Advice regarding pushy/aggressive door calling

[Ridgewalk]

Yesterday had 2 visits from a very unpleasant door caller saying he was from EDF stating that he would show me how to save money. Adopted a polite manner to him, after all it's not a job I'd want in cold weather, however this guy was pushy beyond belief and invited himself back round in the evening to discuss things further saying 6pm. Turned up at 8-15 pm and i advised that I/we weren't interested, wouldn't have it kept pushing. I thought at one point I was going to have to be a bit more assertive and considered calling the police. After he'd got the message he started being quite sarcastic.

 

To who and how should I complain. He was wearing an EDF coat and appeared to be "legitimate". I thought of a call to the police and possibly an e mail to EDF, who would probably bury it and pat him on the back for being assertive ?

[chocki]

I really cannot understand how people can't get rid of these cold callers! My motto is be polite first, then after thirty seconds, if you're not interested, slam the door in their faces! SIMPLES. How can someone pressure you into them coming back in the evening and you open the door to them!!!

 

Sory just don't understand this

[harvey19]

Be firm but polite and keep repeating you are not interested. It is called the cracked record method .

Do not let them get you involved in a conversation.

[LibertyBell]

I really cannot understand how people can't get rid of these cold callers! My motto is be polite first, then after thirty seconds, if you're not interested, slam the door in their faces! SIMPLES. How can someone pressure you into them coming back in the evening and you open the door to them!!!

 

Sory just don't understand this

 

Because not everyone is like you I suppose. Hard selling techniques have been developed and honed to get maximum effect by playing on people's good nature and lack of assertiveness. They will give a message that makes it sound like you can't lose and in fact if you just agree to buy, they will leave you alone and you will be better off.

 

etc.

[Maxxy]

I'm polite in the first instance then it's a sod off tablet I'm afraid. If I see people coming up the street knocking on doors I don't even answer to them. You need to complain to edf I think. Intimidating you is not acceptable and negative feedback shouldn't be something they want.

[summa]

Chocki, you may not be able to understand this but some people would find someone, especially someone who is a bit pushy, indimidating and feel under pressure when they are actually on your front door step.

I am quite assertive and don't usually, as a rule let them get further than telling me who they are, when they are at my house, but can well understand other people feeling forced into their sales pitch.

Last year I went to my mams, and as I got there could tell somethig was wrong, she said that someone selling a chairty magazine subscription had just left.

She went on to tell me that he was quite rude, told her she 'had enough money' to pay for the magazine, when she explained she already donated to the said chairty so she didn't want the subscription, he said 'nonsense, you can afford this aswell'

My mum being a little shocked said no thanks and tries to shut the door, he steped up to the front door and jarred her shutting it with his foot, and asked to come in an explain further. She said no and shut the door!

I was fuming and went down the road to find him, doing the same to some elderly couple, I told him what I thought, took his ID number and advised him we would be telephoning his company to tell them how he was bulling people into making a decision.

LibertyBell hope you get it sorted and I know it's easier said than done when people just say 'be polite and say no thanks'

[gina2007]

Yesterday had 2 visits from a very unpleasant door caller saying he was from EDF stating that he would show me how to save money. Adopted a polite manner to him, after all it's not a job I'd want in cold weather, however this guy was pushy beyond belief and invited himself back round in the evening to discuss things further saying 6pm. Turned up at 8-15 pm and i advised that I/we weren't interested, wouldn't have it kept pushing. I thought at one point I was going to have to be a bit more assertive and considered calling the police. After he'd got the message he started being quite sarcastic.

 

To who and how should I complain. He was wearing an EDF coat and appeared to be "legitimate". I thought of a call to the police and possibly an e mail to EDF, who would probably bury it and pat him on the back for being assertive ?

 

Wasnt in/around Shiregreen by any chance was it? A minibus dropped a load of them off on my road, midday/early afternoon.

[Bradi]

i thought door knocking was banned!

[Vulcan B2]

I have got so fed up of these cold callers that the last time one knocked at my door asking me who my energy supplier was, I asked him how big his <REMOVED> was. He actually blushed, stammered and was left pretty much speechless. I told him that if he didn't like it, he shouldn't go around asking people personal questions. Then I shut the door in his face. Worked a treat

[irenewilde]

I'm polite in the first instance then it's a sod off tablet I'm afraid. If I see people coming up the street knocking on doors I don't even answer to them. You need to complain to edf I think. Intimidating you is not acceptable and negative feedback shouldn't be something they want.

 

Exactly right. I always start off with a polite refusal which only occasionally works. I find I have to get quite assertive with most of them & I've been threatened in front of my daughter who was 7 at the time and terrified. He even pretended to call for back up on his phone (punched in some digits and then started talking immediately - like they do on TV - it was comical really) because I was being "rude" to him. I complained about him and they took it very seriously. At one point they rang and said he wanted to come back and apologise in person. I said that I'd hit him with a baseball bat if he came anywhere near my property again and the person on the phone actually said she didn't blame me for thinking like that!

 

Anyway - since I put this in my porch (print it out)

 

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/no-more-junk#coldcallers

 

we've had only one person at the door in 5 months! He told my husband that he "didn't take any notice of those notices". All I can say is that I'm glad my husband answered the door & not him because I would have pushed past him, gone round the side of the house and turned the hosepipe on him on the grounds that I was watering my garden and he was in the way.