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Original poster

Door step seller! Help!

149 replies

Thehorrifiedone · 01/08/2020 17:58

Last week I had a door step seller at my door. Young uni kid who was selling educational books for kids.
I was interested to begin with, until he said the price was 3 "easy" payments of £99 for two lots of question books and some encyclopedias. I said I cannot afford that and he said he can do the question books for just £59. At this point (after a long 45 minutes) I just wanted him to go. I said yes, with the intention of cancelling, as I hate confrontion with a passion and will avoid it at all costs.
At the end, he said I am now subscribed to some kids gaming app which cost £20 a month! I didn't consent to having that at all and it made me a little bit mad. He then wanted a picture of him, me and my kids (who was there at the door with me) to prove to his company he was doing work. He said he did it with everyone and they all were ok. Left his card with social media address on and went.
I immediately cancel the subscription and books via email and thought that was it.

Over the couple of days, he has been knocking on my door. I've ignored it of course because I don't want anything to do with any of it.
Just now, I looked up his facebook and he has pictures of families with the products. Scrolling a little further down, I saw me and my children. I did not consent to be put up on social media at all! I've re-read all the terms and conditions and no where did it say anything about this. Surely this is in breach of something? Can I get it taken down?

OP posts:
Thisismytimetoshine · 01/08/2020 20:18

This reminds me of the time we signed for a new kitchen to get rid of a salesman that was still sitting in our lounge at 1am! we cancelled the next day, he wasnt happy but then neither were we with the pressure sale and very tired too.
This is literally beyond my understanding... Wtf?!

Isitbedtimeyet4 · 01/08/2020 20:23

I had the exact same thing happen a couple days ago but I wouldn’t let him in, I said no 5/6 times and everytime I moved to shut the door he stopped me and showed me more. I told him he was making me feel uncomfortable and that I’d like him to leave and he didn’t, I’m 38 weeks pregnant, had a 10mo on my hip and a toddler running around so I found it very intimidating. I actually called 101 to report and they said they’d had a number of calls and had some patrol officers looking for him. I actually locked and chained the door when I finally managed to close it because he made me feel so uncomfortable so I was really quite worried if he knocked on anyones door that is vulnerable!

Glitterynails · 01/08/2020 20:27

I’ve had a sales rep from Southwestern Advantage knocking on my door after 7pm. I told him in no uncertain terms to go away. He protested that my neighbours were great parents that had purchased books for their daughter.

I must be a terrible mother for refusing.

TiddleyWinks123 · 01/08/2020 20:29

@SockYarn Clearly you don't have issues with confrontation, some of us do. I thought your response was extremely rude seeing as you don't know me as a person? You have no idea if I have MH issues, if I have crippling anxiety. It's clearly not as simple as "just shutting the door and saying no" otherwise everyone would do it?

oxrocker · 01/08/2020 20:31

Just say "Sorry I'm the cleaner/babysitter"

Thelittleweasel · 01/08/2020 20:34

@Thehorrifiedone

There is - IMHO - just one way round this. After 10 seconds or so[when you have established that it is no one that you know] and without any argument simply close the door and say "no thank you". Similarly with phone calls from those taht you do not know

elfycat · 01/08/2020 20:38

I had one a few years ago. Think it was household essentials. Wanted to come in. I snapped 'Of course you can't come in. You never know who's a vampire. Can't just go inviting strangers over the threshold.' I shut the door quickly into the stunned silence while he thought it over. Also works on religious types.

I like giving random replies to people after my money. A year or so a NSPCC chugger saw me walking with DDs and said 'You must love kids.' to which I replied. 'I hate the fucking things. Worst thing I ever did.' He didn't try to continue the conversation. I apologised to DDs for swearing and they're secure enough to know it was for effect and was a 'big' white lie, and I explained why I said that. DD1 is a chip off the block and is already practising random put downs and conversation endings.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 01/08/2020 20:41

@elfycat

I had one a few years ago. Think it was household essentials. Wanted to come in. I snapped 'Of course you can't come in. You never know who's a vampire. Can't just go inviting strangers over the threshold.' I shut the door quickly into the stunned silence while he thought it over. Also works on religious types.

I like giving random replies to people after my money. A year or so a NSPCC chugger saw me walking with DDs and said 'You must love kids.' to which I replied. 'I hate the fucking things. Worst thing I ever did.' He didn't try to continue the conversation. I apologised to DDs for swearing and they're secure enough to know it was for effect and was a 'big' white lie, and I explained why I said that. DD1 is a chip off the block and is already practising random put downs and conversation endings.

Are you single? How long does divorce take (my)? I am in love😂
elfycat · 01/08/2020 20:48

Sorry @SchrodingersImmigrant I am married, and very happily so since he works away 50% of the year Grin

SchrodingersImmigrant · 01/08/2020 20:49

@elfycat

Sorry *@SchrodingersImmigrant* I am married, and very happily so since he works away 50% of the year Grin
Awwww😁
SteelyPanther · 01/08/2020 20:54

I wouldn’t have got to the point of finding out what he was selling, I just say no thanks and shut the door,

pudcat · 01/08/2020 20:56

Always open the door with the chain on so that you can say not interested and shut the door more easily and more quickly.

