To get cross with N Power door to door guy?

[EricNorthmansmistress]

I bloody hate this. Sales calls are bad enough but coming door to door!!!! Guy bings our doorbell in the middle of the day, DH sticks his head out of the window and asks what he wants, defers to me (decision maker of stuff ) and I tell him we aren't interested. Guy is pushy and tries to carry on talking so I cut him dead and say 'really not interested, thanks'. Later in the day he bings the doorbell again and I go downstairs, leaving DS crying behind the stairgate and the hot tap running. I literally can't believe he's here again and his only response is 'I've been here before'. I snap 'I told you I'm not interested' and the guy looks positively offended. I end up yelling 'it's harassment!' as i slam the door on him.

I know he's only doing his job but WTF is any company about sending people to your door FFS! It's so intrusive. So was I out of order?

YANBU, this annoys me so much!

We are in a "no doorstop caller" zone, too (enforced by the police who actually don't give a toss if you phone them up to complain people are ignoring it) and we have a no caller notice on our door. Yet still they knock!

Plus DH works nights and the upstairs curtains are quite obviously drawn, yet if I am out they will knock and ring until they wake him up.

I pointed out to one bloke it was a no doorstop caller zone and he said "so?"

I made the mistake of phoning a company to complain once and we were hounded with sales calls for months afterwards.

So I've no idea what you can do, but it does annoy me. I always let the dog bark and look as viscious as possible but nothing deters them.

My father has various ploys, such as "sorry, no speak English", and "I'm afraid I'm only the butler and my lady is in the Caribbean for 6 months" (right yeah, living in a pokey terraced house), and these do get rid of them, but not permanently!

GRRRR! I feel your annoyance!

This happened to me with scottish power a month ago when some weirdo looking guy (prob in his 50s) came to the door and started off all nice but got really arsey and worried me a bit. I really didn't feel comfortable and he could see I was cooking tea/dealing with ratty kids etc and DH was away at work.

When I said I wasn't interested in him giving me £100 cash there and then if I signed up, he said "perhaps I need to explain this in more simplistic terms".

I nearly blew my top and said no, it's okay, I had a degree and knew all about renewable energy thank you very much! The cheek of the man . I saw him sitting in his car waiting to lurk on other unsuspecting souls. I was going to write to the company but had better things to do with my time.

Oh, and the tea completely burnt!

OP, with you on this one. We went through a period of NPower banging on our door at least once a fortnight, somehow always managed to correspond with (then) 7mo DS just falling asleep for his nap

I told them every single time that they had woken my baby up. I'd even resorted to notes on the door, but they didn't work. I lost it one day after a particularly bad night of no sleep and scarred the crap out of one of them. They didn't come back for almost 2 years

scared, not scarred! I didn't slash him witha a knife or anything!

We get regular RSPCA blokes coming round and knocking asking us to sign a form saying we'll pay a monthly donation. Do these companies not realise that we're not stupid and we can search and apply online if we want to show our interest/support in any of their offers?

Drives me mad too. I try not to be rude to them as I don't think many people would chose to do that as a job - well, I certainly wouldn't anyway - but I lose it if they won't take no for an answer. I threatened to call the police once as an N Power rep simply would not leave my doorstep.

YANBU drives me mad too!! as if we arent already busy enough, leaving the dc to deal with blimmin sales men leaves me feeling grrrrrrr!!

It's annoying but I feel sorry for them. Wouldn't like to be doing their job, probably for peanuts too.

I feel your pain - had two different sales guys from NPower at my door today - an hour apart. I was firm but they don't like no as an answer. They felt I was rude as I kept the front door virtually closed, but I don't like to open it totally - firstly they can see in, and secondly, my toddler may escape! If anyone has an answer to get rid of them legally, please tell me xx

Sales calls both phone and at door at soooooooooooo annoying. We regulary have Npower or similar asking us to change suppliers and I explain that once a year I check online and compare all suppliers all together.

Am a bit worried about this (plus god squad too - although they are very polite to be fair)in the early days after LO is born but will prob unplug the bell and maybe leave a note - dont ring bell unless you we are expecting you!

My mum always puts on her posh fake accent and says ' oh no darling I don't do business on the doorstep!'

YANBU

It annoys me SO much!!!

I have, it seems, completely stopped them calling now.

It wasn't until I went up to THREE 'don't call etc etc' notices that it completely stopped though.

I have one to the right of the door, one to the left of the door and one immediately next to the door bell. All different designs. Cannot possibly claim to miss them!

The nice, brass, 'addressed mail only' sign on my letterbox is, sadly, completely pointless. Along with 'opting' out with Royal mail, several times, it seems.

We had a Southern Electric guy round about 45 mins ago. I've just started my maternity leave and I swear he was about the 5th doorbell ringer I'd had (god knows how many we get when nobody's in). Every single one of them has rung the bell THREE times cos it takes me so long to haul my sorry carcass as far as the front door. The SE guy got 'ALRIGHT ALRIGHT FOR FUCKS SAKE!!' full volume as I rounded the living room door. He looked very sheepish and I was very very unfriendly and delivered to him a Hard Stare

Phone up the head office - I did this when a salesman virtually barged his way into my house and tired to sign me up to somethingI
I thought they weren't meant to do this any more

My DH keeps threatening (I'm not entirely certain how seriously) to write to the head offices of various companies to formally withdraw the right of their operatives to walk on our land... then sue for trespass for any infringements. I think this is a bit OTT but it would be an interesting solution to the problem.

Don't feel too sorry fro them, my brother used to do this as a holiday job when he was a student, made a right packet. They are v cynical, deliberately target low income areas, key meters etc. My bro was making up to 1500 a week in commission!

I did this job as a student but i wasn't very good!

Quickest way to get rid is to say brightly 'but your guys came round this area just last week!?' That would guarantee I'd be off somewhere else and probably irritated with the other sales teams poaching my area.

MSE says some of the main energy companies have agree to make their salespeople respect "no cold callers" signs - here

My best moment was when I answered the door while feeding dd. I stood there listening to the guy, wondering if he'd noticed or just thought I was holding my baby close. Then I got bored and said "excuse me, I need to switch sides, she's finished the first one". I've never seen a salesman leave so fast.

Please please don't open the door to them if you are not going to buy on the doorstep.

They have no right to expect you to open the door and you have every right to keep it closed.

I look through the spy hole and see if it is a delivery or post man etc and then if not I keep the door closed and say "who is it" normally they will never say - they just say "we have a great offer for blah blah".

I then say "goodbye I have a policy that I do not buy on the door step goodbye".

I am thinking of getting a sign actually because I would rather not be disturbed in the first place.

Same for junk mail - register with MPS and any junk mail you do get which you don't want- write on it "not known here - remove from mailing list". I seriously don't get any junk mail. If I get something eg from a hotel I ring them up direct and get removed from the mailing list.

For telephone calls you need to register with TPS and any calls you get - tell them to remove you from the database and that you are registered with TPS and they are breaking the law by calling you.