$12,400 in siding, but only if I sign tonight. What does the law say?
Toshikatsu Oga / October 9, 2026
The line to read is the discount: 10% off, but only if you sign tonight. When a sale of $25 or more is made at your home, the FTC Cooling-Off Rule gives you until midnight of the third business day to cancel, and the seller must give you a cancellation form in duplicate. A deadline of tonight does not shorten that.
The card for this issue. The quote is illustrative, written for teaching; it is not any real contractor's quote.
The quote
Illustrative quote. Siding, in-home sale, Any state.
| Line | Quoted |
|---|---|
| Fiber cement siding, 1,600 sq ft | $9,600 |
| Trim, wraps and house wrap | $1,800 |
| Tear-off and disposal | $1,000 |
| Sign-tonight discount, 10%The line to ask about | -$1,240 |
| Total | $11,160 |
The one line to ask about
Sign-tonight discount, 10%: -$1,240
Under 16 CFR Part 429, a door-to-door sale includes a sale with a purchase price of $25 or more made at the buyer's residence (Section 429.0). The seller must give you a receipt or contract saying you may cancel "at any time prior to midnight of the third business day" after the transaction, and a completed Notice of Cancellation form in duplicate (Section 429.1). Business days do not include Sundays or federal holidays.
A price that expires tonight exists to stop you comparing. If you do sign, the three business days still apply. The rule says failing to give you the cancellation form is an unfair and deceptive practice.
Some sales are exempt from the rule. If you are unsure whether yours is, read the rule in the sources or ask your state's consumer protection office.
The arithmetic
- Discount: 10% x $12,400 = $1,240. Price if signed tonight: $11,160.
- Threshold for a sale made at your home: $25 (16 CFR Section 429.0).
- Cancellation window: until midnight of the third business day after the sale (16 CFR Section 429.1).
Public numbers used above:
- $25: Door-to-door sale: purchase price of $25 or more at the buyer's residence. Source
- third business day: Buyer may cancel until midnight of the third business day after the transaction. Source
- in duplicate: Seller must give a completed Notice of Cancellation form in duplicate. Source
What to ask the contractor
Copy this into a text or an email. A contractor with a reason for each number can answer in a minute.
Thanks for the visit. I don't sign the same day. If the 10% is real, please put it in writing with a date at least a week out, and leave the itemized quote and a blank copy of your contract so I can read it. If I sign later, I'll expect the Notice of Cancellation form in duplicate, as the FTC Cooling-Off Rule requires.
What this does not establish
It does not say the siding price is high or low; nothing here benchmarks siding. It says the deadline is a sales device, and that signing tonight does not waive the three business days the rule gives you for a sale made at your home. Exemptions exist, and the rule's text is in the sources.
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Questions
Can I cancel a contract I signed at home?
Under the FTC Cooling-Off Rule, for a sale of $25 or more made at your home, you can cancel until midnight of the third business day after the sale, unless an exemption applies (16 CFR Part 429).
Does a "today only" price mean I lose the right to cancel?
No. The right to cancel comes from the rule, not from the contractor's price terms. The seller must also give you a Notice of Cancellation form in duplicate.
Sources
Every public number on this page links to the record it comes from. Wages were looked up in USCCDB, which carries the BLS file as published. Statutes, codes and agency pages are quoted as published on October 9, 2026; check the source for changes.
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