Telephone canvassing: more than 400.000 euros in fines for a heating and air conditioning equipment company in Alsace

"An investigation was carried out by competition, consumer affairs and fraud prevention officers assigned to the Bas-Rhin Departmental Directorate for Population Protection (DDPP)" concerning this company, "Action Eco Habitat," the prefecture wrote on its website.

The procedure was launched following several reports filed on the Signalconso platform. This application, launched in 2020, allows consumers to report anomalies across a wide range of products and services to the department responsible for their protection, the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF).

The investigation established that the company "did not comply with the ban on telephone canvassing in the energy renovation sector," explained the prefecture, which is why the departmental director of population protection in Bas-Rhin issued this fine.

In April, the Senate adopted measures to ban telephone canvassing without consumer consent, paving the way for their entry into force.

The new principle, based on consent, would replace the current Bloctel system, which currently requires consumers to register on a list if they want to be spared from canvassing.

The text also prohibits commercial prospecting by electronic means - email, SMS, social networks, etc. - in the sectors of energy renovation and housing adaptation.