About apparent ex-convicts selling door to door

[Trixiebelle16]

Just had one saying he was trying to get on the straight and narrow and wanted to come in and show me what was in his in bag to sell. I was at home with dd and said no - I didn't have any cash, which is true. He started getting very agitated begging me to let him in. I started feeling very intimidated and finally managed to get the door shut. Feel a bit shaken up. Has anyone else had this?

I used to tell people to call the police as when they turn up and I presented my peddlers licence they can do nothing but ask to move on.

It is not a crime. Police cannot arrest them unless they breach the peace or cause alarm and distress.

Just be polite and say I'm not interested thanks.

I especially liked the comment made about callin out to you imaginary male partner if you are alone. That is very sensible advice

Be safe people

Please: why do we have spy holes and chains?

I wouldn't answer the door to these sellers, I had a torrent of abuse from one when I had politely refused to buy an extortionately expensive rubbish duster. They then ran after me up a neighbours drive whose cat I was feeding wanting to sell me something, when I said that I didn't want anything they were once again abusive and I had to threaten to call the police, which I should have done anyway.

The same lot had conned an elderly neighbour out of a load of cash, and then returned regularly for more.

I also had people knocking at my elderly mother's a tree, it was a young upright flowering cherry that didn't need touching, but they told her it was a health and safety risk, they cut through a few twiggy branches, then charged her £350. Makes my blood boil.

Zombie thread.

Maddaman sorry but you sound like you were a pushy scammer. You weren’t on a “work creation scheme” that was a lie. And you know that people were only telling you they had no cash in the house because they were trying to get rid off you politely and you still pushed it.

Madam an I would rather someone ‘ sponged off the government’ than did what you were doing, don’t harass people in their own homes. Ugh.

I know it's an old thread, but this still happens sporadically in my neighbourhood, and it's bollocks: they deliberately come around late afternoon, when they're more likely to get women with kids at home, and they launch straight into a lengthly pitch, and the minute you try to politely refuse there's the wheedling and then the abuse. The last guy shouted through my letterbox that I was a 'fucking liar' because I said I had to get back upstairs to my kid (we're in a flat).

It makes me so angry, because it does genuinely make you feel shit and quite scared, at least until you hear they've given the same crap to everyone on the street. It's also frustrating to see how strongly I've been socialised into being nice and polite and accommodating to pushy people: I was very polite as he went on and on, right up until the hard-sell turned into outright abuse.

Please don't buy from these guys. And if you're a seller: no, it's not helpful to say you'll take a cheque, or give them the item and come back later for payment. It's just another sales push and you know that.

just had an annoyed one - he came form Middlesborough too apparently. Perhaps they bus them in?! didn't buy but have a bot of their tat.
usual off swearing - !

I know this is a zombie thread but I have been Mumsnet googling to try to figure this out.

Since we moved to a new area a few months ago I have had a lot of these people at the door. Whether they're genuine or not, it unsettles me and I feel very intimidated. We have glass panels in our door so they see me if I walk down the hall to see who's at the door. Once they see me I feel compelled to answer the door. DH thinks this is daft and tells me to ignore them and walk away if I don't recognise the person and am not expecting a delivery or something.

We get various other people at the door, religious groups, charity people (had great trouble shifting a chap from Greenpeace recently) and gardeners!

I never buy anything on the doorstep. I don't care what they are selling- PPI, dusters, clothespegs, lucky heather/pebbles, pet insurance, Encyclopedia Britannica etc etc they won't get a penny from me. Too big a security risk and one can never say who is genuine either. I expect most of them are not.

I've always understood that it was a scam, the bit I don't get is why claiming to be an ex-con would make anybody more likely to open the door to them. Shouldn't they be claiming to be nuns or something?

We had one the other day - there were at least two of them, who were being ferried about by a white car and tracked by our local facebook group. I rang the police, but they reckoned they were probably legit. Although they did ring me back half an hour later to check whether they'd given me any problems.

I know! You just don't want to open your door to "Hello, I'm recently out of prison but don't worry I'm not dangerous". That's what one said to me!!! He then told me I had a lovely smile. Yuk. It's so unsettling.

I am all for rehabilitation schemes for offenders IF they are genuine run by government, or trusted charities etc. But there is no way of telling when some stranger turns up on your doorstep. I live alone so my system is, I answer the door if I am expecting someone.

TellOutMySoul that would freak me out too. Tbh, I'd have 101-ed that.

Bloke here - just had one now - gave me a mouthful of abuse and threatened to burn my house down when I wouldn't buy anything. Rang 101, gave description etc. Saw him again and had to ring back to give the RIGHT description.

Ironically, I normally bung them a few quid if they are polite - he was no salesman!

Yes there are - and the police have confirmed it.
www.kentlive.news/news/sussex-news/ex-offenders-cold-calling-houses-948496

It is a well known scam. They claim to be on a special scheme for ex offenders, learning from their mistakes and wanting to reform. They sell cheap stuff for a lot of money. Soon as you buy anything, you’re marked out as an easy touch and get them regularly.

Zombie thread but just stumbled across this and I am that I never saw through this scam! We regularly get these in our area (and the blokes also always seem to be from Middlesbrough!) and I've had them being abusive when I've politely said I'm not interested. There's a lot of older people where I live. Think I'll write to the parish council and ask them to publish a warning in their newsletter. There have been too many burglaries recently!