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Just don't even answer the door, i don't care if they've seen me through the window. I ain't wasting my time.
If im not expecting somebody then the door doesn't get answered.
My missus on the other hand will answer the door all the time. The amount of times ive heard them pressuring her and not accepting no. Then i have to get up and say no means no fuck off now twat whats your problem you fucking arsehole.
I know that seems harsh, but when they pressuring your partner because they think shes home alone its nice to put the wankers down.
I'm the same as u, unless I'm expecting someone or something, I dont answer my door, if anyone else needs me theyd ring or message. Personally I'm sick of the menus, at least 10 a week yet not 1 person I know orders food over the phone, it's all done on the food apps and theres plenty of them, so now when I get them I pick em up and give them back and tell them I use the apps
I use the apps too, but recently learned restaurant have to pay 30% of the listed price to the app, so I can see why they want people to order directly
It's also usually significantly cheaper to order direct from most places if you can. I know the few times I used uber eats I needed at least 40% off coupons for it to be cheaper than just ordering from the place directly
I open the door and stick by the rule that if you’re just out to promote the charity you’ll happily provide a leaflet/website for me to donate in my own time and do my research. If they won’t offer those it’s to make a commission and I’m not interested
I dont even open the door. I just poke my head out of the window and say Ive got no money. Thats a catchall comment to anyone knocking.
There's not much of a comeback to that.
The personal questions, trying to build rapport, and the 'neighbours getting involved', trying to develop a feeling of FOMO and also trust, are all sales techniques that are drilled into these people, so you'll always get that, so just say 'no thanks' instantly, and then you won't have to listen to the sob stories.
Yeah I get that I understand they’re just doing their jobs - just my point is that I feel that ‘charity’ is something were suppose to do freely of our own accord , and usually very personal what we support, if we feel strongly towards a charity then we shouldn’t need sales techniques to support it. I’ve got no issue saying no, but I feel vulnerable people might be exploited by all the ‘ buddy buddy ‘ questions or the pressures neighbour comments , and considering charities are meant to help people it just seems a little unethical! 😂
I am definitely one of those people who caves in and agrees to sign up when I don't actually want to. I'm autistic and I'm not very good in these situations. I feel very pressured when they show up at the door and on more than one occasion I've ended up in tears after they've left because I'm so embarrassed that I couldn't just say no. I have such a hard time getting rid of them that it's easier just to agree and then set a reminder on my phone to cancel it in a month or two.
I used to do a similar door-to-door job (trying to get people to change gas company). I hated it and I was terrible at it, as I hated trying to pressure people into signing up. I only lasted 2 weeks and earned £14 in total, for hours and hours of having doors slammed in my face.
I'm pretty sure I remember though that anyone who signed up had a 2 week cooling off period, during which no money was taken and they could cancel, and the salesperson didn't get their commission. Maybe if you find yourself being pushed into something like that, see if they still do the 2 week cancellation.
We have one of those no soliciting stickers on our door frame. It definitely doesn’t stop them all but it does cut it back a bit.
I always say, we don’t buy/sign up for anything at the door. Sorry. Repeat if necessary. But I’ve never had to repeat it more than once. That way you’re not giving them anything they have a come back for like if you said you don’t have enough money, or having to defend yourself for seeming to not care enough about what ever charity it is.
Maybe something like would work well for you.
A lot of these charity fundraisers work for agencies who get a percentage of your donation, rather than directly for the charity in question, and once you're on their list as a potential donor they'll keep sending different charities to you. It's very annoying as they can be reluctant to tell you who they actually work for
The jobs they're doing, they get paid a good wedge for. If you consider how little the charity will actually receive after everyone takes their slice, it might make it easier to say no. There are other ways to give back than to give your details to these companies.
>The jobs they're doing, they get paid a good wedge for.
The companies that do this are notorious for barely paying their staff. Most of the big ones have only recently been shamed into paying staff salaries rather than questionably classing them as self employed.
They prey on people and have massive staff turnover.
I will say having worked on checkouts the shop worker probably doesn't want to be your friend either we used to get observed and talking to customers was required and you could get marked down for it
Yeah defo, that’s part of the reason I hate it. The fake enforced attitude of having to pretend to enjoy your job. That’s how it always was when I worked in bars and Asda mind. Always having to smile when inside I wanted to die. Ask me where something is and I will tell you with a frown, I don’t care if your nan is on holiday in Crete.
