Ringtons

[fifi25]

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?

They did go quite a bit over the xmas period. I suppose if she is buying he is going to sell her what he can but i dont agree with it. She is elderly and gets confused. Maybe the more she is buying the more he is trying to sell so shes at fault as well for buying it. Its a tricky situation because i dont want to just take over her life and make decisions for her. She has asked me not to ring them but i think there is a reason she is hiding. She doesnt owe him any money b4 anyone asks if this is why she was hiding

Do you think you might be going a teeny bit overboard though Fifi?

It was where you said that "He actually said last week i have these half price for you for being such an excellent customer" that you lost me.

That's exactly what happened to me in Boots last time I was there, they gave me a voucher thing for half price on some toiletries I have zero interest in just because I'm a loyal customer. Surely Boots aren't exploiting me?

Door to door sales were a common part of the past landscape of Britain and for a lot of older people they like a friendly chap coming round showing them things, having a little chat. Yes it'll be cheaper at the supermarket, that's why our generation shops there, but we're from an entirely different era and we can manage the huge neon hell-holes. It's different for a lot of older people.

So far the sins he's alleged to have committed appear to have been:

1. Calling back when he didn't catch her at home.
2. Offering special offers to loyal customers.
3. Not being as cheap as the supermarket.
4. Not being a business every other household in the area chooses.
5. Calling when she'd said "not next week".

So far only the last one appears to me to be any different from any other business our generation do use, be that Boots, the Avon lady or Tesco.

That she feels intimidated doesn't mean that Ringtons set out ot intimidate her or even that they've done anything wrong. As I said only point 5 struck me as unusual and then can you be utterly sure the man hasn't innocently forgotten something or misheard/misunderstood her, like we all do any number of times in an average working week.

By all means stop them coming over, I think you should call them first thing in fact, but I still think you're charging in there has got more to do with being angry Granny got injured than having just cause for outrage at Ringtons. A business whose clients are old doesn't automatically make it exploitative.

I'm really sorry to hear your Gran fell, I do hope she's better soon.

If she is getting this distressed then I think you have to intervene, albeit very discreetly. Just phone Ringtons and say that your grandmother is elderly, rather confused and thus becoming ever more vulnerable. As a result, she is no longer able to cope with doorstep selling and you would prefer their salesman not to call again.

PS. I'm sorry to sound pedantic but as you've used the word twice now, I have to point out that, in the context you intend, it is preying, not praying.

gloria yes im a bit thick will have to check my posts before pressing post, but im praying he doesnt call again.

Yes i have rang up and he wont be coming again. Im not angry that she fell over its just the aftermath really. I think older people are polite and wont tell people to bugger off.

Under - Grannys ok SS are coming today to arrange care and walking aids.

I do think she has been pestered into buying stuff and had she no family this would have continued. I am talking approx £20 a week which is quite a bit over the month.

I also agree that she was at fault and should have stopped it herself before it got to the point of hiding from him. Its all sorthed out now

Thanks