Cold Callers

Our local shopping centre rents a space in the main area to a different charity every week , sometimes two. My DD works in property management and tells me shopping centres do it to make money. As a result you are approached every single time you go into the shops and usually on the way out too. It makes me so cross that I am thinking of taking my custom elsewhere. Unfortunately this place is so convenient.

Demanding money with menaces?

the crocodile looks very scary

Very sweet though, I would probably give him 50p if he turned up at my door, and a lollipop.

no, he's not mine

The Aussie male uniform:
Also available in navy blue

Haha Jalima yes, that should read shorts and they wear them in all weathers.Just for a change, the last one was from SA not OZ.

What does annoy me, and I have fallen for it ( momentarily) twice, is the set up outside B&Q stores.When you leave the store, just outside stand two young men dressed very sharply and you think they belong to the store, young exec types.They thank you for stopping, shake your hand and say something like 'I'm Tom' 'what's your name?' well, I never say, but DH is too polite to decline.....then they go in for the kill ' I represent RNIB or EGKA or WWAM or whatever and look at this info/pics etc and would you sign up to help them.
In other words cold call charity workers, when you thought they were from the store.

But the chinwag would not be about energy providers and they would leave in bemusement and pass the message on 'Don't visit her, she will give you the 3rd degree about Australia and your family history'

* and usually Aussie young men in shirts*
I would invite them in for a beer and a chinwag

I bought an old-fashioned oven cloth (the kind with two ends where you can put your hands in) from a cold caller once and it was brilliant.
He has never been back and I replaced it with one from John Lewis which wasn't half as good.

Have bought from the ex offenders in the past, but the goods practically fall apart cost upwards of a fiver and you could get better in the pound shop.
The last one called last Summer on a hot day, he looked hot and fed up so I told him that the goods were second rate ( he nodded) then asked if he would like a cold can of Coke ( he would) and went off slurping it.
We also get Irish travellers/gypsies wanting to redo our brick paved drive or clean it ( it's fine, doesn't need it) and they talk the hind leg off a donkey, but I still say no.
Now and again some JW people find us and I tell them firmly that I am a Roman Catholic.They look a bit confused and then say goodbye.
We have also had a fish van ( is this the same one? ) if so he gets about a bit.I say I never eat fish.
That leaves charity workers who want us to sign up by direct debit ( that won't be happening) and usually Aussie young men in shirts who want us to change our energy provider, they get short shrift as well.
Girl Guides who want to be sponsered get a donation as do small local children selling raffle tickets for their school/club etc.
We don't have any notices about cold callers because I think it looks unfriendly ( to everyone) and anyway, they do no good.

The ones that annoy me are those that start off, as soon as you open the door, with a big smile and a charm offensive, introducing themselves and going straight into their spiel without taking breath. I always interrupt and ask "are you selling something? Because if you are I'm not interested." They invariably say they're not . So I ask if they are from a religious group and they say no. "Why then", I ask them, "are you trying to engage me in conversation if you are neither trying to convert me or trying to get me to part with some money? Just knocking on people's doors to be friendly? I don't think so!"
And with that I close the door on them. I've even had some stay there continuing to talk at me, louder, after the door's been shut!!!

That is the difficulty with so many issues, you feel desperately sorry for those involved and know they are probably being exploited but need to protect yourself from being exploited as well.

The door to door charity people are often desperate people who can't find any other work. They get a very basic wage but get extra if they go over a target of direct debits. There was a kerfuffle last year when it was realised some charities some charities were selling addresses of donors on. There probably are some real ex-cons selling domestic stuff door to door but a lot of it seems to be highly organised, eg dropped off in groups and collected at the end of the day. I feel sorry for both groups ... but don't answer the door.

I don't generally answer the door unless I'm expecting someone.

The only time I've signed up to something at the door is Hello Fresh - and that has been very successful. Otherwise it is a firm 'no thank you' which thankfully has always been accepted. I find cold callers on the telephone far worse - and more rude!

I recognise the religious ones as they tend to arrive in our area in a big group. They are dressed in suits (men) or hideous droopy skirts for the women. I just don't open the door. I certainly would not give my bank details to a bod who arrives at the door looking for a charity donation. We've had the fish man. He sells in bulk, so no good for a couple. We get young men trying to get us to change our power supplier. It's so annoying. There is not a day goes by that we don't have someone trying to sell stuff. The latest was a company who insulated walls. We actually wanted this done, so gave them the job. I do feel like a sitting target, with all these salesmen though. At least the gypsies have stopped calling. They must have given our area up as a bad job because nobody ever wanted their driveway done!

There are a lot of " without being rude" on these posts. Be rude. They are rude knocking when you have asked them not to. I used to say "I don' t buy on the doorstep" until one chap said " Where do you buy then? Round the back, through the window?" Now if I bother to answer the door it is a curt " No thank you" and I close the door Seems to work.

ajeanla That's exactly what I thought. We live near the sea too and I wrongly assumed that the fish for sale would have been local. I too went to the van and realised that everything was boxed and frozen. I told the guy that I wasn't interested but he said he'd be doing his rounds in a couple of weeks and would ask me again then...

I'll be on my guard next time!

lol beeliane (presuming it was 2 fingered salute lol

I very rarely open the door these days... my friends know the protocol and come round the back and normally txt "are you in" ? so if anyone knocks on the front door I know it is an uninvited person (normally)!

The one BIG problem I do have is...I cannot see whos at my front door because of how the property is built..I dont have a window that looks out over the door.I have thought of a camera but this means its constantly on running in the background but maybe it food for thought.

I hate cold callers too. I'm fine on the phone but rubbish face to face. Except on one occasion when a 'save the seals' person wouldn't leave me alone. I finally snapped and said if he didn't go away I would fly over to Canada and personally club a seal cub to death.

Last time I was in the UK I had a fisherman call and as we are near the sea I presumed he was selling fresh fish. I went to go with him to his van then I learnt it was a box of frozen fish so I declined,

Reading this blog I realise this is new door to door franchise business and the guy was a fisherman in the very loosest sense of the word,

I'm always polite to whoever decides the no cold callers notice doesn't apply to them but I have noticed lately that I'm not treated courteously in return.

Just out of interest does anyone know what organisation the ex-offenders belong to. The guy had an ID card and said he was doing it to enable him to get another job. To be honest I didn't take in what he was saying because my mind was busy thinking how to shut the door without being rude.

I have this sign from Money saving expert- still doesn't stop them all but most take notice- those who don't get a lesson in reading!
*No cold callers!
the consumer protection from unfair trading regulations, 2008
we won’t buy from you!
we don’t need any advice!
please leave and do not return. failure to do so is a criminal offence.
charity or religious group? please don’t knock either.*