Door-to-Door charity scam?

Thu 13 Jul 2017, 11:57 (last edited on Thu 13 Jul 2017, 11:57)

I am very, very surprised that anyone would open their door if they did not know who was on the other side. If you have no other means to see i.e a side window, then perhaps consider installing a security peep hole.
They may be so called Charity Chuggers, but who knows what their intentions are. Just to see inside your house for a return visit perhaps?

Wed 12 Jul 2017, 20:18

The two young men were collecting for a Breast Cancer charity - they claimed. They were positive, personable and friendly up until the point when we said we would not give our bank details to casual callers who we didn't know. They then became rather grumpy - some might save mildly aggressive, certainly 'pushy'. I assume they saw their commission evaporate and were somewhat miffed. We support a number of charities, and have supported breast cancer in the past, but charities which employ these less-than-ethical practices enter our 'do not support' list. Helen Chapman makes the point that a rebuff may not be pleasant for the cold callers. I would point out they appeared to have rather thick skins and so I imagine would suffer no long term ill effects. However residents who are subjected to these aggressive techniques may not be so immune and do feel threatened. Charity giving is, of course, a personal choice but if we, as a town, decline to support charities operating these questionable tactics then the message will get back to the charity managements that this sort of marketing is counter-productive and we will cease to be plagued by this intimidating approach.

Wed 12 Jul 2017, 17:56 (last edited on Wed 12 Jul 2017, 17:57)

Thank you Amanda I'm going try one of those, I particularly don't like evening callers.

Wed 12 Jul 2017, 15:40

Giving short shrift to the people who come to thhe door is unlikely to change the way that the charity operates, and is probably not very pleasant for the person on the doorstep. Politely decline to sign up and if you care about getting the message back to the charity, call them or contact them via social media.

Mon 10 Jul 2017, 11:52

I had my TVP sticker from PCSO Wesley Smith. It does not always work but at least you can point to the sticker and close the door!

Mon 10 Jul 2017, 10:55

I'm sure I remember a few years ago that there were some door stickers produced by Thames Valley Police (?) saying something along the lines of "We do not buy stuff from doorstep salesmen - please go away". It might be a good idea to arrange a supply of something like this; maybe (if TVP can't help, of course) they could be held somewhere like the Corner House so people could pick one up (and maybe make a donation for the Memorial Hall upkeep!).

Sun 9 Jul 2017, 21:13

I have an elderly relative who has been very distressed by these sorts of pressure tactics from charities. I would encourage anyone who has these sorts of calls to make a complaint to the charity concerned.

Sun 9 Jul 2017, 19:52

Would not give my bank details to any stranger, that way lies madness!! Had the blonde girl on the doorstep & gave her short shift stating that I only donated online.

Sat 8 Jul 2017, 18:26

I'm fairly sure it's Aditus audience acquisition. They specialise in telemarketing (subscription calls from newspapers will be from them, not from the newspaper or magazine they want you to subscribe to, I've had to deal with them in this respect), but also do fundraising.

Sat 8 Jul 2017, 14:54

The only business I know of which tries similar sales techniques is Capita (on behalf of the BBC) trying to sell TV licences to people who do not need them.

Fri 7 Jul 2017, 22:27

It really isn't a scam. Rather, it's a symptom of how charities have to operate in an increasingly pushy and competitive business environment.

Fri 7 Jul 2017, 21:56

Yes she called here and was very plausible but when she wanted to set up a direct debit and asked for bank details i realised there was something not right
Until that point all seemed very good and believable so please watch out for this

Fri 7 Jul 2017, 21:17

Harriet, thanks for that.

They are certainly very 'pushy' - it is counter-productive. Charities that employ these 'chuggers' ensure we don't support them. It may not be illegal but is it ethical? We support a number of charities - our choice - we can do without these doorstep emotional blackmailers who are doing it for personal financial gain not out of a belief in the charity they represent. The sooner this message gets back to the charities the better.

Fri 7 Jul 2017, 20:18

They're genuine. They're the same company used by the Red cross earlier in the year. The canvassers get paid by results, so if you sign up to whichever charity they're representing they'll get paid. If you don't, then they won't. I can't remember the company's name, but if you ask to see their id card you can then check it all out later. I don't think it's a good thing, but they're not doing anything illegal.

Fri 7 Jul 2017, 20:11

Yes Trevor a very young blonde girl was wearing pink breast cancer T shirt called yesterday tea time.

Fri 7 Jul 2017, 19:09

Trevor
Just had them down Dyers Hill, so thanks for the timely warning.

Fri 7 Jul 2017, 18:30

If they were asking for bank details, very unlikely to be genuine.

Fri 7 Jul 2017, 18:15

We have just had two guys in pink Brest Cancer tabards knock on the door saying they were collecting details of local householders. They wanted names, addresses and bank details. That sounded fishy and so we declined. I tried to get some input from the police 101 line but it said all lines were busy as they were experiencing a high level of emergency calls. Has anyone else had them call? Are they genuine? Beware.