Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Men who sell tea towels door to door

27 replies

CruCru · 03/03/2015 19:01

AIBU to think this is a racket? We have them from time to time and they always have a story about being out of prison, trying to make ends meet etc then turn very nasty when you don't buy anything. Is this a psychological ploy to make you afraid of turning them down?

I had one this evening and am now a bit paranoid that he's going to come back to give me more abuse, he was so unpleasant. I know it's unlikely.

OP posts:
Katkincake · 03/03/2015 19:05

Had a young lad come round the other day saying he couldn't sell up north due to being recently out of prison etc. I said no thanks as was busy with DS's lunch, plus a bit broke being on mat leave - I wished him luck and he was fine with me. Guess some might be more desperate, hence the pushy sales.

Don't know enough about background to the scheme to say whether it's a racket or not though. Don't see as many these days compared to when I was a kid, but then I'm usually at work so might just miss them all.

OrinocoTheWomble · 03/03/2015 19:06

I've no idea, but we get them too. I usually buy something from them quickly as don't have time to listen (and the products have always been fairly bad quality). DH, however, will stand and chat to them, listen to their stories and offer them advice - for bloody ages! He never buys anything either, but usually gives them £10.

tinymeteor · 03/03/2015 19:08

Sorry you had a nasty experiences We get those guys periodically where we live too, it's a bit of a racket selling overpriced household crap but I'm not aware of it being anything more sinister than than. The hard sell does get a bit full on when you say no. Just say a firm 'thanks I have plenty already' and shut the door. They spend a couple of days in the area and then move on as far as I can tell.

Original poster
CruCru · 03/03/2015 19:10

I think the reason I think it's a racket is that they always get nasty when I say no. Presumably someone has told them to.

OP posts:
Scandinavian1 · 03/03/2015 19:11

It is a racket. We have occasional door to door salesmen here. The items are usually massively expensive, and elderly neighbours have been really upset. Police have attended in the past as its intimidation.

YouAreMyRain · 03/03/2015 19:13

"Nottingham knockers" they are known as apparently.

According to people on here they are scoping out your house to see if it's worth coming back to burgle. They sell the addresses of properties ripe for a burgle, apparently.

There are no licensed schemes for this kind of thing that are varyingly described as a step up for ex prisoners/forces/disabled people etc depending on their story so their ID cards, or photocopied hawkers licenses, are all fake.

tinymeteor · 03/03/2015 19:13

It's a racket of some long standing apparently. www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,815659

forago · 03/03/2015 19:20

we get them too and they always say the prison thing and get really pushy but I never buy anything and just firmly say I am not interested thanks. They are a bit of a pain to get rid of but I've never had any trouble once they accept you're not buying anything.

i have sometimes wondered if its a genuine approved scheme. it seems unlikely the parole board would sponsor this for offenders recently out of prison. and why always tea towels? why wouldn't they try selling something else?

OrinocoTheWomble · 03/03/2015 19:24

Blow me down with a feather... someone has just knocked on our door. I was upstairs and came flying down (thinking delivery)... no a young girl with a basket of stuff. I did my other answer (from one posted above) as was in the middle of DS bath time and said "sorry got a baby - having a crisis!" and closed the door apologising whilst looking worried! Usually works.

lalalonglegs · 03/03/2015 19:41

I remember a documentary about this more than 20 years ago - it was a scam then, selling overpriced dusters in the name of charity, all the profits going to the hawkers themselves and a sort of gangmaster figure. We had some come past last week - it was the first time I'd seen any in ages.

ilovesooty · 03/03/2015 19:49

I work with people recently released from prison and know of no approved scheme for this.

RandomNPC · 03/03/2015 19:51

That's why I always look out of the window before I open the door!

Lagoonablue · 03/03/2015 19:53

It's a scam. My mate in Trading Standards tells me so. Tell them to jog on.

Meechimoo · 03/03/2015 19:55

a relative ran one of these knocking businesses. It is a racket. They're not out of prison. They're 'self employed' and some of the top earners were earning over £500 a week! They had awards ceremonies for the high earners! They make a huge profit on the stock and are transported around from town to town. They prefer middle class areas because people are more afraid to say no thanks. They are not scoping the house out to arrange a burglary.

fizzycolagurlie · 03/03/2015 19:57

I think they get nasty out of frustration and inability to cope. I had to phone the police once as one got aggressive with my next door neighbor and started smashing all the bottles in her recycling bin. She was afraid and so was I, just next door (he hadn't knocked yet on mine) with two small children.

KingJoffreyObviouslyWatchesHol · 03/03/2015 19:59

Scam.

Bought from Poundland. Sold on for a fiver.

I give them this look: Hmm

GoodbyeToAllOfThat · 03/03/2015 20:02

I've always suspected it was dodgy but rather feel for the guys who come to my door.

Are they actually casing my house? Shock

ThePrinceofCambridge · 03/03/2015 20:04

*www.safelocaltrades.com/consumers/advice/nottingham-knockers

Yes they are casing your house, its sad but true. whenever we get a spate of them near us, people are then reporting stuff stolen.

ThePrinceofCambridge · 03/03/2015 20:04

www.safelocaltrades.com/consumers/advice/nottingham-knockers

ThePrinceofCambridge · 03/03/2015 20:06

They are not scoping the house out to arrange a burglary.

Yours may have been legit, but many our scamming out houses, as many local police forces testify too.

TracyBarlow · 03/03/2015 20:10

Round here they arrive accompanied by an unusual spike in crime. The police advise us to call the non-emergency no if we see them, which I've done twice (SAHM in quiet, affluent area - they knock here every few weeks), and they arrest them.

One of the ones I've reported ended up being prosecuted for operating without a pedlar's licence, and one for burgling 4 houses.

ThePrinceofCambridge · 03/03/2015 20:28

same here tracy, always call 111

Original poster
CruCru · 04/03/2015 18:07

Well, I called 101 and the lady was very nice. She said she'd get the local police to check it out but realistically they will not be aware of every scam going.

OP posts:
crazykat · 04/03/2015 18:32

We never get anything like this, we get avin/betterware/chuggers occasionally. I think the lack of them in our area is either because they know most round here are too poor to buy any/have anything worth stealing or because they live round here themselves.

I generally don't open the door without checking who it is. On the odd occasion I forget to check it's because the dcs are driving me mad which gives me a handy excuse to say 'sorry got a crisi' and shut the door again.

I hate people knocking on the door trying to sell things/get money.

BertieBrabinger · 04/03/2015 19:07

Oh no, I'm a bit Sad about this. Clearly I'm hugely gullible because I have bought stuff from these people on a few occasions, although interestingly I can't recall any of them knowing on my door in the last couple of years.

However, I'm happy to report the magic scissors I bought from one of these chaps are actually pretty damn magic Grin so a happy customer here...