Door to door hawker

[FT83]

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?

[Sue]

No

[kibris]

Yes there is and they should have ID

[DulwichFox]

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

[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

[nxjen]

A couple of times when these have knocked on my door claiming to be part of a Youth Opportunities scheme they have not looked very youthful.

[El Presidente]

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

[Penguin68]

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.

[Sue]

Several previous threads on here about these people.

Kibris, could you tell us what are the "legitimate schemes" selling this trash by knocking on people's doors?

[Ms Blueberry]

Like not answering the phone if the caller's number isn't known, I never open the door before asking 'who is it'? If I'm not interested, a simple 'no thank you' sends them away.

[PeggySue]

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.

[Lynne]

A Duster seller last night "for the homeless"

[lavender27]

I had a young man promoting meal boxes/bags with ingredients for specific healthy meals to cook it yourself. Cannot remember the name of the company but hadn't heard of it before.( His name was Gairant Jones) he had a name badge.

[Sue]

Not everyone who comes to your door is not genuine.

But the people flogging cheap and nasty tea towels etc at inflated prices under false pretences probably aren't genuine.

[zenoria65]

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...

[PeggySue]

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

[ianr]

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? ;)