Doorstep selling and cold calling

The young lady was asking for your help on a transport survey - she wasn't trying to sell you something. Perhaps her transport survey would improve transport provision in your area. Did you not stop to think of that? She's probably a government employee...so, by agreeing to fill in her survey and then hiding from her when she returns, you've just wasted that part of your taxes that pays her wages. Very clever.

We hardly answer the door to anybody now - we're just sick of aggressive sales people trying to tell us that we DO need what they're selling. Two dodgy looking men even tried to sell us new windows / guttering etc only two weeks after we'd had it all done. They must be brainless.

I have two bull terriers. They are as docile as lambs but nobody knows that. If anyone comes to the gate the dogs are down there in a flash and I press the button to open the gate. End of story and we don't get pestered.

This happens to me on a few occasions - I never answer my door in the evenings because I just know it will be someone advertising (or selling) something! I mute my TV and what's most annoying, the odd one will knock persistently... even one shouted through my letterbox!! That hasn't happened since although if it does, I'll stick to the Ignore Callers After 8pm plan!!

There are two stickers on my front door that inform callers that we do not buy anything over the doorstep; but they still ignore these and call anyway. Another annoyance is religious groups who cold call, I am not prejudice about religion but I dislike people who preach their beliefs / faiths to me at the front door as I find I am losing the will to live and it can sometimes be an invasion of privacy when they start asking you questions about your beliefs, etc.

Aggressive sales people, aggressive marketers, aggressive buskers and beggars...they should all be removed from our public places. And say "No" to tele-sales too.

Today I was at the mall just walking around. This annoying guy blocked my way and asked me if I wanted to do his survey. I said "NO!", but he wouldn't take that as an answer, so I ran away. Five seconds later I ran into another annoying person doing the exact same thing.

This is a serious problem in malls, and the government needs to stand up and make this illegal. I hate it!

EDF are indulging in some pretty disreputable and unprofessional cold calling techniques. By doing so they have guaranteed that neither I nor anyone within my sphere of influence will buy power from them. Interestingly they sell themselves on the basis of being 'cheap', which to me has more negative than positive connotations.

The principle of door to door sales is at fault, not necessarily the people who do it. When we are at home we are removed from the market so to pursue us into our homes is a violation of the sanctity of the dwelling. Door to door sales people should realise that they will not encounter a welcome at every door, and steel themselves to the hostility that is certain to arise from time to time. Ideally, this method of sales would require an opt in agreement from householders.

Does anybody ever consider the fact that door to door sales people are doing it to make a living, possibly supporting a family?? How would you like it if people were wanting you out of a job? I guess you wouldn't be very happy. Before you criticise these hard-working individuals, just remember that they are real people who need to earn money just like the rest of us. Most of them work on a commission only basis, and work long hours for little reward. I have great respect for them, it's not a job I could do.

If you can be bothered put up a little sign or note saying no door-to-door sales, they will most likely move on.

If you can't be bothered then when you open the door (if you do) and they start spewing some sort of pitch then simply tell them (interrupt them) they are wasting time with you as you don't want anything or w/e.

Either way they are working, they don't want to waste anyone's time least not theirs so they want sales, if they know you wont sell them anything they will move on. Just make it clear, they will probably genuinely thank you for telling them before they get into their pitch.

Battleaxe - Why dont you get together with some of your neighbours and petition the council (whom you elected) to designate your area a 'No Cold Call' zone, theres loads down my way and its legally binding, perpetrators can end up with a criminal record.

Our neighbourhood gets plagued with cold callers of all kinds, charities, double glazing, facias, energy firms, you name it. I got that fed-up with it a few years ago that I put up a notice on the front door stating very clearly that we do not under any circumstances do business of any kind with unsolicited callers. The religious groups always respect this and don't knock, but the firms and charities will persist. I got tired of saying, "Can't you read?", pointing to the notice and then getting attitude from some twit in a cheap suit. I have a clear view of anyone coming up the drive so nowadays if I don't recognise the person and I'm not expecting anyone, I don't bother answering the door - problem solved! It pleases me to know that they know I'm in and I'm ignoring them the way they think they can ignore my little notice!

Simple solution:

1 - don't answer the door
2 - if you do answer the door, say 'no thanks' and close door

I use option 1 and have not been bothered by cold calling in years.

What if it's a few questions from the council or other local body about issues within the local community?

al that is needed to make these religious groups stop & actually campaign for a law against is simple

1. create a open honest scientific & educational group, & have it legally become a religion.
2. members make up there own minds on there own beleifs.
3. have followers suppled with free & unbiased information on all subjects showing both arguments for & against every possible issue for there own personal education
4, include information on various relegions in the litriture.
5. make it known that followers have acess to occult education ( included in the education from various religions ).
6. include training in various psychological methods mostly nlp ( hypnosis ).
7. have these people cold call.
8 if possible & legal target the homes/areas of the Door-to-Door Religious groups.

i dont think it would be hard to recruit a LOT of followers to this du to the availability of unbiased knowledge/education/treaining & a chance to return the door knock.

Mr. C. you wrote 'As I said before, everyone wants something doing'. That's just not true. For one thing, the person answering may only be a tenant and doesn't have to authority to get something changed. Secondly, a lot of people are quite happy with their homes. Also, a large majority may want something done but just can't afford it. Finally, if I want to buy something, I do the research and I make the calls. If a company puts any kind of pressure on me then I cross them off my list. It's my home and I have to right to some peace and quiet.

Hmmm, a vaild point and good discussion. I'm going out for a bike ride. Did 15 miles yesterday and this morning I could hardly get up!

Ok, I didn't realise you were self employed! (But your commission still comes from somewhere.)

My comment about not buying anything from a company that pesters me may seem ludicrous to you, but it isn't to me! It does take rudeness, as you say, or more than one call, or too many expensive glossy brochures spilling out of the papers!

But I do feel that if your customers do not initiate contact then you are to some extent selling them something they didn't really want in the first place!

As to your response "I can see your point; but has anyone thought about the 800 salaries that would be saved if all the salesman were sacked?", We are self employed, commission only. It's a win win situation for the company; They don't pay us anything until we bring in the sales and money. So, they would not save ANY money by putting 800 of us out of work. If anything, they would immediately go out of business as no on would be able to sell anything to fund the company.

And as for the "I for one will go out of my way to avoid buying anything from a company which has pestered me in any way!", that is an absolutely ludicrous comment. Yeah, maybe if they pester you every day and are rude horrible people.

Also, people don't think of what they're actually saying when they say 'ban cold callers'. I mean, I agree, I hate doing it and hate being bothered by anyone doing it to me. But, if there were no cold callers, as I said, companies would rely only on leads, companies would go out of business! companies need BIG sales forces to create their own business to grow and invest all that extra money in new technologies for products. If there were no cold callers bringing in the extra income, companies would cease to exist meaning all the guarantees customers are given with their products would be worth no more than the paper they're written on. Customers would have to spend MORE money having the products replaced again or repaired leaving them even unhappier and potentially in more financial trouble.

We've now completely strayed from the main point of the topic but yes, people asking for money on your door because they need an operation orrrrr. . . eastern europeans or young convicts with asbo's trying to get their life back on track by selling over priced towles and cloths etc should be banned and told to go away on the door. Unless of course you really desperately need something they have!