"Just slam the door" is the wrong advice, and ignoring the rule costs you money.
Most guides treat every door-to-door pitch as a scam. That advice misses two important things.
First, in the 18 retail-choice states plus Washington DC, knocking is a legal sales channel. Many of the suppliers doing it are licensed by the same state PUC that licenses your utility. The pitch can be honest. It can also be a trap. The difference is hard to spot in 5 minutes on your porch.
Second, even if you sign, the law is on your side. Under the FTC Cooling-Off Rule, any sale over $25 made at your home gives you 3 business days to cancel with no penalty. Some states add more time. The salesperson is required by law to tell you this. Many "forget".
Three rights. Every US household. Always.
Whether the salesperson is honest or running a scam, three legal rights apply to every door-to-door energy contract in the United States. Knowing them puts you back in control.
Right 1, Time
Cooling-off period
At least 3 business days to cancel any door-to-door sale over $25, federally. Ohio gives 7 calendar days for energy contracts. The clock starts the day after you sign.
Right 2, Paperwork
Written disclosures
The seller must give you two copies of a dated cancellation notice and a signed contract showing the rate, term, fees and your right to cancel, in your language if requested.
Right 3, Recourse
PUC complaint
If the supplier breaks any rule, switching you without consent ("slamming"), lying about who they represent, refusing to honor cancellation, you can file a free complaint with your state PUC. It triggers a license review.
These three rights stack: time to think, paperwork to prove what you signed, and an enforcement channel if anything goes wrong. Use all three if you need to.
Every red flag, decoded.
A door-to-door energy seller uses a small set of recurring lines. This table maps each line to what it really means and the rule that should apply.
| What they say at the door | What it really means | Who actually does this | Red flag? |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Your utility sent us." | A retail supplier wants your account number. | No utility, none | Yes |
| "We need your bill to verify your discount." | They want the meter number to enroll you. | Door-to-door supplier reps | Yes |
| "This rate is only available today." | Time pressure to skip the cooling-off thought. | High-pressure resellers | Yes |
| "Sign this and you'll save X%." | Discount on supply only, often vs. a teaser rate. | Most licensed suppliers | Verify |
| "Here is the Terms of Service and your cancellation notice." | A rule-following licensed supplier doing the legal minimum. | Compliant licensed suppliers | OK |
| "I just need a quick signature for the audit." | A signature can be used to authorize a supplier switch. | Slammers | Yes |
Your utility never knocks. They send written notices and read your meter remotely. Anyone at your door claiming to be "from the utility" is selling something, not auditing anything.
"Slamming" is illegal in every retail-choice state. But the slammer wins if you stay quiet.
Slamming means switching your supplier without your authorization. Every state with retail choice prohibits it, and every PUC has a complaint process that can trigger an automatic license review.
But enforcement is reactive. If you do not report it, nothing happens. The supplier keeps the customer, the salesperson keeps the commission, and you keep paying.
The good news: filing online takes about 10 minutes. Most PUCs reverse the unauthorized switch and credit the difference back to your bill within 30 days. The complaint forms are public, free and do not require a lawyer.
typical resolution window
How a door-to-door energy pitch is actually assembled.
A salesperson on your porch is the end of a chain. Four parallel processes converge into that 5-minute pitch.
Supplier licensing
A retail supplier, REP in Texas, ESCO in New York, applies to the state PUC for a license. The license can be revoked for repeated complaints; the company is required to disclose its sales channels.
Third-party sales firm
Most door-to-door pitches are run by an outside marketing firm, not the supplier itself. The salesperson is paid per signed contract, often $50 to $150 each, which is where the time pressure comes from.
Third-party verification call
After you sign, an independent verifier calls to confirm you wanted to switch, required by every state PUC. Saying "no, I did not authorize this" on that call is the cleanest way to stop a switch before it goes through.
Cooling-off window
Even if the switch is already in the utility's system, the FTC's 3 business days still apply. A written cancellation, dated within the window, kills the contract and reverses any pending switch.
Each step is regulated by a different body, the state PUC for licensing, the FTC for the cooling-off rule. That layered design is what keeps the channel legal at all. It only works for you if you actually use it.
How US households get burned at their own door.
Five recurring patterns we see in customer complaints. Each one is preventable. Each one is reversible if you act in time.
What a door-to-door salesperson never needs from you.
A legitimate licensed supplier can quote you a rate without seeing your bill. Anyone who insists on the bill, the meter number or your account ID before quoting is enrolling you, not informing you.
Your utility already has all of this. They will never send a stranger to ask for it. If you are interested, write the company name down and look them up on your state PUC's licensed-suppliers list before sharing anything.
What to actually do, at the door and after.
Ask for ID
A licensed supplier must carry company ID with a PUC license number. If they cannot show it, close the door.
Never share your bill
A real quote does not need your account or meter number. Anyone insisting on it is enrolling you, not informing you.
Take paperwork, sign nothing
Take the brochure and the rate card, say you will think about it, and verify the supplier later on the PUC's licensed list.
If you already signed
The widget at the top tells you whether you are still within your state's cooling-off window. If yes, cancel today.
Cancel in writing
A phone call alone is not enough. Send email or certified mail, dated within the window, keep the receipt as proof.
If they refuse, file with PUC
Find your state's PUC complaint form via the FTC Cooling-Off Rule page or your state government's website. Free, ~10 minutes.
Common questions about door-to-door energy sales.
Only if you actively authorize it, by signing a contract and confirming on a third-party verification call. In the 18 retail-choice states plus DC, licensed suppliers may sell door-to-door. Switching you without that authorization is called slamming, and it is illegal in every state that allows retail choice. Your utility itself will not switch your supplier; only a licensed supplier can.
Federally, the FTC Cooling-Off Rule gives you 3 business days from the day after you sign for any door-to-door sale over $25. Ohio adds a longer state rule of 7 calendar days for energy contracts. Many supplier contracts voluntarily include a longer window (10 to 30 days), check your Terms of Service. Cancel in writing within the window and keep proof.
Slamming is switching a customer to a new electricity or gas supplier without their authorization. It is prohibited by every state PUC in the retail-choice states and triggers a license review of the offending supplier. If you spot a new supplier name on your bill that you did not approve, file a PUC complaint immediately. It is the only channel that can legally reverse the switch and refund the price difference.
Almost never. Utilities read meters remotely and communicate by mail or the utility-account portal. They have no commercial reason to knock, they earn on delivery, not supply, and you cannot change your delivery utility. Anyone at your door claiming to be "from the utility" is, in practice, a supplier rep or scammer. Ask for ID; if it shows a different company name, that is your answer.
Every state PUC publishes an online complaint form on its public website. You provide your name, your utility account number, the supplier name and a short description (slamming, deceptive marketing, refused cancellation). The PUC then contacts the supplier, which by rule has about 10 business days to respond. Most cases resolve in 30 days. The process is free and does not require a lawyer.
Three items: your full utility bill, your account number, and your meter number. Combined with your signature, these can be used to enroll you with a new supplier, sometimes during what feels like a casual "verification". A real rate quote does not require any of these. If they insist, that is the cue to close the door.