Just Been Called a Fucking Bitch by a Nottingham Knocker

[LuluBlakey1]

So, our doorbell rang. I answered it. He looked like a Nottingham Knocker. The conversation went like this.
Him (Nicely) 'Hello. Sorry to bother you. Can I explain who I am?'
Me (Nicely) 'Hello. Well you can but if you are selling anything, I don't want to buy anything so I don't want to waste your time.'
Him (Frowning) 'Can I show you what I am selling?'
Me (Still nicely) 'It really won't change my mind. I don't want to buy anything.'
Him (Annoyed) 'Not even the cheapest thing'
Me (Politely) 'No, sorry'.
Him (Angry) 'So you don't want to help me?'
Me (Politely) 'I just don't buy anything at the door, ever.'
Him (Angry) 'Nobody does in this street. Nobody even comes to the door.'
Me (Politely) 'Sorry we get lots of people knocking to sell stuff.'
Him (Raging and stomping off) 'Piss off you stupid fucking bitch.'
Me (Politely) 'Glad I didn't buy anything now. You are very rude.'
Him (Still raging) 'Just fuck off. You're all fucking rude. Just fucking buy something and we'll fuck off. There's no need to be so fucking tight. Bitch.'

AIBU to have wanted to pick the spade up that was in the garden and brain him with it?

I didn't, of course, but I wanted to. I can't even feel any sympathy/empathy for him - the veneer of 'nice' was so thin and the 'thug' so quickly emerged. I wish I just hadn't answered the door. I bet he wouldn't have spoken to DH like that- 6ft, nearly 15 st and looks quite like a thug himself.I'm so angry.

To be honest, if we have it record whenever there’s motion then it records almost constantly.

Did you consider putting this on Twitter? It won’t work for the Nottingham Knockers but Save the Children should mind about this sort of thing. Give the area (not your address) and ask them to control their people.

I'd forgotten about Kleeneze. Never see anyone from Kleeneze now.

Why did you even engage with him?

I regularly get this, I just say "no" & shut the door.

I live in Austria and it's a total pain in the arse with people selling door to door or collecting for charity.
I usually don't answer the door unless I am expecting anything (been called weird on here many times for this from people who don't understand why people living in different locations/circumstances to them might not want to answer the door.

However, on the occasions I have answered the door, I've often been met with aggressive and pushy people. I just say no, thank you, straightaway as I have no intention of buying or donating anything to anyone knocking at the door. I feel like people are getting more aggressive - in the last year I've had at least 4 or 5 door to door sellers or charity people start yelling at me as soon as I've said no thank you and begun to close the door. Previously you could just say no, thanks and they'd then leave but I feel things have taken a turn somehow.

I don't know if they are getting more desperate for money in the current climate (everything is so expensive here) but I don't expect to be yelled at and called a "stupid cow" by some woman wanting to give me a catalogue for frozen foods after I've politely said no, thanks. I closed the door on her and she continued shouting and yelling outside for a couple of minutes at least. She was the worst case, but there have been others too who have shouted at me.

And then the sellers and people on MN wonder why so many of us don't want to go to the door.

I emailed them at the time and got a ‘sorry, will remind them not to’ email. I doubt they did anything though.

I once ordered some bits from kleeneze (didn't pay upfront)

Forgot all about it until two and a half years later,a couple came round with my order in a bag,demanding the money and got very aggressive when I said I didn't want it

Thankfully,my father happened to be in the house and managed to get rid of them

I will never know if they where genuine (they claimed they'd bought the round from the bloke I'd ordered from and where going through the orders) or where these type of people

I used to get them all the sodding time,until I lost it with a guy from a local charity (who wouldn't take no for an answer and got really snotty with me) so I bought a sticker saying 'no cold callers' on ebay

It seems to be working,we've not had one since

Neighbour and I had one the other day when we were both out in the gardens. Pretending he'd been sent to ours ("No. 35 and 37, right?" by our utility suppliers of Scottish Power. (Funny because I despise Scottish power with the burning hatred of a thousand suns and would never be a customer of theirs) and he was telling us that he needed our details so we could get our warm home discounts. I shrugged him off and said I'm not eligible but he was really insistent. I'm guessing it's because it's a housing association flat and therefore we must not work.
Not a bloody chance was I giving my details to a random lad. I have no idea if my neighbour did give him his bank details for the "deposit" because I left to go back inside.

Threads like this make me very glad I have constant cctv on my property. It's honestly worth its weight in gold in the event something happens. It's also a huge deterrent to scam artists (won't do much about a burglar, but a chugger/Nottingham Knocker wouldn't do very well if the came to the door in a balaclava.)

