Spill the beans...on which firms ignore your 'no cold callers sign'

Dawning

This thread has been an interesting read.
I work from home, so I'm in all day and I find myself getting really annoyed with cold callers.
Our local council did a No Cold Callers trial for the village about 5 years ago, we found that everyone just ignored it, so the council gave up on the idea.
A big problem for us are home improvement sellers -everything from roofing verge thingy's, to double glazing, to soffits and fascias etc.
But I'd say that the most frequent cold callers are tree and hedge cutters.
Today already I've had someone wanting me to buy new soffits - they were all replaced 3 years ago when I bought the house and are obviously in perfect condition :mad: And just after he left I had someone wanting to cut the hedges which were cut two weeks ago...It's annoying enough in the evening when I'm trying to relax, but during the day when I'm trying to work it really makes me mad. Unfortunately in this house I can't see who's at the front door until I actually open it.

I've only ever had one energy company and that was British Gas. Very persistent even though I told him I'd rather go without heating altogether than ever go back to BG after a horrendous experience with them 6 years ago.
Never had TalkTalk or Sky and we don't have cable here so no Virgin Media either. That said, TT and Sky make up for the lack of cold callers by sending mailshots at least once a week.

The most annoying ever was RSPCA. This is quite sad because I'm a middle aged home owner with no dependents or close family and had been wondering about making a will and how to divide up my estate and where to leave the money to. As an animal lover, RSPCA was my first choice. However since a very persistent doorstep seller, they'll probably never get a penny out of me. He called around 8pm one night last spring. I was skint at the time and really struggling financially. I explained that I couldn't afford even £3 a month and he asked why not and I said I just can't spare any money.
He then said, why should poor defenceless animals suffer just because you can't manage your finances! :eek:
Had British Heart Foundation a couple of weeks ago. Again very persistent and the charities need to read this thread and realise how much these people are alienating people like me against their causes....

As for things through the letterbox, we get charity bags through two or three times a week. Most are from the scammers who aren't genuine charities.

1886

What does it take for you to realise that your No Cold Calling sign is pointless!
I love the fact that some areas have signs saying No Cold Calling Area. What happens if a door to door salesperson ignores them? Do they get arrested?

weedouhie

another 2 companys that ignore no cold calling signs everest they are just calling to and i quote

give you a free estimate

and talktalk who are calling and again i quote to

let me know the local telephone exchange is being upgraded

Why i would be intrested i dont know as i am a cable customer I have a sign on my door issued by trading standards and strathhclyde police which states

NO COLD CALLING

and also

you may be commiting a c criminal offence if you fail to acknwledge this requestto leave.Thank you for your co-operation

It seems everest and talktalk emply salesmen who are unable to read

Dawning

1886 wrote: »

I love the fact that some areas have signs saying No Cold Calling Area. What happens if a door to door salesperson ignores them? Do they get arrested?

Nothing happened in our area. The council was apparently powerless when they introduced No Cold Calling in about 2006, plus most of the cold callers we get are travellers offering to do gardening work or tarmac etc, and they're completely untraceable.

PaulJM

"I'm not selling anything...just wanted to tell you....."

God do I hate them saying that.
I honestly think that they believe that, as I've tried to get them to agree that they are, actually selling something, or it's unlikely they'd be there, but they won't have it.
One girl was just helping me understand the 'government grant' about insulation. She had nothing to sell. Yeh. I'll bet.
I closed the door on one once, and she was walked away complaining about rude people. Well you end up that way, when you're trying to work, and you get endless people at the door, eventually you give up being polite.
And by then you've engaged them, which is what they wanted.

And what's with 'free quotes'? Do they expect you to believe that normally you'd have to pay them for a quote?
Or "I was in your area so...." So what? You don't have this kind of business in yours? No one is phoning you? You've got plenty of time to be walking up and down the road?

No. If I want something, I'll research it - I won't sign up to, or probably even listen to, someone at the door - I'd be stupid to do that!

:cool:

Paul_Varjak

bailey70 wrote: »

Is there a legal position with people who insist on posting you catalogues and insisting you leave them to collect in n days?

