Abusive Door to Door Salesmen

Lacehim · May 2012

I had a visit from a bloke from Energy Australia today asking me for a code off my electricity bill. He didn't make any sense, telling me that his company was going to save Qlder's 8% but he wasn't trying to sell me anything. I said I'm happy with my power supplier, thanks very much please go away (I never will or have bought anything off the phone or front door step). He proceeded to tell me that I had it all wrong, his company worked with Energex, who I got my power from. We disagreed on this (Energex is wholesale, my power supplier is retail).

He then proceeded to say he could just get the code off my meter! So told him only Energex are allowd to access my meter, and he won't be touching anything. He then proceeded to swear at me, calling me an idiot and other lovely things while stomping off down the road to lie to everyone else in the neighbourhood. I goggled the company and sure enough, they are retail energy company.

Bloody pushy bugger this one though. I've had salesmen to the door before, and they all go quietly away. Not this bloke. I felt like giving him a kick up the arse as he walked away. Getting abused on your own door step is a new one for me!

I did a 1 day trial with a company when I arrived in Australia with tactics just like this, but they where selling communications. I lasted until lunchtime, I was disgusted with the behaviour employed by the company to get customers. I just wonder how the average person goes with these guys. At least I can see through them.

Mind you the Austar guy tried to sell me MyStar when I told him his Satelite TV was a load of advert laiden rubish. His vision was that I would paymore to fastforward the adverts! Idiot.

Anyone else had a similar problem?

Jonty · May 2012

Lacehim, never give your bill to anyone as the NMI is on it. If he rights that down & has your name, address he would do a shifty and could switch it over. I have had a couple pounce on me in the last few yrs. They get nowhere with me as I don't disclose my retailer at all. If they get shitty, I just say politely it's for me to know and you to find out.... In others word F$()k off :thumb: And I am a genuine bloke but don't ram shite down my throat otherwise you will see my bipolar brother emerge and :pan :pan I am actually with Energy Australia in Victoria, funny hey!! I would report the prick to Energy Australia and also if verbally abused at my front door, I also wouldn't hesitate to call the boys in blue either as a minimum that old get the prick sacked for sure!

RichardM · May 2012

We intentionally make the path to the front door difficult, so we get very few, and all our relatives know to use the side door. Today the wife and I were out the front digging and building more of our wall, and a religious fellow decided to come up to us. I sighed, wondering what brand of crazy he'd be trying to sell us. He turned to the wife and said "He's got you working, has he?", then proceeded to tell us how we should be using a different kind of rock as core fill for the wall. I let the wife tell him why we were doing it that way, and ask him to leave.

Koffee_Kosmo · May 2012

We have had a few years break from door to door sales But in the last 8 months we have had a handful One was a fresh food and milkman type of sales but he was a gentleman The rest have been power company reps Now when the big change happened in QLD for retail Electricity I changed to another supplier on the promise of lower costs This did not eventuate and 3 months later I reverted back to Origin Having said that I have a dirty great big steel gate with a deadlock several meters from the front door with video survalence So if I don't like the look of them I buzz them and say no thank you without having to eyeball them :rofl:

Kelsey · May 2012

Lacehim, I think we must have had the same bloke a couple of months back. Pushy and stupid. He assumed we were incapable of doing our own calculations and trying trick us with his own, which didn't make sense. Even after we'd shown him our calculations he insisted we'd save money. He also tried the whole "I'm from your power company" routine. I don't know what possessed me to let him in the door.

RichardM · May 2012

on 1336819954:

Lacehim, I think we must have had the same bloke a couple of months back. Pushy and stupid. He assumed we were incapable of doing our own calculations and trying trick us with his own, which didn't make sense. Even after we'd shown him our calculations he insisted we'd save money. He also tried the whole "I'm from your power company" routine. I don't know what possessed me to let him in the door.

