Should I be suspicious?

Whenever I get calls or anyone knocking at my door with this kind of thing, I LIE and say I'm only renting the house - I never get a 2nd call/visit.

It's best to be untrusting. I haven't had a Heat Loss thing, but loads of others. I don't anwer anything now, nor open unknown emails, etc. There are some clever scams out there. Be very suspicious!

I think the rule is that if you receive a cold call it is not for your benefit. So say goodbye and dont worry about it.

I once had a phone call (can't remember what it was about) to which I replied I live in a Park Home (Mobile Home), response from caller "we don't deal with Gypsies" & he slammed the phone down. I was furious at first & then so the funny side, what an assumption to make, never been called a Gypsy in my life & I'm sure true Romany's would be equally offended.

I don't respond to cold callers, fortunately most calls come through on my mobile so I check with the "who called me" site & block if they've been reported as scams, nuisance etc.

I also check for any schemes on-line to ensure they are genuine. Although I own my Home I have had exterior & underfloor insulation done through Local Council & a new Gas Boiler. My windows require replacement but I shall approach the Council to see if there are Grants available.

The “ do you live alone” question is usually a hint that something is not right. No one should be asking that question to anyone .... stay suspicious !!

Oldwoman70 You are very wise! Don't let them come.

It's cold calling to sell double glazing. If you want double glazing, shop around, ask friends, and then invite quotations from companies of your own choice.

Very suspicious about him asking your age! Did he say there are grants/reductions for people over a certain age? As for whether you live alone! That's spooky!

Look on your local CAB or Trading Standards web pages and see if they are warning about any scams like this.

You did the right thing, being suspicious. Well done!

Just tell any of these callers that you rent and they lose interest PDQ!

Nonnie you reminded me of the time I got a junk call, got all confused and told them 'you shouldn't be calling me, I've got PMT' I meant to say TPS. He couldn't get off the phone quickly enough! Since then I put a post-it sticker near the phone with a large TPS written on it!

Ow70, thank you for sharing this and trying to help those of us who are somewhat gullible or vulnerable in this cold calling sales arena. How I wish it would be made illegal. What worked for me was simply to say 'No' when asked if I was the house owner. Some cut off immediately and rudely but others were more polite but disappeared equally quickly. The good thing was my data was obviously updated in their records and I've had little approach since. Hallelujah! I absolutely agree that it should not be necessary to lie to achieve satisfaction but in this case I got the result I wanted/needed and now life is much easier.

I say I am the cleaner ................

You don’t need to make excuses, you owe them nothing. So as soon as you hear them say ‘how are you’. A good sign I usually hang up if I answer at all

Oh MissAdventure I love that response! I hate these cold callers and have a call blocker gadget which I got from Argos which stops many of them but some still 'fall through the cracks' of course.
If I want to do business with anyone I'll do the contacting. Many are just gathering information. I find a 'not today thank you' and a quick push of the block button very satisfying.

I agree with Coconut, the fact that they are asking if you live alone would make me very wary of this. I’m sure this is a scam.

I have a list of things to say to cold callers. It's BT open reach ( they say )at the moment. We had four yesterday and I think it's because DH was rude to the first one so they IMO try to annoy you. I say I'm pleased they rang and witter for a bit and tell them in the end that I haven't got a phone. I love confusing them.

The trouble with call blocking systems is that they often block withheld numbers which means that many public sector organisations cannot call you. The ones where you program in any number you want to block are OK though.

When I bought a new phone a couple of years ago, it came with a call guarding system. I can set it to divert numbers that I have not saved to the answer phone or to ask the caller to identify themselves before I accept the call. If I get an unwelcome call, I can block the number completely. I only have a couple of people who would ring from outside the UK so I also block all overseas numbers. I can still save friends' overseas numbers. I find this a very useful system.
My husband died eighteen months ago but, I have left his name on the answerphone message so it appears that I am not alone in the house.

Nonnie, my guardian will allow a withheld number to come through. If I am not in, they can leave a message on the answer phone. If I pick the phone up, they are asked who they are and it is up to me whether to accept the call.

I never do business with or answer questions from any stranger who cold calls, any more than I would if they came up to me in the street. It is exactly the same.

AS SOON AS I HEAR THAT PAUSE I KNOW IT'S A CALL CENTRE AND JUST PUT THE PHONE DOWN.IF SOME ONE STARTS SPEAKING I SAY I AM RENTING AND THEY SOON LOSE INTEREST.

In spite of the sticker on the front door about 'No cold callers' we do get them. I'm good at getting rid of them but DH isn't. Once had a run-in with a salesman that DH had invited back in the evening to discuss replacing our storm porch, more recently he arranged for someone to come back to look at replacing our soffits. My policy is that if they have to come round door to door or by telephoning then they must be desperate and probably not up to much. A couple of weeks ago a man came trying to sell us fish.

I once entered a comp to win an adjustable bed. A couple of weeks later I answered a knock at the door, and lo and behold I was told I was one of the people who 'may' have won the bed, and the fellow was there to demonstrate the bed I 'may' have won. Despite me saying I did not want a demonstration he unloaded the bed, carried it into the living room put it all together and then asked me to lie down on it so I could see how it worked and how much I needed it. I could not get rid of him, he ignored it when I asked him to leave several times, and then proceeded to tell me how much it would cost, and how i could pay for it in instalments. He was there for about an hour and a half, and in the end I had to threaten to call the police if he didn't leave. I was really frightened by this time, and felt intimidated. Ever since then i always politely say no to any cold callers, and close the door or terminate the telephone call.
By the way, I refused to lie on the bed.

Tell him to bugger off...it's a scam, they're just trying to sell you stuff you don't want. If you want new windows etc, it's YOUR decision to contact reputable companies.

I've had calls like this - about loft insulation or some other supposed government backed scheme. Anyone who cold calls you should be politely told where to go. all they will do is turn up and talk at you for hours until you agree to buy whatever it is they're selling.

We did this with the solar panels when the real scheme was closing - rushed into it and then had to have it sorted out by a proper installer. The only good thing was that the scaffolding erected to install it was left and we eventually sold it on eBay! (after repeated attempts to contact the company)

I had a weird one recently. Aggressive bloke claiming to be police sergeant something and call was being recorded. Claimed I had been caught on camera using mobile while driving. And I needed to pay £60fine, Again aggressive this call is being recorded. He had woken me up so I was a bit wtf. Then thought, I don’t use my phone while I’m driving, so shouted back at him. And blocked number. These scammers are scummy.

I've said it before on here but my favourite was when a salesman rang and asked if I needed new doors and windows and I said ' I don't need them because I live in a cave', to which the young lad said'WOW that's cool'!