I pick up a spray bottle of flash and pretend to be the cleaner when I answer the door.

Sounds like he was a total twat. I had something similar once, to be fair my dad answered the door and wasn’t polite to him but when I tried to diffuse the situation, the guy went beserk calling me a fat c* over and over ‘who ate all the pies’ etc. it was genuinely one of the worst experiences of my life. I’m still annoyed I let it upset me so much, but it did. its worth remembering that we can’t control the actions of others and their outbursts are rarely to do with us personally.

And this is the reason we don't open the door

One was so aggressive on my street when told no, that he punched through a neighbours glass panelled front door. It was reported to the police but I don't know if they ever caught the guy.
It's not just sellers though- I've had the same aggressive technique from the Lib Dem candidate for my area a few years ago. I told him no, wasn't interested and he got really pushy, stood in my doorway, uninvited and wouldn't leave, I was repeatedly telling him no. DH heard and came to the door to help me. I'm no shrinking violet but he would not take no for an answer. I did complain. However won the vote and is now leader of our council...

I bloody hate them.

Yes, see, people mock the MN stereotype of not answering the door unless you know who it is, but this is exactly why!

We've had them a few times. They've been from Teesside and been coached over. They claim to be part of an offenders rehabilitation scheme but that might be dubious. To be honest I always buy a tea towel pack or a fridge deodorant because it's such a grotty life knocking on doors. The last time it was pouring down and he was drenched so I refreshed his coffee flask. Gave him a Kit Kat and passed on a woolly scarf I had no use for.

But I totally appreciate that people might find them intimidating. I'm not sure they are scoping out for robberies though. We've not had any follow up concerns.

🤣🤣🤣 Yeh I had one who was asking would I give to a charity that supports blind people and do I know anyone who is blind? I said no I don’t. He replied “really? All your neighbours know someone who is blind”. Bet they don’t

I was just going to say exactly the same. I hate ending up in situations like this with NK's, other sales people, Jehova's etc. It saves an awful lot of stress just looking at the Ring camera and not bothering unless its a parcel or someone I know.

I had similar happen to me couple years ago . I was busy trying to do my kids tea and soon as I answered I said , I'm sorry if you're selling something I'm up to my eyeballs can you just leave a leaflet , they continued so I said look I can't I have to go, he replied I hope you have a terrible evening, so my response was, I won't as it's not me knocking doors all night long I'll be chilling . Noone has right to talk to you like that especially a door salesman . His manager actually heard it and came over to apologise.

Another reason to have a Ring doorbell or similar.

Oh this happened to me when I was early 20s living by myself in London and this man had been let into the block of flats banged on my door and I opened thinking it was a neighbour. He was very intimidating and friendly in a very creepy way. I bought a couple of dishcloths for £10. I was really very scared and just wanted him to go.

Not one of thes but similar - man knocked. Cracked door open as hadn't managed to get dog into another room. Clearly a sales guy, chirpy and friendly. So I said, "Sorry, are you here to sell anything".
Him: No, I just want to leave these brochures
Me: Okay
him (interrupting): we're doign a really good deal on new front doors

Me: Oh, yes, okay, but we're definitely not doing that right now because...

him (interupting again): well have you seen the state of this? I just wanted to talk to you, <Stomps off>

We can't do anything to our front door because we are dealing with subsidence issues and are waiting for it to be sorted and, in fact, have been told that we'll most likely get the cost of a basic new front door as part of the fix (we'll probably have to pay in to get what we actually want). I'd have happily taken his brochures for when we're finally in a position to sort it but...

I'm a Mumsnet non-door-opener too, for this very reason. Anyone I'd actually want to see would let me know they were coming first. I do not want to buy fish, garden furniture, subscription coffee/meal boxes, cleaning products or dusters sold door-to door. And I donate to the charities of my choice already. Door to door selling must be a tough life, but that doesn't mean I have to buy unwanted stuff or deal with aggressive men on my doorstep.

Also the reason I don’t answer the door unless I know a specific delivery is arriving and I have a Ring doorbell to check.

Had a nasty experience with one swearing at me a few years ago.

I upset the Kleeneze lady 20 odd years ago. She kept posting the brochure and I asked her not to, several times. She did it again and it sat there for a couple of months and I binned it.

Very soon after that, she knocked and asked for and told me I had to pay her £3.50! Apparently, they had to buy the brochures up front, but didn't know that. She never came back.