Further providing for contracts and effect of rescission.
Summary
HB989 amends Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law to expand and clarify the right of rescission for certain consumer sales. The bill applies to goods or services priced at $25 or more that are sold after an in-person home solicitation, a telephone contact at the residence, or a consumer-initiated transaction through an internet website or software application. In those covered transactions, the buyer may cancel the contract within three full business days by giving written notice and returning or making available any merchandise received in original condition.
The bill also strengthens the required disclosures sellers must provide at the time of sale. It requires a fully completed receipt or contract in the same language used in the sales presentation and in English, with the seller’s physical and email address, and a conspicuous notice explaining the right to cancel. It further requires a detachable “Notice of Cancellation” form in duplicate, with detailed instructions about how cancellation works, how refunds and traded-in property are handled, and how goods are to be returned or made available for pickup. The act would take effect 60 days after enactment.
Impact
HB989 would amend Section 7 of the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, broadening its application to include consumer-initiated online sales through websites and apps in addition to traditional door-to-door and telephone sales. It would impose additional contract and disclosure requirements on sellers, including multilingual documentation, English-language copies, email contact information, and a standardized cancellation form. The practical effect is to give consumers clearer and more uniform rescission rights while increasing compliance obligations for businesses engaged in covered sales.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee debate or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of opposition or support from the legislative process. Based on the bill text, the measure appears consumer-protective and aimed at modernizing existing cancellation rules for online and remote sales. Its framing suggests a generally favorable posture toward consumer rights and transparency.
Contention
The main likely points of contention are the expanded compliance burdens on sellers and the inclusion of internet- and app-based transactions within a law historically associated with home solicitation sales. Businesses may object to the added requirements for bilingual/English documentation, detailed cancellation notices, and the need to process rescissions for online-originated sales. Consumer advocates would likely support these provisions as necessary protections against confusing or high-pressure sales practices, especially in remote and digital marketplaces.
Further providing for definitions, for registration of contractors, for procedures for registration as a contractor, for application fees, for home improvement contracts and for home improvement fraud; and making a repeal.