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We live on Woodwarde Rd and have just had a hawker at our door trying to sell household goods at exorbitant prices. He did not have ID, which he said he lost recently and it would cost him ?35 to replace. He claimed to have been a young offender with a child in care, selling goods as part of an organisation called Youth Opportunities (although I have not found any evidence of this organisation online). He said he needed to sell two items to get enough money for a week in a hostel. We bought some items - whether part of a formal programme or not, he probably needed the money - but it is far from an ideal situation.


This is not the first time I have had someone like this at my door, but it is the first time they have come so late (9.30pm), without ID and no evidence of others doing the same


Are there in fact any legitimate organisations running schemes like this?

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There are many of these young men (Haven't had any female callers) who seem to have identical plastic baskets of goods.

The baskets must be being made from a central location by some 'Fagin' type character and these guys sent out to sell them.


The goods are all of very poor quality and too expensive (even if the quality was good)


I doubt that the sellers get much of the money from what they sell.


They all have a story to tell. Perhaps devised by their 'employers' ?


DulwichFox

kibris Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Yes there is and they should have ID


Any I.D. being carried can easily be made with home computer software

and cheap printing equipment


Just last Saturday my Football Season Ticket failed to scan.

The ticket office were able to print a new Season Ticket ( which also holds all my personal details) in about 20 seconds.


People do not look closely at any any presented I.D. and could not tell if it was genuine.


DulwichFox

They keep knocking at 9.30 at night because every so often someone is mug enough to actually give them money. Cheers.


These gangs work frequently through intimidation - a late evening call (in the dusk/ dark) is more intimidating to the elderly or those on their own. People who 'give' may be less 'mugs' than frightened. It's safer to pay them off to leave, or so they think.

I live on Dekker Rd and have had a guy promoting a fresh veg delivery service and some youngsters trying to get donations for an unrecognisable cancer charity. This was on the same day and it felt odd to have people calling door to door. I wasn't interested in either and it hasn't happened since fortunately. I actually wondered whether it was legal but perhaps the law has changed in recent years.
Had one of these guys last summer, when I called Mr Zenoria65 to come to the door as the charming bloke wouldn't go away, charming bloke then became extremely abusive, threatened us and then said "I don't fu*king care if you buy anything or not, I'm coming back to rob your house later".... We called the police and he was arrested, eventually...

I can only speak from experience but I found it odd because, having lived in cities my whole life, this was the first time I've ever encountered door to door salespeople and two came in one day. However, having googled it, sure enough the government changed the law in 2012. Here's and article about it:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/new-free-for-all-for-door-to-door-selling-8347582.html

In fact, after a mixed response to the consultation (even pedlars wanted the retention of regulation) only some minor procedural proposals were retained as far as pedlars go, and the Pedlars Act 1871 carries on substantially the same. See paras 6-13 of the government response downloadable at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/street-trading-and-pedlary-laws-a-joint-consultation-on-draft-regulations-to-repeal-the-pedlars-acts-uk-wide-and-make-changes-to-the-street-trading-legislation-in-england-wales-and-northern-ireland.


AIUI, anyone wanting to sell door-to-door, with a few exceptions such as foodstuffs, still requires an annual certificate, costing ?12.50, issued by the police. Peddling without one or using another person's certificate or a fake one are technically offences, as is refusal to show the certficate on request to a person you're trying to sell to, or on whose private land you are. I don't believe that includes promotional calls, roundsmen, or travelling salesmen.


So, you can at least be fairly sure that anyone carrying tat for sale door-to-door without a certificate may not be wholly reliable.


There are some explanatory pages available, such as https://www.police.uk/forms/pedlars-certificate/. Keep a few spare copies by the door? ;)

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