Betaware and Avon regularly leave them for me and don't seem to understand that I'm not interested so more recently I've worked on the assumption that if something is posted onto my property unsolicited then it becomes mine to do what I want with... and it goes straight into the recycling bin

Yes, you are entitled to keep the catalogue for the very reason that it is unsolicited. It used to be the case that goods became your property after a certain time 3 months I believe). But now any item delivered (unless it was delivered in error) becomes your property immediately.

I have a sign on my letterbox stating: NO COMMERCIAL LEAFLETS. A separate sign on my door states: UNSOLICITED CATALOGUES WILL NOT BE RETURNED. Kleeneze ignore these signs and still expect me to return their catalogue!

Paul_Varjak

PaulJM wrote: »

"I'm not selling anything...just wanted to tell you....."

Why not invite them in, give them a cup of tea and allow them to speak for hours, showing great interest in what they have to say? When they finally get round to selling you something just point out that you cannot buy anything as they said they were not selling anything and you thought it was just a social call!

Dawning

Ok so keeping in mind that I'm working at home, today I've had four in total. Two wanting to cut hedges, one selling soffits, and one just now telling me I need loft insulation even though it was also done 3 years ago when I bought the house. Before he even started his patter I said I didn't need any home improvements or to buy anything. He said 'I'm not a salesman I'm a surveyor'. So I said I don't need a surveyor either....
I know these people are only trying to do a job but it's so hard to be polite when your front door is getting knocked on 4 times in 5 hours by people selling stuff that you don't want...
It's SO ANNOYING when you're trying to work and keep getting disturbed.:mad:

bailey70

Well, this week I had another Avon catalogue which went straight in the bin. This evening the Avon rep turned up, asked for the catalogue and (as has been the case with others on here) she told me "Avon are not cold callers". She clearly knew she was in the wrong as I was about to try to explain things to her she hurried away.

Let me explain something to the various Avon, Keeneze, Betaware or other catalogue sales reps who are on here:

A cold caller is somebody who turns up on my doorstep without prior invitation. It doesn't matter if you are delivering an unwanted catalogue, offering advise or actively selling something, you're still a cold caller. You are unwelcome and if you knock I will never deal with you, even if in the future I do need something you sell, I will take my business elsewhere.

On the other hand, if you have a pre-existing relationship with me (I.e. I have purchased from you in the past and I have indicated that I may want to again) then yes you CAN call. In this case you are NOT a cold caller. If I put up a sign saying "no cold callers" you may disregard it.

If you, as reps for these companies, could please pass on this message to your supervisors/management then we may all have a more stress free life.

bundance

1886 wrote: »

What does it take for you to realise that your No Cold Calling sign is pointless!
I love the fact that some areas have signs saying No Cold Calling Area. What happens if a door to door salesperson ignores them? Do they get arrested?

It's only pointless if cold callers ignore it.
By ignoring it, I feel that they are acting dis-respectfully towards other human beings in their own home.

You shouldn't have to feel 'on-guard' in your own home, but the frequency and intensity of these cold callers and their marketing tactics is clearly alienating many people on this thread.

I question whether businesses who use cold callers actually consider whether this alienation of the public is actually costing them revenue rather than increasing it.

Maybe there are a silent band of people who let cold callers in because they are intimidated or caught off guard, like I was, years ago by a british gas salesman.

Maybe that silent band of people is big, and it is worth businesses while to pi$$ many people off along the way while making money.
That's very sad if it is the case

I can see that cold callers are under pressure to engage with as many people as possible to increase the chance of getting more money themselves.

Cold callers are earning a living, and there is nothing wrong with earning a living, but when that living is earned in a way that violates the boundaries of other human beings, then, definitely, something has gone wrong, somewhere along the line:(

I think that there is something sinister and predatory about the aggressive and dis-respectful element of marketing, especially when we hear things like Dawning's RSPCA cold call experience earlier in the thread, among many others.

As for legality of cold callers, as far as I know it is perfectly legal to cold call, although I may be wrong.
The law is effective for physical assaults, as these are visible, but for non physical assaults on other human beings' time and space, there is more freedom, even though these intrusions can be very stressful.