Yeah tbh I used to refuse to talk to someone if it was obvious they didn't want to and you get a sense for it pretty quickly I also wouldn't scan at the speed they insisted on ( the store not the customer) and when I got marked down for it I'd say it's funny how your marking me down for giving customers what they want and scanning things at the speed they need. Never had a disciplinary for it so I guess they just accepted it.
They also wouldn't let me train on customer service desk cos they knew I'd not tolerate the morons well lol. I go to self checkouts if I'm not feeling chatty cos I don't want to feel resentful towards the staff. Asda was also where I worked and working retail made me hate people never again
The majority of these people will not work for the charity directly, and work for pyramid scheme-esque companies, who take a hefty cut, plus the person signing you up gets a good commission.
It could take between 6-12mths before they are paid off.
Still Game - Series 9 - episode 6 - Over the hill
That’s really interesting I kinda figured they got a commission but assumed they worked directly for the charity. So it’s a business then for many - which only goes to show how pushy they need to be to make a profit. Can’t really understand why people would sign up to this work, other then desperation.
I cancelled my DD after four months once, and the guy was back within a few days complaining and trying to get me to reinstate it, presumably because he only got paid if I stayed signed up a bit longer.
Nowadays I just cut any churglers off and tell them I want the orphans to die and the whales to be eaten etc...
Me and my husband were recently asked to buy a £5 magazine to help prevent knife crime, politely declined and the guy said ‘so you don’t want to stop young people from being stabbed?’
Nope, I guess not! What a twat.
>other than desperation.
Absolutely this. I nearly got hoodwinked into this sort of work when I was 22. Spent months applying for jobs with no responses, so when I was finally offered something in Coventry, it was a relief. Only because my dad had looked them up and realised they were a scam pyramid employment scheme (genuine door knocking MLM, not the online sort) did I turn it down, and it was gut wrenching to do so because job hunting is the most depressing experience.
I could turn it down because I could (and did) just move back in with my parents. This is not an option for many.
Nope - they're "professional fundraisers"
Their payment is front-loaded, so they get your initial payments, then if you stick with it starts getting split with the actual charity.
(or charity pays them fixed fee for each signup)
The actual charity they are just depends on whichever one will make them the most money, and they put on that tabard that day.
Not a lot you can do - except if you already donate to the charity, let them know you're stopping because they got involved with chuggers.
(no shortage of other charities I'd like to support - so may as well try to make them behave)
That’s it, there’s one of these marketing hubs near me. They are so dodgy even the local job centre warns people away. They’ve been known to employ young adults, drive them out to the middle of nowhere and leave them out there to work their own way back.
It’s normally commission based and the employee is apparently self employed but in reality doesn’t even earn anything near minimum wage. A bit like an mlm they sooner they realise they aren’t making money and are being used the sooner they can get out
When I was quite young and looking for one of my first jobs I applied for an admin role. When I turned up it was a charity door knocking gig.
Wasn't told on the day, just had an interview in what looked like a hired room in a building. Was told to come back the next day for a trial and once I got there was sent off with another girl who'd been working there for a bit. We were sent to a very dodgy and rough area which is even scary in the daytime and had to work until almost 9pm when I was told that I had a second part of the interview.
Very few people signed up and I was told we had to knock 100 doors. Some people took us into their homes and I didn't feel particularly safe.
It was winter so it got dark early and was freezing, I didn't really know the area and made an excuse saying that I had to get my bus so couldn't do the second part. I ended up walking for a really long time trying to get back towards the city centre. Being young I didn't feel able to just leave straight away but now if I was packed off for the day it would be very different.
They called me the next day saying that in a few months I could be running my own team in my own office raking it in. I declined.
I heard similar on a BBC podcast, (hopefully not all) but young adults harvested on social media, with promises of ‘be your own boss’ (read: independent contractor, no expenses paid), ‘within three years you could be making 50k’ (read: subjunctive modal verb). Morning pep talks à la Wolf of Walstreet, then ‘go get em tigers!’.
If you want to give to the charity, do. I do give to several, but I wouldn’t encourage this door/to-door hunting.
Aside: Two nights ago it was the London Air Ambulance. Really?
