to have called the police?

[Gentleness]

I think maybe I am a bit.

We're all just having an extended nap (2 toddlers and 5mo pg me lying down to ease spd and reading) and there was a knock at the door. Ignored it. Another knock. Ignored it. Not expecting anyone and no problem with ignoring.

Then the letter box was loudly flapped. A right racket. So I haul myself out of bed, just in case its an emergency, and get to the door to find a well built going bloke looking into the window ( just washed the nets so a clear view into toy_land). I asked him if it was urgent because we were all having an afternoon nap. He repeated in disbelief, shaking his head. I said, "Yes and if you had kids you'd understand how frustrating that last loud knock was." Whereupon he tells me he only knocked once. I asked him where he was calling from ( had id round his neck) and he walked away saying he had 3 kids and had only knocked once.

I was pretty irritated and said, " Don't lie to me, where are you calling from?".

I think I would have phoned the company first and made a formal complaint about him. If they said they had never heard of him/had no one working in that area or whatever, then I would have contacted the police.
Sometimes the reason people knock several times is to make absolutely sure no one is in before they kick the door in and rob the place. The police told my mother, who experienced this once when she didn't bother to answer a couple of repeated knocks, to always always let callers know there is someone in the house.

But he didn't attempt to hide his ID did he?? Op clearly saw it from where she was.... She googled it!

No, she saw the lanyard - that's the fabric bit that hangs round the neck. She stated that he refused to show her the card (which was presumably attached to the end of the lanyard and tucked into his coat.)

I think no harm to ring the non-emergency number, you might be wrong it was anything suspicious, but if it were you'd feel awful.

I rang the police a while back because there was someone wandering up and down our road peering into all the windows and she was very odd when I spoke to her. It turned out she wasn't doing anything dodgy, but she was not well and had somehow got away from whoever was looking after her. So it was good I rang. You never quite know.

No, the local number. I've obviously missed all the 101 info! I think I was a bit hasty though I couldn't believe he was a genuine rep with such an awful attitude. I didn't expect the police to do any more than log it and would have rather called the company, but seeing no obvious candidates made me even more suspicious. But probably it was equal suspicion and anger behind making the call .

I wasn't rude to him when I opened the door though, it really was a simple question, "is it urgent because we're all having nap time?" That is why I was so shocked by his response! He knocked wanting something from me presumably so why start out rude?

Do you also ring an ambulance if you stub your toe
think some posters may have the wrong idea why op rang the police, it wasn't cos some arsehole woke her up and was rude and aggressive, it was because he was dodgy about showing her id, she couldn't find anyone working in that area, and he was an arsehole. op YADNBU. people use these scams all the time to gain access to vulnerable people's properties, if as you say, there are elderly round your way, you did exactly the right thing, and that's what the police are there for, that's why they didn't tell you to piss off! well done, now go back to bed ya cranky cow :)

Yep, the lanyard is the woven strap - it had safetyuk printed on it. The badge itself I couldn't see from 3 paces away and he walked away covering it.

YABU, the police is a complete over reaction.
As far as I can see he just decided to go cos u were being rude to him.
He probably didn't bother to show u his badge cos he didn't want to waste another minute arguing with u.

hope you don't live near my grandma flojo,

But at no time did he try to gain entry. He just walked away having probably relised that the op was going to be too much hard work to bother with.

Just got a call from the local police who'd only just received the message. She told me they do take it seriously as there are scammers operating in the area, and it's a technique used by burglars, so she was fed up to have missed a chance to find the bloke and check all was above board. Oh well, I felt reassured about having called anyway!

Cantspel, he wouldn't have tried to gain entry faced with someone already suspicious anyway would he? Isn't that the point?

But at no time did he try to gain entry no, because she was in!!???
Just got a call from the local police who'd only just received the message. She told me they do take it seriously as there are scammers operating in the area, and it's a technique used by burglars

you did dead right gentleness :)

Refusal to show id or tell op what he wants/company he works for sounds iffy to me. Also, what kind of sales rep goes peering through your windows when you don't answer the door? Seems to me like he was checking nobody was in and probably was a scammer.

I contacted the police by email a few days after having a very pushy charity worker at the door. When told we were about to eat, she said she'd come in and talk to us, making conversation trying to get our names (she didn't). I contacted the police after our neighbours (elderly-ish) came and apologised for not speaking to the charity worker who told them we had sent them. I told them we hadn't, and would never send someone round like that.

I emailed the police because she was probably just pushy, but she was trying to get access-she wanted to come in and talk, plus she was implying (to the neighbours) that she was our friend and we'd told her to go round.

They told me if it ever happened again to call 101 or the local police station and they'd have someone come round straight away to pick them up.

So that's what the police advise.