I would hate to be a fly on the wall when he knocked on the door of someone like my grandparents. Just despicable lowlives. It's weird that we have a do not call register, but no do not knock register. Most of these scum are just people paid on commission and aren't even employees of the companies they are selling for, so they can get away with almost anything with no recourse. If I started copping it more, I'd get order of these (free) stickers: http://donotknock.org.au/take-action/get-the-sticker-2/ Also of interest: http://donotknock.org.au/2012/04/05/energy-retailers-urged-to-end-to-door-to-door-sales/

Lacehim · May 2012

Where do you get one of those stickers. I need one.. OT I know but I also need a newspaper return device... Any ideas KK? One that fires the newspaper back towards the sender. They just can't read the No Newspapers sign. 5 local newspapers a week is just adding to landfill.

RichardM · May 2012

on 1336821328:

Where do you get one of those stickers. I need one.. OT I know but I also need a newspaper return device... Any ideas KK? One that fires the newspaper back towards the sender. They just can't read the No Newspapers sign. 5 local newspapers a week is just adding to landfill.

Order the sticker from the linked site. They are free. Also, in regards to the newspapers, there is one sure way to get the attention of a company - Send them an invoice for your time (yes, I'm serious). They won't just bin an invoice, they'll follow it up (yes, they'll never pay it, but it'll get their attention). We do it at work - If someone won't collect something, send them an invoice for storage. It gets the job done.

Brett H · May 2012

I very simply won't do any business transactions at the door or over the phone. If these guys really had the answers to cheaper prices and great deals they wouldn't be at the bottom end of the pay-scale. Also, I don't want the cheapest, I want what I want and this is in regards to everything from mechanics to power. I am guilty of being quite abrupt and rude to these people I'm afraid. Lacheim, I've never had one swear at me and have a tantrum on my door step but I have offered one assistance leaving in the past. I honestly think you need to report him to the local police because the vulnerable and the elderly are ripe pickings for this mongrel by the sounds of it. I bet you're not the first one they've heard from!!

derrilex · May 2012

A tumble down my long front staircase would be funny.

Muscles · May 2012

Reminds me of a bloke I met who was a Jehova's witness and also a Hells Angel. Used to knock on people's doors and tell them to get fu@#ed...

hiphipharar · May 2012

I have an answering machine so calls to my homephone get screened. Most people will ring my mobile or, if they ring my homephone, will leave a message. Polite but firm is my approach. Most will accept a courteous refusal. If they become pushy, a firm "I said No" will convince them I'm not interested. If not, they get a door closed in their face. I'm not wasting any time on them.

mycuppa · May 2012

My friend's sister is a little bit kooky (well, actually she is very, very kooky). Thus the reason she is home all day - just does'nt fit into this world we live. She is unbelievably intelligent (think rain man) and can recite information and stats on just about any subject. Does'nt she love it when door-knockers arrive.......they are held captive to this walking encyclopedia for hours at a time - she invites them in for a chat and just like Hotel California - you can never leave. Non-stop chatter. She makes them something to eat and drink and then it's hostage time. Those of the religious intent give her place a very wide berth. One day my mate turned up on his way home from work and this pair of young guys from some American religious society were clearly extremely distressed and wanting to leave - apparently they had been there for 4 hours and could not escape.

Koffee_Kosmo · May 2012

All bad door to door salespeople should be sent to your friends sisters place as punishment Its a win win situation, exept for the bad salesman KK

adelaidecoffee · May 2012

We have a sticker on our door. I think it was put into our mailbox? cant remember but anyway there have been no knocks since the sticker so it maybe working, or our street is being avoided for now. Time will tell.

Intense Coffee · May 2012

I had a similar friend to Mycuppa's "friends sister" back in S. Africa many many years ago. He used to delight in getting the likes of JWs through the door. He once sent a young naive JW lady away with a bunch of some of his books to read rather than she getting him to buy hers. They were deposited back on his front door the next day. The Afrikaans ministers (Dutch Reformed) used to door knock suitable locations for donations. He was totally fluent in their lingo and culture, and led them on totally until they were absolutely convinced they were in for a BIG donation. He would then casually suggest to them that of course JC was a black man. They could not wait to get the hell out of there, but he had them trapped by then. Graham