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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Ringtons

29 replies

fifi25 · 03/02/2011 23:03

Ringtons seem to be praying on my eldery grandmother whos in her 80's.

Every time i go up she has accumulated a mass of tea caddys, writing sets, paperweights and huge fruit cakes.

Today she tripped over the rug trying to hide from him and we have been sat in casualty for 4 hours.

At xmas he continously knocked on her door with stuff which was half price but still double what it would cost in the shops.
She did initially let them in and he has been coming for about 6 months.
Ive told her i am going to ring up in the morning and tell him not to come back but she is begging me not to as she doesnt want to get him in trouble.

Ive never had a Ringtons man knock on my door and ask me to buy anything.

Do you think i am being unreasonable to ring and complain?

OP posts:
mutznutz · 03/02/2011 23:06

I've never heard of them?

Original poster
fifi25 · 03/02/2011 23:12

It might be a Northern thing like sadie the bra lady. I thought they were nationwide.

OP posts:
mutznutz · 03/02/2011 23:14

Sorry, is it like Kleeneaze or Avon where she orders from a catalogue? Or do they just turn up with a suitcase?

CockularDepravity · 03/02/2011 23:17

I thought this was going to be about ringtones. I now have no idea what the OP is talking about.

Original poster
fifi25 · 03/02/2011 23:18

They come in a van with a wicker basket and knock on doors. A lot of the elderly seem to use them.

OP posts:
GreenEyesandHam · 03/02/2011 23:18

I've heard of them, but never known anyone who has used them. Iyswim Confused

Don't they sell tea and biscuits and stuff?

MrsNonSmoker · 03/02/2011 23:21

Definitely ring and complain and report to local trading standards. These are what we call tally men, you have to live in certain areas or be over a certain age to know what they are. Schemes like this are a source of debt for vulnerable people and low income families, but there's nothing "illegal" in what they do - just immoral.

Original poster
fifi25 · 03/02/2011 23:21

They initially sold tea and coffe but seem to have expanded to a bit of everything

OP posts:
butterpieify · 03/02/2011 23:21

They come round our estate - it is full of elderly geordies. I know what you mean - I once asked one for a catalogue and he ummed and ahhed, so I asked him if I could look online and let him know what I would want next time, but he said he didn't know what he would have in his van next time!

Very odd.

I do like things being delivered though. I love anything that I don't have to go to a shop to get :)

purplepidjin · 03/02/2011 23:22

He sounds like he needs to be in trouble - he's harassing a vulnerable person!

Original poster
fifi25 · 03/02/2011 23:22

They go to the elderly bungalows next to mone but never knock on any of the houses.

OP posts:
Original poster
fifi25 · 03/02/2011 23:22

Sorry typings shocking, got a huge mutt on my lap.

OP posts:
Concordia · 03/02/2011 23:25

i'd complain.
they come to our street. i had never heard of them (ex southerner emotcion) and told them i could buy my tea and coffee elsewhere.
a couple of the older people buy from them.

GloriaSmut · 03/02/2011 23:27

I'd never heard of them before mistakenly assuming this topic was about ringtones. But a quick Google reveals that they are based in Newcastle Upon Tyne and don't deliver to Sussex!

They make a great deal, on their website, about their unique doorstep delivery service and I am quite sure they don't intend this to result in harassing elderly ladies and making them feel like prisoners in their own homes. So ring their head office and report this problem to someone with the authority to do something about it.

isitmidnightalready · 03/02/2011 23:28

Ah - the man from Ringtons - I remember my days up north. He used to knock on our door with his jolly wicker basket of goods and overpriced liqorice alsorts. If you didn't have the cash, he would let you pay next week. If you weren't in he would leave something that you had had the previous week on the doorstep. Jolly lovely and sweet - he always got his sale, but left you smiling whilst eating his overpriced shortbread biscuits.

The local grannies used to love it - or so I thought. Maybe they were secretly being coerced against their will like the OP's granny.

My advice would be - ring them up and tell them to leave her alone, even if she does say she wants the goods. She doesn't really.

There was worse in the next village - my friend was terrorised by the local fishmonger whose van you could smell before he knocked on the door. And if she went away, she got back to a packet of once-fresh fish shoved through the letterbox. He probably thought he was being kind.

