First Principles of Business Law

6. Unsolicited consumer agreements

6.2. Case study

Read the case study and then answer the questions on the following page. 

A is at home one evening after work. At 6:30 pm there is a knock at her door. When she answers it, a person who identifies himself as 'Bob', asks if he can ask her a few questions for a survey.

A says she is too busy to participate but Bob says that it won't take long and tells A that if she answers the questions she might win a prize. When A says again that she is too busy, Bob says that he will come back the next day and to avoid this A agrees to answer his questions.

After three or four general questions, Bob starts to tell A about the broadband service that he is offering to customers. He persuades A to sign a contract for a year of these services at a price of $70 per month. He gives A a copy of the contract, which contains many terms and conditions, including a term that states that she may not terminate the agreement until the full year is complete.