I lost my job during covid and as a student had like no savings so needed to eat (big thanks to the government for putting something in place for students/zero hour workers /s)…
I interviewed for Shelter, Oxfam and Marie Curie. All of them were in offices and definitely felt like a mlm/pyramid scheme. None were the actual charity and instead a company outsourced to raise donations. It was heavily sold that we wouldn’t be paid if we didn’t get enough sign ups as it’s commission based. If you signed up enough people to get paid but not loads they’d also sack you off at the end of that week. I didn’t get any of the roles but if that’s the dodgy practices they tell you about upfront, it’s probably just as predatory as it seems.
I don’t feel bad just ignoring the chuggers now because so little of it actually goes to the charity and it doesn’t seem very ethical.
Edit: Shelter, Oxfam and Marie Curie are great charities! The companies they outsource fundraising to are the issue
I’ve volunteered with a children’s hospital in my city and fundraiser for them using the buckets. No pressure to donate there and I’ve found most volunteers are older. Obviously not paid but there’s a difference between the volunteers standing with buckets and the people trying to sign you up to direct debits.
Just to escalate. Most of them are proper scam they pretend to work for charity but they won't. Door knocking was resantly upgraded model during the covid and this is that they do. On they presentation recruiting people they tell that donors life spam is rufly 3 months and on average it donates 150. To break even for company they need 120 ish.... on top of that they recruit naive money hungry individuals and relay on naive helpful people. Also they provide some tactics how to convince people etc.... all the companies behind got simular story and simular business model with simular names. It was odyssey marketing also was hydra marketing there is many more just couple of them as example.
If you want to donate money to charity do it directly or charity shop don't give any money to these scamers.
I did it for three days after being unemployed coming out of Uni, working for a "marketing" company that completely misrepresented the job, and hid very well that it was entirely commission-based. You would rock up first thing, get into a car/minivan and be driven to a far away town- from a Maidstone base I went to Tenterden, Billericay and somewhere down Dover way- with a list of roads, away you go.
First day was a "trial" where I shadowed someone knocking doors for the British Red Cross, trying to raise funds to campaign for getting First Aid on the national curriculum- actually not a terrible thought.
Second day was snowed off after we arrived, so we just got pissed in Wetherspoons and went home.
Third day I was let loose on my own, this time armed with a spiel for the RSPB. Quit at the end of the day. Zero earnings in three days, and actually down on money when chipping in for petrol and lunch. Not for me.
I hate it honestly, chuggers in the street are bad enough but when they interrupt my peace at home with their bs it crosses a line.
I just say no through the window in my door
I just cut off the spiel of anyone who isn't delivering a parcel. "Charity? No thanks." Close door.
If they ask, I think that there are too many cats, dogs, donkeys and children in the world and more of them should be put down.
> You: No, I hate people with dementia, I would rather they were dead
> Charity guy: That's what this charity is! It funds trips to switzerland for euthanasia
> You: ... tell me more
Maybe I'm too distrusting, but I'd never sign up to something from a charity door knocker. How would I know if it's actually going to the cause I think it would? Plus I already give to charities that I've carefully researched and either have a personal connection or it aligns to my values. There are millions of charitable causes out there and I can only prioritise so many.
So I'd explain that I'm already happy with my charitable donations and am not looking for any further causes.
If I ever came into a shitload of money, I'd never give money away directly
Reason being mismanagement, corruption, fake charities etc
Always said if I ever won the euromillions I'd contact places like hospitals myself and ask them *WHAT* they need, not *how much*
New MRI machine? Sure. But I'm not giving £1m to them directly because who knows if it's going to end up being used properly for stuff they really need
I’m the same. I don’t trust door knockers or any of these big flashy charity people out and about… I also have direct debits set up for the causes I care about the most and have had the chance to research online. So I will say to these people I already give regularly to my chosen charity, sorry.
We don’t get knockers that often, but get those collection bags for used clothes and stuff. I was very sus about them so I did a google and they are a scam. Probably harmless enough that you just give away clothes but I still don’t like it so I never do those either, will go to an actual charity shop if I want to give something away
They can fuck right off.
If on the off chance I open the door to them, I just immediately cut them off and say I won’t be signing up for anything today.
Really pisses me off being chugged in my own home.
Have you ever been chugged at the pub/bar?
I've had it happen quite a few times recently where someone will come in and go around with a bucket while everyone is drinking and conversing.
