Whats with all the clipboard merchants?

mike65

3 times today someone has called to the door (and everyone elses) with a clipboard in hand - I've ignored the lot of them as I've no interest in hearing some hard sell about something I'm not interested while standing on a chilly door step.

magick

yes i remember being ambushed in Dublin with the line "can a spare a moment of ur time?!"

to which i replied "No! those are my moments!"

JohnC.

They are a menace around John Roberts Square much of the time.

kensutz

Some muppet woke me up trying to sell something. Wasn't impressed as I'm on night shift this week. Next time they'll get the cricket bat in their face :pac:

Mossy Monk

I hate the ****ers

jmcc

Guess I am lucky that they generally don't bother me. I use a zero reaction approach that shuts down their sales patter. Their sales pitch only works if you react.

Regards...jmcc

longshanks

one of them called to my door a while ago from mr binman i think it was. i answered and when i saw the clipboard i cut him off before he had a chance to give me his spiel. 'yeah hang on there a minute, i'm on the phone. i'll just close out the door and get back to ya'. then i went in and threw meself back down on the couch and left him out there. it must have been ten, fifteen minutes later when he went off, and as he was passing the window he must have been able to see me sprawled out on the couch. because i was waving out at him

mike65

Hmmm, had another this evening. Well I'm guessing it was, I heard footsepts up and down terh drive then a car start and pull away (I'm the last to get the callers on my road as a rule).

Feck off!

If it were politicians they'd leave some bumpf so I think they can be ruled out.

manus30

some attitude alright. they are just trying to do a job like everyone else. why not just politely answer the door and tell them you are not interested? leaving a person at the door and then waving at them through the windowis really making dirt of a person no matter who they are....

mike65

I didn't wave.

merlante

Kahless wrote: »

They are a menace around John Roberts Square much of the time.

Isin't it crazy the way they hang around JR square when there is supposedly nobody down there and when the town is supposedly dead. Same with the begars, the buskers and collectors! :P

(I'd look at the numbers of these fellas around to evaluate levels of footfall in the city centre rather than listen to businessman's poor mouth.)

Back on topic: In fairness, not all clipboard merchants are trying to sell you stuff, some of them are doing research. So don't tar them all with the same brush.

old gregg

jmcc wrote: »

Guess I am lucky that they generally don't bother me. I use a zero reaction approach that shuts down their sales patter. Their sales pitch only works if you react.

Regards...jmcc

yea but you still bought eircom broadband on the doorstep

ziedth

manus30 wrote: »

some attitude alright. they are just trying to do a job like everyone else. why not just politely answer the door and tell them you are not interested? leaving a person at the door and then waving at them through the windowis really making dirt of a person no matter who they are....

Not exactly, I do a certain amount of business to business cold calling through work and the ignorance of some people astounds me seeing as its work enviorment and IMO there is no need for it. Now the Chuggers and people who call to your door are basically IMO a nuisance to the public, your home is your home and I would never dream of bothering someone "off the clock".

manus30

fair enough they might be a pain calling to your door, but i know of a lot of people who had good jobs up to recently, but are now doing door to door sales just to pay the bills.
fiar enough too if you dont answer the door, but leaving them at the door after telling them you will be back in a min then waving at them through the window is just ignorant. hitting someone with a cricket bat in the face though :eek:

longshanks

in fairness, when i did that i'd had about 2 weeks solid of people calling trying to get me to sponsor kids in africa, switch to eircom, sponsor blindness, sponsor barnardos, switch to mr binman, become a mormon or jehovah, sponsor artists who do reproduction of famous paintings. i'll admit i was probably out of order, but calling someone at 9 o clock at night isn't exactly mannerly either

magick

i remember few years ago their was a very hot eastern europen art student who was selling her paintings door to door, i would have given her money....but not for the paintings

jmcc

old gregg wrote: »

yea but you still bought eircom broadband on the doorstep

I didn't. Come to think of it, I still have Eircom ISDN. The the funniest one was when Sky had reps going and one of them tried to sell me a sub to Sky.

Regards...jmcc

Cabaal

jmcc wrote: »

I didn't. Come to think of it, I still have Eircom ISDN. The the funniest one was when Sky had reps going and one of them tried to sell me a sub to Sky.

Regards...jmcc

as in ISDN your still using? :eek:

Sully

longshanks wrote: »

in fairness, when i did that i'd had about 2 weeks solid of people calling trying to get me to sponsor kids in africa, switch to eircom, sponsor blindness, sponsor barnardos, switch to mr binman, become a mormon or jehovah, sponsor artists who do reproduction of famous paintings. i'll admit i was probably out of order, but calling someone at 9 o clock at night isn't exactly mannerly either

I believe for election campaigning, its a general rule of thumb not to interrupt at certain times and that's one of them. Shame everyone doesnt follow that rule.

You achieved nothing anyway, bar maybe stopping that rep calling but the rest will still call. As annoyed you may have been, tis still rude as its only their job.

jmcc

Cabaal wrote: »

as in ISDN your still using? :eek:

As I used it before ADSL became available in 2003. It is still a backup but I might get UPC as a backup.

Regards...jmcc

Cabaal

jmcc wrote: »

As I used it before ADSL became available in 2003. It is still a backup but I might get UPC as a backup.

That makes sense alright, in fairness was either that or leased line before ADSL came along

longshanks

Sully wrote: »

You achieved nothing anyway, bar maybe stopping that rep calling but the rest will still call. As annoyed you may have been, tis still rude as its only their job.

i beg to differ young man, i achieved a smug sense of contentment that i carry with me to this day. oh yes

jmcc

Cabaal wrote: »

That makes sense alright, in fairness was either that or leased line before ADSL came along

The ISDN was a backup for the leased line.

Regards...jmcc

Sully

longshanks wrote: »

i beg to differ young man, i achieved a smug sense of contentment that i carry with me to this day. oh yes

Perhaps your old fashioned views might make you feel all great inside, but chances are you really haven't achieved any long term goal as you will continue to be pestered. A polite "No Thanks, Don't call again" or simply not answering the door is a much better way of sending the required signal then leaving the poor lad at the door while you sat inside watching TV!

longshanks

Sully wrote: »

Perhaps your old fashioned views might make you feel all great inside, but chances are you really haven't achieved any long term goal as you will continue to be pestered. A polite "No Thanks, Don't call again" or simply not answering the door is a much better way of sending the required signal then leaving the poor lad at the door while you sat inside watching TV!

thanks for that truly amazing insight kev. maybe i should change my ways, a complete lifestyle overhaul. what do you suggest? should i call my parents?

Sully

longshanks wrote: »

thanks for that truly amazing insight kev. maybe i should change my ways, a complete lifestyle overhaul. what do you suggest? should i call my parents?

Yes, I do think that is the best solution.

Stokolan

magick wrote: »

i remember few years ago their was a very hot eastern europen art student who was selling her paintings door to door, i would have given her money....but not for the paintings

These people used to call to my door on a regular ocassion they just didnt seem to take no for an answer. One night they called and the Girlfriend answered the door and the girl that was there just wouldnt take no for an answer. She was there for about 5 min baggering the Gf think she thought that the GF was on her own until i came out and told her to F Off.

I got to the stage where I just said not interested when i saw their folder and before they spoke closed the door. These days if by the second time I say no and they're not gone the door is just closed in their face.