Door to door sales - youngsters staying out of prison

[byegad]

I have had a 'No cold callers, salesmen, religious bodies' sign on the door for over ten years. Where we lived up to 18 months ago, they would still knock, and I'd answer and point to the sign on the door. Then slam it. I never spoke to the cold caller, but they usually started with feeble sounding excuses before the door closed.
Now we live in a much more affluent area and in 18 months we've had no cold callers, they do walk past but nobody has knocked...YET!

 

[Dirk]

If anyone comes cold calling here, the first thing I tell them is not to waste their time, as I have a policy of never buying anything - and I mean anything - on the doorstep. If they wish to carry on and try to sell me something, then at least they have been warned.
It doesn't matter how persistent they are, or how good the deal appears, I will refuse to do business.

 

[Drago]

I think I've got the cold caller problem sorted now.

 

[swee'pea99]

We get them, along with charity clipboarders. I open the door, say 'Sorry, not interested', and shut the door. I have no doubt that, as it says at that link: "Please keep in mind that if cold callers don’t get any sales in your area, they are less likely to return." And to fine-tune and flip that message: if you buy or sign up for anything, you're setting yourself up for further callers. Word gets round...(for cash, I have no doubt).

 

[KneesUp]

If anyone comes cold calling here, the first thing I tell them is not to waste their time, as I have a policy of never buying anything - and I mean anything - on the doorstep. If they wish to carry on and try to sell me something, then at least they have been warned.
It doesn't matter how persistent they are, or how good the deal appears, I will refuse to do business.

I used to work in a shop. You'd be amazed how many people imagine that the way a shop works is that they come into it and sell things to the staff, rather than them coming in buying stuff. Once we started telling them it is company policy not to buy anything over the counter, the visits diminished.

 

[jefmcg]

If they wish to carry on and try to sell me something, then at least they have been warned.

Why would you stand there and listen? I'm with @swee'pea99, simply tell them I don't don't buy at the door, then gently close it.

 

[Dirk]

Why would you stand there and listen?

I'm a pensioner, it whiles away the time........*



*Actually, I used to be in sales myself for a few years. Done a lot of cold calling on retail businesses. I find it amusing listening to them on the doorstep and seeing the tricks of the trade being used again.

 

[welsh dragon]

We used to get them a lot in Birmingham about 30 years ago. They were a bloomin nuisance. Of course once i got my dog, they suddenly stopped knocking on my door. And now i live in the sticks. Even mormons and the like can't find me. Just another piece of luck i suppose

 

[roadrash]

all cold callers get the same treatment...a polite "I'm not interested , thank you" if they then carry on with a sales pitch or whatever , I then say... " I was polite the first time ....NOW FECK OFF

 

[Paulus]

I had one yesterday afternoon, I got the story that he had been in trouble in the past and he was trying to get going in life. I said politely that he didn't have anything I wanted but he went through his spiel anyway.

 

[KneesUp]

I had one yesterday afternoon, I got the story that he had been in trouble in the past and he was trying to get going in life. I said politely that he didn't have anything I wanted but he went through his spiel anyway.

This is true. Not once did any of them have a left-handed mop when they used to come around mum and dad's

 

[Mugshot]

I remember seeing an undercover documentary years ago about these guys. Young lad at the door had opened one of the packets to show an ironing board cover to an old lady, only to discover a big hole in it. Took it back to his boss in the van.

"Boss, I opened this up and it's pony"
"You idiot, don't open it up, it's all pony!"​

So I reckon it's dodgy. The lads at the door may or may not be in on it, they may be genuine ex-offenders being exploited as you say, but somewhere along the line there will be a crook making money.

On a vagely related note, getting on for 30 years ago I went to a gig with a couple of mates. On leaving the venue we were approached by a young retailer asking if we'd like to buy an official t-shirt. Very helpfully he was holding a sample of his wares for us to inspect, happy with the product me and one of my mates decided to take the gentleman up on his offer which was almost too good to be true. Having paid and received our packages for some reason the budding entrepreneur got on his toes and legged it off down the street without a backwards glance.
My mate opened his t shirt up and was rather disappointed to find that it looked like someone had been testing their pens out all over the back of it, I opened mine up to find that it only had one sleeve!! Unfortunately neither of us had managed to get a receipt from our new friend and so we were unable to return them.

 

[welsh dragon]

On a vagely related note, getting on for 30 years ago I went to a gig with a couple of mates. On leaving the venue we were approached by a young retailer asking if we'd like to buy an official t-shirt. Very helpfully he was holding a sample of his wares for us to inspect, happy with the product me and one of my mates decided to take the gentleman up on his offer which was almost too good to be true. Having paid and received our packages for some reason the budding entrepreneur got on his toes and legged it off down the street without a backwards glance.
My mate opened his t shirt up and was rather disappointed to find that it looked like someone had been testing their pens out all over the back of it, I opened mine up to find that it only had one arm!! Unfortunately neither of us had managed to get a receipt from our new friend and so we were unable to return them.

Sorry, but that had me in fits of giggles.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

On a vagely related note, getting on for 30 years ago I went to a gig with a couple of mates. On leaving the venue we were approached by a young retailer asking if we'd like to buy an official t-shirt. Very helpfully he was holding a sample of his wares for us to inspect, happy with the product me and one of my mates decided to take the gentleman up on his offer which was almost too good to be true. Having paid and received our packages for some reason the budding entrepreneur got on his toes and legged it off down the street without a backwards glance.
My mate opened his t shirt up and was rather disappointed to find that it looked like someone had been testing their pens out all over the back of it, I opened mine up to find that it only had one sleeve!! Unfortunately neither of us had managed to get a receipt from our new friend and so we were unable to return them.

On an even more tenuous link, years ago I was outside Man City's ground at Maine Road and there was a lad selling "kinky posters, kinky posters". Purely out of interest and with no intention of buying you understand, I looked at his wares, only to find posters of one of the team Georgi Kinkladze.[/QUOTE]

 

[KneesUp]

It has been some time since someone stopped by me in an unmarked white van, as used by all reputable companies, and informed me that due to an error at the warehouse, they had too many mattresses / duvets / speakers / televisions on the van, and due to a very complicated reason badly explained, it was best if they used company time to hawk the items to passing pedestrians at a reduced price rather than simply returning them to the warehouse.