Is it about time we made other areas in Bradley Stoke “no cold calling” zones?
Despite having a Trading Standards sticker on my door saying that salespeople can’t call without an appointment, I am continually having to tell traders that I’m not interesting in anything they have to sell.
Just today, Safestyle called and were rather sarcastic and rude when I said I wasn’t interested … and it’s a repeating occurrence around Juniper Way/Fennell Drive.
Is anybody else around the “Spices” area having the same issue? Robert Jones is the local councillor – How do we begin the process of stopping people knocking on our doors?
This may be of interest:
No cold calling zones (South Gloucestershire Council)
Ooh, excellent idea. +1 vote for Juniper Way 🙂
Not just sellers, I would not like the people from various charities as well included as part of Cold Calling. I have got a sticker from Neighborhood Watch on my door and it seem to doesn’t deter anyone.
Another vote for Juniper Way, although, reading the SGC link, not sure what the impact will be.
These people (charity collectors and cold callers alike) are a right pain and have no right to pedal their various wares on our doorsteps. I am concerned at some of the pushy tactics they deploy could be used on the elderly or someone not clued up.
However I would still allow the Jehovas Witnesses to come calling as their reaction to inviting them in to join the satanical orgy we were just about to start was a delight to see. Please come back again JH’s!
I object to the intrusion from these unwelcome callers and a “no cold calling zone” would be very welcome.
What concerns me is that my elderly mother (who lives alone) has a no calling sticker on her door and yet it does not stop them. I find this very disrespectful as these stickers are often posted by elderly people.
For what it’s worth – I have a Scam Watch no cold calling sticker on my door and it has no affect whatsoever.
So – who wants to bring this to the council’s attention, then?
Toxteth,
I really don’t know what you expect the council to do about this. The Council does,nt have any ready made solutions to this.
However I was also plagued by doorsteppers until I put up my own notice on A4 size sheet with large lettering with the following:-
I am happy with my electricity/gas supplier
I don’t want to change my religion.
I am happy with my windows – for now
I don’t want to buy anything on the doorstep
I only give to specified Charities
So if you are any of the above please stop ringing my sodding doorbell
This while not particularly aesthetically pretty has had the desired effect. I have hardly had one doorknocker in the last year,
Now do you know a way of stopping all these sodding unsolicitated telephone calls ?
Roger, Google “Telephone Preference Service” and sign up (it’s free). Whilst not stopping every cold phone call it does work pretty well and you are within your rights to report a company to Ofcom who continue to pester you and the threat of this will do the job on any UK-based company.
I would love to find a way to stop the junk mail delivered to every house by Royal Mail that falls outside the Mail Preference Service opt-out. We must all get this and it’s a colossal waste of time, money and energy and goes straight into the recycling bag.
There’s a higher level issue here though which no government or Ofcom type have dared to address and that’s why are the public not protected by an opt-in philosophy rather than the current practice where they assume I want to be bombarded with their junk.
“I really don’t know what you expect the council to do about this. The Council does,nt have any ready made solutions to this.”
Parish/town councils can apply to South Glos council for cold calling zones in their area. Surely if the application came from the council rather than me it might hold some more weight?
SH posted the link to the application form above which clearly states this is the case.
Toxteth
Do you really think this would work !! I am not so sure as I am not aware of the mechanism – but it might be worth a try.
Anon e Mouse
Thanks for that. Does it work for Virgin telephone customers as well ?
I quite agree with your point about the tons of junk mail poured through our letterboxes every year. What a waste.
Roger, I honestly don’t know if it will work but surely it has to be worth a try. I think the zone would effectively criminalise cold calling so at least there is some consequence to deter people from doing it.
Try emailing trading.standards@southglos.co.uk or Trading.Standards@southglos.co.uk with the application form and it will bounce. Is the South Glos. Council listening?
Shouldn’t that be southglos.gov.uk?
Telephone Preference Service did stop a large number of unsolicited calls for me (but not all). It’s worth a try, it is free so nothing to loose
We have a cold caller sticker displayed. It makes no difference to alot of callers. We don’t want to buy or sign up for anything on our doorstep thank you.
We also get phone calls, having an ex-directory telephone won’t help either.
I also have a “no cold callers” sticker which doesn’t seem to work, I had some cocky youth knock my door who said he wasn’t a cold caller as their charity was registered with the police, when I said I wasn’t interested & the sign was there for a reason, he said perhaps I should add “I don’t give to charities either”, I was so angry I didn’t get the name of the charity, so couldn’t report him.
As for cold telephone callers, I called the police after one (overseas) caller said he was coming to my house to murder me, after I asked where they got my ex directory number from, the policewoman I spoke to said overseas calls bypass the telephone preference service.
I’m in the herbs part of Bradley Stoke and get fed up with the amount of electricity suppliers, double glazing salesmen, chuggers and religious people knocking on our door. We’ve taken to not answering, they go away eventually!
I was going to try the stickers, but now everyone has said they don’t work there’s not much point, although I do love Rogers example!
Just found a great way to get rid of any doorstep pest offering electric/gas/windows/water filters/etc.
Tell them you are only the tenant and they will have to get in touch with the landlord via SGC social services, I guarantee they will give up on the spot and move on to an easier victim.
Advice for potential chuggers, never follow the example of the Red Cross cold caller who just knocked on my door with the opening line “awright mate”.
I am sure he is the same young man who was recently accosting shoppers at the Willow Brook centre, again trying to get people to hand over their bank details to a total stranger under the guise of the Red Cross charity with their emotional blackmail advertising.
Hopefully the “NFI” message sank in this time. Mate.
grrrrrrr, just had the same bloke ring my bell TWICE today, I ignored the first, opened the window the 2nd time, something to do with insulation, I politely said I wasn’t interested, he didn’t even go away when I pointed to my sign, so I just closed the window ,maybe he couldn’t read.