MSE News: Crackdown on doorstep energy salesmen

Pincher

There are some interesting video entry type devices where they record visitors onto a memory card of some kind. Some just record a few seconds when the door bell is pressed, some where you can start a recording by press a indoor unit. So without going for a full-blown surveillance system, you can recrod their lies, and post it on the internet.

Unfortunately, it's always the old and vulnerable who don't have the video camera.

Paulgonnabedebtfree

It is annoying for me to read of the underhand tricks employed by some of these people. I've had them try it on me before - stuff like trying to give the impression that they are my current supplier and wanting to see if they can reduce my direct debit when all they're doing is trying to get me to switch suppliers.
The other bit that really bugs me is that this sort of behaviour leads to ethical cold callers being legislated against too. I have a one man window cleaning business that would never have got started without door knocking. I just tell them why I'm there, ask them if they want a quotation for a regular service, and that's it. If they say no, that's no problem. I can't think why people try to persuade householders to change their mind. I have also leafletted for a mortgage broker too. Any doors where there is a no leaflets/no junk mail sign doesn't get a leaflet. Any door where it says no cold callers, doesn't get knocked. It's not rocket science. In no cold calling zones I just leaflet.

Pincher

I wonder if thieves monitor houses by pretending to leaflet and cold calling.

If you go on holiday and leave the house empty, no one will answer the door, and the junkmail piles up. Some idiot put in a double glazing front door with clear glass, so any junkmail is clearly visible. The second front door is wood, but that doesn't help. This means I have to rely on neighbours to come round EVERY DAY when I am not around, because the junk mail piles up fast around here.

Paulgonnabedebtfree

Pincher wrote: »

I wonder if thieves monitor houses by pretending to leaflet and cold calling.

If you go on holiday and leave the house empty, no one will answer the door, and the junkmail piles up. Some idiot put in a double glazing front door with clear glass, so any junkmail is clearly visible. The second front door is wood, but that doesn't help. This means I have to rely on neighbours to come round EVERY DAY when I am not around, because the junk mail piles up fast around here.

I have a solid wood front door myself but some idiots insist on only sticking the leaflet in half way. I don't mind getting leaflets and junk mail because I've had good deals through them occasionally, but it does pee me off when they are happy to show the rest of the world that the property is empty by not shoving them through fully.

stabler_2

No matter what a caller says I find that just simply saying "I don't discuss anything with STRANGERS on MY DOORSTEP, goodbye" followed by quickly closing the front door, works everytime.

The first couple of times I felt rather discourteous, but I figure if strangers decide they have the right to call on me, uninvited, with the aim wasting my time, and with the hope of profiting from me during their visit, they exclude themselves from the normal social niceties of conversation, so I no longer have any qualms.