There’s a knock on your door. Or your doorbell rings. You check your camera or your peephole - seems harmless enough, so you open the door.

The person standing in front of you claims that they can get you a cheaper rate on your energy bill - usually a gas bill, but sometimes something different. Just bring them one of yours and they’ll see what they can do.

Inevitably, they show you that you don’t have to pay as much as you do. Just sign up with the company they represent and your energy bill will be cheaper. They tell you you’d be a fool to pass it up - many people have later told them they regretted not signing up with this deal - you won’t find it on their website after all.

You decide to sign up - only to find that your energy bill has not decreased - it’s increased! When you call to switch back out, you find that you missed their free cancellation period and now you have to pay a fee for each month left on your contract.

How to protect yourself
Never buy anything from a door-to-door salesperson. Ever. Somebody going door-to-door is inevitably working on commisison, which means that they will do anything to sell you the product. Needless to say, always read any contract that they give you.

In this case, the rate they advertise is real - but it’s only part of the bill. There are hidden fees. For example, a third party energy company might provide gas for cheap, but there’s an extra fee for delivery, eating up any savings you might get.