Doorstep hardsell from Oxfam

[arses]

The door went a rat-a-tat about 4pm yesterday and I opened it to find a young man in an Oxfam t-shirt. I was in the middle of making the dinner (somewhere between choppping vegetables and putting the dish in the oven) and I told him before he started talking that I was very sorry but I really wouldn't be donating today as I already make other charitable donations and I am currently unpaid as am on the last part of my mat leave.

Then it began.

Him: Oh, you're Irish? What part of Ireland are you from? I just want to talk about the great work Oxfam do, just hear me out
Me: I'm really sorry but I'm making dinner and I won't be donating today
Him: We're not asking you to donate today, we're not allowed to ask for money on the doorstep, I simply want to tell you about the great work Oxfam do. Do you want me to do an Irish jig for you ((dances!))
Me:(laughs) Great dancing, thanks very much but I'm really quite busy right now
Him: Your neighbours have been very generous with their time and their money
Me: I'm glad to hear it, however I really do want to go inside now
Him: Your little boy is lovely. How old is he?
Me: 9 months
Him: Did you know that Oxfam works to support children and babies in the developing world.....
Me: (interrupting) Yes, actually, I did. Look, I really need to go inside now
Him: All I am asking is for you to listen for a few minutes to me telling you about the great work Oxfam do, I'm not looking for money. Your neighbours found it very interesting.
Me: Well, I don't have any to give you so that's good. However, I really do want to go inside now
Him: (starts new spiel about Oxfam.. can't remember details now)
Me: I'm sorry but it's really time for you to go now
Him: Well thank you for listening so politely to me, you can find out more about Oxfam online if you're interested
Me: Thanks.

This is a paraphrase of course, and I can't quite capture the high speed blurb about what Oxfam do or the earnest look in his eyes but I was a bit flabbergasted.

I really object to unsolicited door-to-door calls like this. AIBU?

they piss me off too. plus it is all obviously training. tbh if some one did a river dance at me on the doorstep i would be furious.

Not unreasonable to object, but I don't engage in conversation with doorstepper. Just smile and brightly talk over them with "No thank you. Goodbye" and shut the door!

YANBU.

I hate chuggers, especially when you realise how much money is wasted spent on them

If I want to give to charity I am perfectly capable of chosing the charity myself without being bullied and guilt tripped.

I had one say to me "Dont you care about starving babies then?" when I politely refused his speil Dont think it was Oxfam though, it was some other charity.

If they're not allowed to ask for money on the doorstep then how can your neighbours have been generous? This annoys me so much, same old spiel every time, my neighbours are generous too!
Now have s sign on my door telling them to bugger off except politer than that.

I know Stinkyfeet, I know. I am just useless at telling people to piss off without sounding like a crazed lunatic. Must get a-working on the assertiveness skills.

Domesticsluttery, this is precisely my objection to be honest. I wasn't going to get into that with him, though.

I wonder if dancing is part of their training?

To help be assertive I have one of those signs which say I don't sign up or buy anything at the door. Doesn't stop the pushier ones calling, but it's so much easier to point to it and then slam the door

If they're not polite enough to take no for an answer, then I don't have to be polite in return. It's my doorstep after all.

I say very quickly and very assertively (as soon as I clock they are doorsteppers):

'I'm terribly sorry but I'm not interested. Thanks for your time. Take care, now!' ...and close the door.

The important thing is to get it all out quickly, cheerfully and quite loudly (to scare them slightly) and to close the door before they can utter a word.

So what do you put on this sign then? And where does it go? On the door itself?

I like the fast/loud... be doom doom 'Take care y'all' approach too.

((wanders off muttering "quick, cheerful, loud. quick, cheerful, loud. quick, cheerful, loud.))

Closing the door on them seems to work for me... but then I'm very rude.

You can buy the signs fairly easily at various places, but a lot of them say no free papers too (I like the free papers ) so I got a sign company to make mine for me.

It says:

NO cold callers, sellers, advertising

and it's on the wall right below the doorbell.

Close the damn door! That's what it's for!

They are relying on you being too polite to shut that door, and don't feel guilty about it for a second, they aren't volunteers, they get paid.

the only people I ever feel remotely guilty about is the Jehovah's Witnesses, and that's because they are so bloody brainwashed they genuinely think you will go to hell if they don't manage to convert you. It really concerns them.

You could always tur it around.

"How much are oxfam paying you and others to do this? Don't you think that's a waste of money kindly donated by people? How can you take the money of a charity that is supposed to be helping needy people? I refuse to donate to a charity that employs people to go door to door as I think that is an Abuse of the funds they are entrusted with."

etc etc

Attack is the best form of defence

I hate the way these people go on, trying to come across all holier than thou, looking down at you and trying to make you feel like a bad person when you know damn well they are not doing this out of the goodness of their hearts and are probably on commission!!

I always say a polite "no thank you" and shut the door, don't give them chance to get into their spiel then.

Off-track slightly but ditto the pedestrian ambush in town centres, especially as they work in teams and you end up being targeted by all of them. I got a mouthful of abuse once for saying something like "no thanks, I'm fine" as I tried to swerve him. Avoiding eye contact used to be enough to put them off but now you're fair game if you have a pulse.

I'm usually quite blunt. A simple no, followed by 'you're not listening'followed by shutting the door. No guilt needed.

Colditz - we used to get JW's knocking every week. One day was feeling bored so decided to try and 'convert' them to my religious views (i.e. none). They were polite but made their excuses and left. Didn't see them again after that.

Six my grandad does that to them too. He ties them in knots by asking them all sorts of questions. Its so funny.

If they come to the door, my nan looks out, sees its them and shouts to my grandad "its someone for you" without telling him who it is.

DetectivePotato

Send him round here!

I once exploded at a Shelter chugger.

I was 5 months pregnant and had just been kicked out of my parent's home. I had been on my feet all day, walking from estate agent to council to estate agent to hotel (to try to get a cheap room)

And some TOSSER, some complete over priveleged little PRICK, had the nerve to look me up and down and say "yeahh right" after I explained that I wasn't in a position to start signing away what little income I had.

Reader, I went absolutely council on him.

even thought about keeping a few pamphlets by the door so I could Swopsie with them.

I wish charities wouldnt harm their reputations by engaging in chugging like this.

I am a regular donor to Oxfam via DD, but I know a lot of people are put off from giving money to charity by these tactics as they worry that their donations will just be spent on more fundraising and advertising.

Sadly, it must work on some people or surely the charities would not do it?

FWIW I have a blanket policy, I never buy anything at the door or give money to anyone at the door. I just tell them this, say thank you and goodbye and shut the door quick. As others have said DO NOT waste your time getting into a conversation.