Should doorstep sellers be banned?

born-free-taxed_to_death

These days advertising in newspapers is costly and increasingly less effective, these costs inevetably are passed on to the customer. I have in the past used cold calling to generate sales. On most occassions I found at least one set of keys left in the front door including car keys. I always took the touble to raise the house holder, so a useful service was also be provided free of charge.
I do feel that companies shoud have to register their callers who should then carry appropriate ID and follow a code of practice. The areas they canvass should also be kept in a log which can if required be checked.

make-do=and-mend_2

I'm afaid I regard doorstep sellers as an invasion of my privacy, they are a pain. You don't realise how many times they rattle your front door until you work nights and they wake you up, often two or three times a day.
Then there's the funny (but true) tale about my hubby, who lost his sight some years ago, so he was medically retired and I went back to work. One day when he was home alone someone rang the doorbell, but there was no-one there when hubby answered. This happened three times and on the third occasion someone put a card into his hand, so he thanked them and closed the door. Then the doorbell rang a fourth time and our next door neighbour explained that a doorstep seller had been ringing the bell but everytime hubby answered the door he'd shut it again in his face. On the third occasion he'd handed hubby a card, explaining that he was a mute and giving details of what he was selling, but hubby had just taken it off him and shut the door. Our neighbour said that the seller had written an essay trying to tell her what had happened and had asked her to get his card back. We all laughed about it, but then you realise how vulnerable many people are, especially the disabled and elderley. Now my hubby never answers the door to anyone if he's in the house on his own, unless he's expecting someone.

TREVORCOLMAN

Surfer wrote: »

One of the advantages of living a small village of about 20 houses in the country, these pests are too lazy to travel miles in the hope that they may score one. Still doesn't stop the postman depositing junk mail through the letter box even though we have doen the "optout email twice!

I put the junk mail back in the post box - such as "the occupier" - write "no one of that name at this address" on it, also leaflets selling crap food. With any letters I dont want I take off my address and tear the rest of the correspondece into tiny bits - stuff them all in their return envelope and send them back.

Even better cross over the crap i.e. One company crap goes to another company.

MothballsWallet

Denise_Edens wrote: »

This thread is of great interest to me as I work for the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM), whose aim is to professionalise and support salespeople. We will shortly be drawing up a Code of Conduct for salespeople and later this year will be introducing a qualification in the Ethics of Selling. If you would like to contribute ideas to the Code of Conduct please email me at [EMAIL="dedens@ismm.co.uk"]dedens@ismm.co.uk[/EMAIL]. The salespeople who are members of our institute all aspire to the highest standards and we wish to drive professionalism across the whole sales sector.
Denise Edens
Director of Education, Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM).

Will this code of conduct require those who break it to pay the people they have bothered 1,000 quid tax free and pay the government another 2,000 quid in penalty charges per breach?

No, of course not: codes of conduct are like peace treaties - just words on pieces of paper that mean nothing at all.

Edit to add: Of course, we'll probably never hear from this poster again.

sturose

jgriggle wrote: »

My wife normally lets me answer the door as she's no good at getting rid of doorstep callers.

There's no need to be rude - they are after all fellow human beings and only doing their jobs. The alternative would be for them to be unemployed and living off your hard earned taxes!

Overcoming objections to buying is a big part of sales training, so the trick is not to get into a conversation. I usually say "sorry, I'm not interested but thanks anyway" whilst at the same time closing the door, finishing the sentence as the door clicks. That way they don't get the opportunity to speak.

I'm sure most sales people are quite professional and will take no for an answer, but I don't really want to find out which type they are. I'm sorry to all nice salespeople who may find me abrupt, but you should blame your pushy counterparts for that, not me!

Have to agree with this, I have been a doorstep salesperson for a few different companies. I have never tried the 'Hard Sell' tactic but I often received abuse for trying to feed my family.

When there are thousands of unemployed you tend to take any job offered if you want to work for a living.

All the people on here who are calling for an outright ban will be complaining next that the thousands of people that have been made redundant as a result are now taking their hard earned taxes to support their families.

Eco_Miser

swimshirl wrote: »

Dont forget that if someone calls you, you can say "just a minute then walk off leaving them hanging. They are not supposed to hang up before you do. Think of their bill! Oh joy!!

They are almost certainly on a tariff giving unlimited calls for a fixed monthly fee.
You can think of the time they're wasting, not annoying other people though.:)

borkid

Since we've moved here we get very few cold callers ( 3 in 8 years) apart from the locals who we know selling raffle ticktes etc for local charities. We are 2 miles from the centre of the village and too expensive time and fuel wise for most cold callers to visit.
When we lived near civilisation I had a stock of answers to get rid of callers. the usual 'I'm not interested' and close the door.
' I never buy on the doorstep'
'I can't afford it I have 2 children at university' ( that was to double glazing salesmen, the double glazing we had was only 6 years old)
'My husband is a .......... so he'll do anything that needs doing. ( His proffession changed frequently!)


A friend decided he'd really annoy a telephone cold caller for double glazing. Let the salesman talk got him to work out payback time etc. Lasted about 30 mins and when pushed to arrange an appointment to measure up just said 'It's not worth it, i have cancer and only 18months to live. I'll never recoup the outlay'

AndrewDAzotus

I use:

We do not want any newspapers or leaflets.
We do not wish to change our religion or political affiliation
If you wish to meet with us, please telephone for an appointment

then,

if anyone knocks, I ask them for their literature if they're not already offering it and place it in the recycling (out side the front door) whilst they're watching.

they usually get the idea.

I did get one call from a double glazing young lady a few years back who told me that my house had been specially selected for their double glazing. I kept her talking for some twenty minutes before telling her that the house was brand new some two months before (and it really was) and was fully double glazed with brand new double glazing. So their database was obviously badly selected and their special selections weren't very special...

she sounded quite annoyed and hung up on me...
:rotfl:

Andrew/

Thisby

If you tell a double glazing salesman that you don't own your property you will get a polite thank you and off they go. Always works for me.

chrisjw37

jamespir wrote: »

i dont think there should be a ban ive been a doorstop seller and were not all pushy and try to diddle granny out of her pension
i think licensing could be a good idea perhaps or have a code of conduct drawn up so that all agree by it before they can sell cause trust me i worked with some very dodgy characters

Exactly because of this:

I worked with some very dodgy characters

You may be a nice chap, but the majority are not; I have 4 'Go away signs' one from the Police and still some idiot occasionally rings the bell during my dinner - these are usually illiterate fools who could not read a contract anyhow, let alone understand one.

I find holding the dogs collar works brilliantly - she is harmless
but they don't know that and always leave smartish.
:dance::dance::dance::dance: