doorstep sellers/collectors/converters
Posted: Jun 10th 2005, 11:53 am
OK, I'm having the world's most boring day. So my mind has begun to wander... and I was thinking about the last couple of weeks, when I was at home during the week for large chunks of time. And I was thinking about how many times our doorbell rings and it is someone
a) collecting for charity
b) trying to sell something
c) trying to convert me to some religion or other.
Seriously, I never knew how many people knock on the door during the day, in an average week. We get the occasional one in the evening (which really irritates - I feel like saying 'sure, I'll buy/sign/whatever, but how about if I come by your house during your free time and we can sort it out then') but it's not too bad. So I was stunned to realise how many of these people there are out there.
Now, being your average repressed Brit I always struggle when confronted at my doorstep with a real live person asking me something (the something usually involving 'give me money') and being a slightly paranoid Londoner the thought of danger is always lurking. Is this person going to stab me if I say no? Is the best thing to do just to close the door on them? Will I get a brick through my window tomorrow as a result?
My usual response, I'm ashamed to say, is to give them a little bit of money to make them go away. But that's generally because it really doesn't happen often (I thought) and I usually think they probably have a good reason for knocking on my door. But I am getting fed up perpetuating the 'it's fine to disturb me in my home and ask me for money' thing, and I am fed up of handing people money. One guy last week knocked on the door, shoved his 'ID' badge in my face and said that he was collecting for disadvantaged kids in London. OK, I think, even though I checked his ID and it told me absolutely nothing, this is probably a decent enough cause, and he was trying to at least give me a small magazine in return. So I gave him £1 for his magazine. After he left I discovered it was a highly discriminatory religious magazine basically saying you are damned straight to hell if you drink alcohol, allow your kids to listen to pop music, etc etc. I was so infuriated with myself for giving him money before I sussed out he was lying.
I was wondering whether the door-step caller trying to extract money, whether it be for charity, religion (!) or sales purposes, is as prevalent in other countries? How do you respond to these people? I don't like to be rude as they are another human being and are probably just trying to make a living or help others etc.
But I have now decided that any callers, in person, to my house, will be met with the following response. If they are a charity collector, I will say 'I have recently made it my policy not to give money to charities who ask for it on the doorstep of my home. If you have some leaflets I will be happy to take them, read them at my convenience, and consider a donation. But I'm not giving you any money today.' Ditto for sales people. If I get a religious conversion person, they will get 'I'm not interested' and the door shut in their face.
Is this too harsh? What would you do?
a) collecting for charity
b) trying to sell something
c) trying to convert me to some religion or other.
Seriously, I never knew how many people knock on the door during the day, in an average week. We get the occasional one in the evening (which really irritates - I feel like saying 'sure, I'll buy/sign/whatever, but how about if I come by your house during your free time and we can sort it out then') but it's not too bad. So I was stunned to realise how many of these people there are out there.
Now, being your average repressed Brit I always struggle when confronted at my doorstep with a real live person asking me something (the something usually involving 'give me money') and being a slightly paranoid Londoner the thought of danger is always lurking. Is this person going to stab me if I say no? Is the best thing to do just to close the door on them? Will I get a brick through my window tomorrow as a result?
My usual response, I'm ashamed to say, is to give them a little bit of money to make them go away. But that's generally because it really doesn't happen often (I thought) and I usually think they probably have a good reason for knocking on my door. But I am getting fed up perpetuating the 'it's fine to disturb me in my home and ask me for money' thing, and I am fed up of handing people money. One guy last week knocked on the door, shoved his 'ID' badge in my face and said that he was collecting for disadvantaged kids in London. OK, I think, even though I checked his ID and it told me absolutely nothing, this is probably a decent enough cause, and he was trying to at least give me a small magazine in return. So I gave him £1 for his magazine. After he left I discovered it was a highly discriminatory religious magazine basically saying you are damned straight to hell if you drink alcohol, allow your kids to listen to pop music, etc etc. I was so infuriated with myself for giving him money before I sussed out he was lying.
I was wondering whether the door-step caller trying to extract money, whether it be for charity, religion (!) or sales purposes, is as prevalent in other countries? How do you respond to these people? I don't like to be rude as they are another human being and are probably just trying to make a living or help others etc.
But I have now decided that any callers, in person, to my house, will be met with the following response. If they are a charity collector, I will say 'I have recently made it my policy not to give money to charities who ask for it on the doorstep of my home. If you have some leaflets I will be happy to take them, read them at my convenience, and consider a donation. But I'm not giving you any money today.' Ditto for sales people. If I get a religious conversion person, they will get 'I'm not interested' and the door shut in their face.
Is this too harsh? What would you do?