel this transaction, mail or deliver a signed and dated copy of this cancellation notice or any other written notice, or send a telegram, to
________ (Name of seller) , at ________ (Address at seller’s place of business)
not later than midnight of ________________ (Date)
I hereby cancel this transaction.
________________ (Date)
________ (Buyer’s signature)”
(3) Fail, before furnishing copies of the “Notice of Cancellation” to the buyer, to complete both copies by entering the name of the seller, the address of the seller’s place of business, the date of the transaction and the date, not earlier than the third business day following the date of the transaction, by which the buyer may give the Notice of Cancellation.
(4) Include in any door-to-door contract or receipt any confession of judgment or any waiver of any of the rights to which the buyer is entitled under this chapter including specifically the right to cancel the sale in accordance with this chapter.
(5) Fail to inform each buyer orally, at the time the buyer signs the contract or purchases the goods or services, of the right to cancel.
(6) Misrepresent in any manner the buyer’s right to cancel.
(7) Fail or refuse to honor any valid Notice of Cancellation by a buyer and within 10 business days after the receipt of such Notice, to (i) refund all payments made under the contract or sale; (ii) return any goods or property traded in, in substantially as good condition as when received by the seller; (iii) cancel and return any negotiable instrument executed by the buyer in connection with the contract or sale and take any action necessary or appropriate to terminate promptly any security interest created in the transaction.
(8) Negotiate, transfer, sell or assign any note or other evidence of indebtedness to a finance company or other third party prior to midnight of the fifth business day following the day the contract was signed or the goods or services were purchased.
(9) Fail, within 10 business days of receipt of the buyer’s Notice of Cancellation, to notify the buyer whether the seller intends to repossess or to abandon any shipped or delivered goods.
Terms Used In Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 4404
- Business day: shall mean any calendar day except Saturdays, Sundays or legal holidays (as that term is defined in Chapter 5 of Title 1). See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 4403
- Consumer goods or services: shall mean goods or services purchased, leased or rented primarily for personal, family or household purposes, including courses of instruction or training regardless of the purpose for which they are taken. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 4403
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Door-to-door sale: shall mean a sale, lease or rental of consumer goods or services with a purchase price of $25 or more, whether under single or multiple contracts, in which the seller or the seller's representative personally solicits the sale, including those in response to or following an invitation by the buyer, and the buyer's agreement or offer to purchase is made at a place other than the place of business of the seller. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 4403
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- Place of business: shall mean the main or permanent branch office or a permanent local address of a seller, not including a hotel room, motel room or other temporary quarters. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 4403
- Seller: shall mean any person, partnership, corporation or association engaged in the door-to-door sale of consumer goods or services. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 4403
- Year: means a calendar year, and is equivalent to the words "year of our Lord. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302