ThisIsMeOrIsIt · 01/08/2020 21:08

I had one of these people visit us a couple of days ago. Said he was a student and showed his ID but he was so far away it could have been any old piece of card on a lanyard. He told me the names of two people nearby who had bought from him but I said I don't know them (true, we're new here) and he was incredulous.

It was 12:15pm and I was feeding the baby so I told him it was lunchtime and I wasn't interested. Then he asked if next door were elderly because he didn't want to have them answer the door if so. I said they weren't especially, but that as it was lunchtime people were probably having lunch and didn't want to be bothered. He seemed surprised that anyone would be eating lunch at that time.

We saw him a couple of hours later still walking around in the streets near our house.

Original poster
Thehorrifiedone · 01/08/2020 21:19

@tiddleyWinks123 I don't think some people do get what it's like. I long to be the strong person who can yell no and slam the door in their faces, but I can't.
I grew up with bailiffs and nasty people coming to my dads door, so that's always stuck with me.

When you report someone on facebook, will they know who did it?

OP posts:
Original poster
Thehorrifiedone · 01/08/2020 21:20

It seems like many people have experienced the same thing. They are like vultures!

OP posts:
SchrodingersImmigrant · 01/08/2020 21:23

[quote Thehorrifiedone]@tiddleyWinks123 I don't think some people do get what it's like. I long to be the strong person who can yell no and slam the door in their faces, but I can't.
I grew up with bailiffs and nasty people coming to my dads door, so that's always stuck with me.

When you report someone on facebook, will they know who did it?[/quote]
You have children, you have no other option than to grow balls.

You, and others who should think twice too, let some random take a pic of your kids, I presume infront of the house. It doesn't matter what he said it's for. It's not that difficult to identify where person lives from small bits.

JaniceBattersby · 01/08/2020 21:27

Not only is this scheme a total rip-off, it’s also a MLM to boot. These poor kids are being taken advantage of and given unrealistic targets. I spoke to my local trading standards myself about them last week. They have had hundreds of calls in the past month.

MondeoFan · 01/08/2020 21:28

We had one here but I'm in Essex. He had an iPad and showed us photos of families local that we recognised that had signed up to the scheme. Because we didn't sign up I guess he didn't ask to take our photo. He told me the price was £131 I think and when I said I can't afford it as I'm on furlough etc he talked about lowering the price. I said no sorry and closed the door

byvirtue · 01/08/2020 21:29

I did this job one year whilst I was at Uni. It was AWFUL and soul destroying, I’m amazed they are still going to be honest.

These kids will have been sold a line about how much money they can make, have extreme pressure applied on them to knock on doors, get leads (that’s the list of other people in the area who’ve bought from them) and of course make sales. They are cut off from their families for 3 months and most of them will make barely enough to cover their costs, especially if they are from overseas.

Please be kind, they are doing this to get some experience on their CV and make some money to fund their next year at uni.

Ps. Someone called the police on me when I asked if I could use her loo!

WhyCantIBeYou · 01/08/2020 21:31

I understand - sort of - the getting roped in to a conversation. I can't fathom why you let him take photos of you and your children. How weird?!

I agree with some previous posters. Next time a simple 'no thank you' suffices and saves all this angst

Topseyt · 01/08/2020 21:32

[quote Thehorrifiedone]@tiddleyWinks123 I don't think some people do get what it's like. I long to be the strong person who can yell no and slam the door in their faces, but I can't.
I grew up with bailiffs and nasty people coming to my dads door, so that's always stuck with me.

When you report someone on facebook, will they know who did it?[/quote]
They won't be notified of who reported them. If they work it out then who gives a shit, quite frankly. If he were to come back to ask you then you shut the door on him, or don't answer it in the first place.

If he then persists and won't leave you alone then you call the police and report him for harassment. That is unlikely though. Just a course of action to bear in mind.

Just do it. Show that you aren't the gullible, easy prey that he probably now has you down for.

GoshHashana · 01/08/2020 21:32

Be kind? It's a scam. There are plenty of other jobs young people can do that don't involve pressuring people and ripping them off.

Mothermorph · 01/08/2020 21:35

I am much better at saying no on the phone than at the door. I was really intimidated once at a guy who was at least a foot taller than me. He put his foot over the threshold and was partly in the house. When I said I didnt want to buy anything he got aggressive. I bought some crap just to get rid of him.

Griselda1 · 01/08/2020 22:27

What about not answering the door to strangers or doing so using a chain if you have issues refusing people.Remember he's been trained to persist and persuade you so don't feel bad about being taken in by him.

safariboot · 01/08/2020 22:40

It's best to shut things down quickly. Doorstep sellers are after all salespeople, it's their job to manipulate customers into buying, so don't even give them a chance.

Don't let doorstep sellers get a clear view into your property either - a door chain is good. Because some are burglars or in cahoots with burglars. And beware that the "seller" could even be a distraction for a burglary at that very moment.

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