GreenEyesandHam · 03/02/2011 23:29

Well I'm a northerner and I've never seen a Ringtons man, and I've just asked my whippet and he'd never seen one either

tethersend · 03/02/2011 23:31

Don't the Ringtons live next door to the Pontipines?

starfishmummy · 03/02/2011 23:34

They come round here - I used them for a while when DS was little and we were stuck in a lot (due to his health problems).
I think once I started I used to continue to buy stuff because I was a bit embarassed not to iyswim and but eventually said no thanks.

They only come once a week round here, but I think they may be franchises so will not all necessarily work in the same way, but ours were fine when I eventually stopped having them. A small attempt to get me to reconsider (but I think that would be fairly normal in any business) and they have never called again.

Original poster
fifi25 · 03/02/2011 23:35

I think she wants him to go because he goes to some of her friends bungalows but has now realised he is palming more and more stuff onto her. She probably would be happy to have a packet of tea and some biscuits but its getting out of hand now. He actually said last week i have these half price for you for being such an excellent customer. A family sized fruit cake and a paperweight which were not cheap even at half price. In her day there were always fish vans, grocery vans and the Ringtons.

OP posts:
mrsfollowill · 03/02/2011 23:35

Ringtons sell very nice but overpriced tea and coffee. They are very popular where I live - every Thursday the 'Rington's man' does his rounds. I passed him this morning on the school run.
My Mum used to get a delivery each week 20 odd years ago.They carry their goods to your door in a very 'quaint' wicker basket. They are not crooks but will always try and sell you a box of shortbread or tealoaf.
They are a genuine company and not trying to rip anyone off- just cancel the order Grin
I get my tea and coffee from Asda Smile

Underachieving · 03/02/2011 23:40

www.ringtons.co.uk/doorstep

I think this might be who you mean fifi25?

The one thing that I find at all concerning is when you say they knocked on her door "continuously". That can mean an awful lot of different things to diferent people. What did you mean by it, specifically?

There is a general perception of door to door sellers as shady or applying pressure so when you get situations like the one your Gran is in it's easy to say that the sales company are "preying on" people. They might be, it's always possible, but it's also possible that your mum hasn't been very clear that she's not interested in the product anymore and the salesman thinks she wants to be called on another day.

Hiding from him only sends him a mesage to go away and not come back if A) He notices, B) He's insecure enough to take it personally. If his interest is in doing his job rather than scaring your grandmother then I expect he hasn't noticed and wouldn't take it personally if he did.

Of course it's alright to tell them not to call again, perhaps someone should have a long time ago instead of all this sneaking and hiding, getting frustrated an calling the company names. There is a recession on, you can't blame a salesman for trying a previously-happy customer another time if there's apparently no one in that day.

Once your Gran or someone on her behalf has clearly told the company that Gran wont be interested in thier products/service again then if they call after that they ARE doing something wrong. Until then though I think "preying on" is perhaps a bit strong.

Just tell them Gran's not interested and wont be again. If someone had done the assertive/reasonable bit weeks ago your Gran wouldn't have been to casualty today.

Underachieving · 03/02/2011 23:41

mum should say Gran

DooinMeCleanin · 03/02/2011 23:44

I love the Ringtons man. Mine is lovely. He used to be my mum's Ringtons man and watched me grow up.

He never pushes sales, always has brochures with a full list of prices and never just leaves goods if I am not in.

He leaves me mums teabags with me if she is not in, but only because she has asked him to. She also leaves me the money to pay because she is never in on the days he calls.

He has promoted to area manager now so I don't see him that often, but he still does rounds occassionally to catch up with people who have been on his rounds for 20+ years. His predecessor has been trained by him and is just as lovely, but I still like the old one best.

YANBU to call them, but dn't be aggressive. Just say your Gran doesn't feel comfortable with them being there but is too afraid to say and then ask them to bring you double chocolate cookies om nom nom.

Original poster
fifi25 · 03/02/2011 23:47

I do think he is praying on her. Why do they not knock at any of the houses, why just the bungalows. He goes once a week but if she says she doesnt want anything next week he still knocks. She doesnt want me to complain and i dont really want intervene but she seems to be accumulating more and more junk which is not cheap. She would be happy with what she has asked for but she obvously feels she cant say no. I didnt realise how bad it had got till today and couldnt believe she felt the need to hide from the ringtons man which i find disturbing.

OP posts:
DooinMeCleanin · 03/02/2011 23:51

A lot of the time they are only doing their rounds and so only go to their customers, which explains why they only knock on the bungalows. Once every few months they do a sales round and knock on more doors to try and get new customers.