Cold callers at the door

Susan55

If I want to buy something, I will either go to a shop to buy it or go online to look for it. What I don't do is buy anything from anyone coming to my door. My home is my castle and I intend to keep it that way.

Amen to that!

Your home is your castle, your retreat, your safe space. Even if you only rent a single room, you close the door on the outside world while you're in it and should be left in peace.

It matters not if you're only relaxing on the sofa doing nothing in particular, or up to your elbows doing household chores. You've switched off, you're doing your own thing, re-charging your batteries for the next foray into the public space.

Aren't we bombarded enough already with advertising on TV, radio, text messages, emails, the 'net?

Cold-callers are intrusive.

I don't answer the door to strangers - we do have an intercom system as I live in low rise flats, but there is a tradesman's button that opens the main door up until 12pm each day so its not foolproof. I have a spyhole and also call through the door to ask who it is, I never just open the door when someone knocks. I live alone now, will admit I was never quite so careful when my husband was alive, so take necessary precautions. If they buzz then no way will I let them into the building, "oh your neighbours might be interested" - my neighbours would not thank me for letting a cold caller into the building to pester them!

ee.co.uk/bt

Sago

I think this was a scam, BT/EE are two different companies they do not cold call!

EE is now owned by BT.

If I want to buy something, I will either go to a shop to buy it or go online to look for it. What I don't do is buy anything from anyone coming to my door. My home is my castle and I intend to keep it that way.

Some years back I had two Everest windows salesmen at my door who would not take no for an answer. In fact they were very rude to me. After they went I rang their HQ and the man who answered said, equally rudely, "what do you expect me to do about it ? "
I contacted the authorities ( Trading Standards) and made a formal complaint, not expecting any result. Months later I had a phone call from TS asking me to go through the incident again. They told me that Everest is the most complained about company when it comes to door to door sales and they were gathering evidence to try to do something about it.

i have no problem in firmly saying no and shutting the door. My useful thing is I have an answerphone on my phone , useful of course for calls I want, but also friends know to hold on as I have a bad back and can take time to answer. Usually pick up before it gets to the end of the message. So cold callers usually just put the phone down and if they every carry on I inform them that I always record phone calls and they quickly put the phone down. Years ago when I was sharing a flat and the phone was not purely my calls I would answer and if they were waffling on would either put the phone down on the table whilst I continued doing whatever or listened in silence and then would say "sorry I was called away, could you begin again" Dont get many rubbish letters these days but annoying letters adverts etc for double glazing or whatever and I would take the glazing letter and the new conservatory letter and put them in the opposite envelope without stamps and post them back. Works quite well

I wish BT/EE would call here, we’re thinking of changing from Sky, I’d be interested in their packages and talking face to face is far more pleasant than on the phone.
For cold callers generally, I look out of the window to get an idea of who they are, it’s nearly always thanks but no thanks.

You can download and print notices like that from Money Saving Expert at www.moneysavingexpert.com/mobiles/no-more-junk Go down the page until you reach " How to stop cold callers to your door"

The page has advice on how to prevent other things, too.
It has sections on -
Stop spam and silent calls
How to stop unwanted mail
How to stop unwanted texts
Stop spam emails
How to stop unwanted faxes

We don't answer the door unless our Ring doorbell shows us that it is someone we want to open the door to.

I believe you can get an official notice, deterring cold callers from knocking at your door. Just phone your local authority and ask for the trading standards department. They will send you the notice and tell you of any bona fide trades people who are working in the area. They will be glad of any details you can give them about cold callers you've had at your door. I think it's illegal to knock at a door that displays a 'no cold callers' notice of any kind but the official one will have more clout.

We rarely have cold callers.
There is a large red and white sticker on porch door listing who we don't answer door to.
As we have a glass porch we can open front door without opening porch door.

I find it hard not open door when in, as it maybe a legitimate caller

Recently a neighbour from the next street was enquiring if we had seen her cat about.
Another time DH had inadvertently left his car window down and a kind passerby had spotted it and knocked door to say that it was raining.

Gosh! Has it really got so bad here ( the UK) that we should be so very suspicious of everyone who comes to our door?

Sure if you physically can’t come to the door then that is that….but…..really?

We have a sign saying " "DANGER! CLAYMORE ANTI PERSONNEL MINES! GO NO FURTHER!" Obviously we've told the Postman where the safe path is. The Pit Bull also knows him as friendly.

We had BT EE knock at our door one evening last week. He was very pleasant and they are genuinely selling broadband
contracts. It was a lot less and will be much faster than Sky in our area. The person was pleasant and friendly and gave us the best lowest price deal. We don't have to have a phone line either which saves the cost and you get free Netflix. Checked online and they are genuine well ours was.

We have a sign that reads "only idiots knock without an invite".

Don't answer the door - simples! you are not obligated to open it, save yourself the stress. If you do not know who they are, are not expecting anyone, why open it?

grannyactivist

I’ve just answered my door to a nicely dressed chap who showed me his BT/EE lanyard, politely hoped I was having a nice day and then, as he began to enquire about my phone and internet provision, I interrupted him. I explained that my husband deals with our tech requirements and we didn’t want or need any information or advice. I thanked him for coming and said goodbye.

He persisted and his politeness dissolved into a mildly aggressive tone as he questioned when my husband would be home. I pointed to the ‘No Cold Callers’ sign on the window of my door and, again politely, explained that I had said all I was going to say. His response was that he hadn’t called me and, openly aggressive now, he asked why I was saying he’d called me, “I haven’t even got my phone out.”

I then explained, oh so patiently, that a ‘cold caller’ was someone who came to the door, unsolicited and without an appointment - just as he had done. In some confusion he finally accepted defeat and left.

I now need to re-think my ‘no cold callers’ sign as it appears that it’s not a recognisable phrase to…….….well, cold callers. 😂

When we moved here, we inherited a little plaque on the door saying no cold cheers (among other things). Every cold caller still rang the bell and then proceeded to tell me why the sign did not apply to them!!

When wegot a new door we didnt bother replacing it and didn't notice any difference.

They are actually related companies and they do Cold Call

At election time I display a polite notice saying “no Tory canvassers. Thanks 😀”

Door-to-door selling or touting for work is illegal in Denmark, so we only get people collecting for recognised charities and missionaries, usually Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons.

Charities are easy to deal with - you either give them something, or state that you have already contributed (whether this is true or not).

The God Squad is more difficult, but we tell them the truth, that we are practising Catholics and they leave pretty smartly.

A friend states with equal truth that he is an observant Jew, and this works too.

So we only have to deal with phone salesmen and women, and one can always cut off the call if they cannot take no for an answer, and then block their number.

I lie, at Election time politicians ring door-bells too, but I get rid of them by saying, "I am 71 now, and have voted for the same party all my life, and am not changing my opinions now." Then I close the door.

We have a NO COLD CALLERS sign on the door which seems to be disregarded. Before covid we had a group of religious woman at the door. My husband pointed out the sign and their spokesperson said "that doesn't apply to religion". That's exactly who it apples to!

I’ve a sign saying no cold callers if they do knock on my door. I just point to the sign and say sorry not interested and I shut the door the longer you stand at the door the longer they will waffle on lol

Sago

I think this was a scam, BT/EE are two different companies they do not cold call!

I’m with them both it’s not a scam they have joined together if you have BT you get a discount off EE

Recently installed ring door bell...disappointed I have not had the chance to tell someone to "bugger off" ( joking of course)