What happens, step by step
The homeowner describes the job
What they need, what's there now, when, and their postcode, then their first name, email and phone. Every job begins on our own form. We don't buy leads, cold call or doorknock.
They agree to one installer contacting them
The tick box says they agree to Blufire sharing their details with one local aircon technician, so that technician can contact them about this job.
Local installers see the job
Installers covering their area who do that kind of work see the job, the first name and suburb, but not the phone or email. Every job goes to the local installers who cover the area first, and if none of them takes it within 48 hours, installers elsewhere in the homeowner's state may see it as well.
The first to take it gets the details
No other installer is sent the contact details. How jobs are delivered is how jobs are delivered, and how quickly we'll ask you to make first contact is response time we ask of installers.
How long does consent last?
The tick box doesn't set a period, so the rules decide. Two sets of rules point to the same period. Under the Do Not Call Register rules, express consent with no set period is taken to expire three months after it's given. The VEU code says consent to be phoned or visited is taken to be withdrawn three months after it's given, unless the person picks a longer period.
So treat a job as live for a season from the day they sent the form, and don't ring them about it again after that unless they come back to you.
Do Not Call: what applies to your calls
Telemarketing calls to a number on the Do Not Call Register are only allowed with consent. Ours is express consent to be contacted about the job they described, by the installer who takes it.
Consent ends straight away if the person says they don't want calls from you. Both the caller and the business that wanted the call made have to comply, so that covers you and anyone ringing on your behalf.
The industry standard limits telemarketing calls to weekdays 9am to 8pm and Saturdays 9am to 5pm, with none on Sundays or national public holidays, unless the consumer agreed to a call at that time. Your number has to show, and the call ends if they ask. Whether a call about a job someone requested counts as telemarketing is one for your own adviser, but staying inside these rules is easy.
VEU jobs: naming the provider
In Victoria, generating leads for or marketing a VEU activity is a regulated action, and the code bans phoning or visiting about one without express prior consent. The ESC says filling in an online enquiry form is one way to give it.
The code also says the homeowner must be given the name of the accredited person who'll create the certificate. The accredited provider who takes a VEU job will confirm with the homeowner before any visit, and how that provider is named is how the accredited person is named on VEU jobs. Our page for VEU providers sets out the rest.
A quote request doesn't make your visit invited
This is the one that catches people out. Under the Australian Consumer Law, an invitation merely to quote isn't taken to be an invitation to negotiate. Sign a homeowner up on the spot at a quote visit and it can be an unsolicited consumer agreement.
That gives them until the end of the 10th business day to cancel, and in that time you can't supply the work or accept any payment. NSW guidance says that if you leave a quote and the homeowner later approaches you to accept it, the agreement isn't unsolicited. WA Consumer Protection says the business carries the onus of proving it wasn't. Our guide to cooling-off rights covers the homeowner's side.
Emails and texts after the job
The consent on our form covers contact about this job. If you'd like to send them marketing emails or texts later, business.gov.au says you need their permission first, branded texts need registration on the SMS Sender ID Register, and anyone who unsubscribes must be taken off your list within 5 working days.
What we'd do
What we'd do with every job
Call inside the hours above, say who you are and that they asked through Find My Aircon, and note the day they sent the form in your job system. If they ask you to stop, stop, and write down the date they asked.