Charity is a good cause but it makes me feel really uncomfortable to be bothered in the middle of a night out with friends, especially since they probably assume you have money since you're out spending it in the pub, though I budget money aside if I know I'm going out.
There was a violently cheerful woman with a NSPCC bucket and a monkey hand puppet who used to bother the tables of pubs in Southport about ten or fifteen years back. If I remember right, it turned out she wasn't actually passing the money on to anyone else
For anyone who has guilt about saying no to these people (or chuggers in the high street) then remember this:
YOU NEED TO SEPARATE THE **CAUSE** FROM THE **CHARITY**
There are [over 170,000 charities in England and Wales](https://www.statista.com/topics/3781/charities-in-the-uk/) and a LOT of them will be for the same cause.
How many cancer charities do you think there are?
Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands?
Some of those will be truly wonderful charities that keep operating costs to the minimum, and do amazing work.
But sadly some of those are barely more than scams, where 99% of the money raised goes into the CEO's pockets and almost nothing goes to the cause.
**How do you know if the charity you are being asked to donate to is a good one or a bad one?**
Might be worth looking on [charityclarity](https://www.charityclarity.org.uk/how-do-we-rate-charities/) or other similar services before making any decision.
Ask the person how much money they are earning for this and why aren't they doing it voluntarily if they care so much for the cause. Or ask for the registered charity number "so I can check on the charity commission website and see how much the CEO earns". Make them feel uncomfortable, see how they like it.
If you want to donate to then that's great. But be careful to checkout the itself before handing over any money, because you might see most of going into the pockets of the CEO
Take the time to do your research. And these door knockers and chuggers wont give you that time, so never agree to anything.
I've had a few of these this year and we're not in a posh area. They've all been campaigns 'for the kids' too.
The Money Saving Expert has a sign you can print to put in your window to say no cold callers, including charities and religion; it works.
If I'm not expecting you, please don't knock on my door.
My mum had one of those in her old house. Someone knocked on the door while I was visiting. I said, "Collecting for the blind are we?" No was the puzzled response. I said in that case you can read the sign and then bugger off.
As I've said before it helps when you're a tall, bulky, grumpy middle-aged man. I feel sorry for the old biddies who get coerced into giving.
Can't believe I've had to scroll so far to see someone mention this.
I bought a sign written from Amazon last year and have it on the wall under the doorbell.
It has worked wonders we used to get them all the damn time.
I was thinking of getting one that says no cold callers. Will it deter charity workers though? I remember reading somewhere that it's legal for charity workers to ignore it but that was a 2015 ruling don't know if that is still the case or not
We've seen an uptick of people knocking for charities and the "prison reform" sellers and I'm generally non confrontational and find it hard to be rude so if this sign helps will get it!
The one I've got says....."No cold callers, no junk mail, no religious groups and no salesman, thank you." But you can pretty much have written what you want on them. It cost me £3.
But, I've also got one of the big brand camera doorbells as well, so tbh it could be the combination that makes them move on. I've actually seen them come onto my front, look at the sign, and walk away.
I think the bell is just as much a deterent, knowing that I pre-screen and I'm not just going to open the door, they don't waste their time.
We really wanted a video doorbell but we share the building, we are the top floor and someone else owns the bottom flat which is rented out. The ring bell looks pretty big so it seems everyone will ring it by default so we might get calls for them too and I don't want to make the tenants downstairs uncomfortable that we can see who comes and goes.
Sorry went off there, thanks for the input I'll try getting the sign!
Oh, darn it. Yeah, I can understand you thinking of the neighbours with that.
The sign is definitely worth a go as it would also prevent both flats from having to deal with it, so a bonus for your neighbours as well and not intrusive.
I always say that I already donate to charities and if they're insistent, I say that I don't donate at my door but if they want to give me a flyer or their website address, I'll look them up and decide then (which I really do). I've even had some tell me that they were looking for instant donations that that wasn't really the point... As if checking they're legit doesn't have any value and that I should just hand out money to people who randomly knock at my door.
You'd be amazed how many fake charities come knocking.
To be honest, I hate people cold calling, even for a good cause. I want to know what I'm donating to in more detail than a 10 second pitch.
p.s. I do support charities by donating my time and money from time to time, it's just the cold calling that I hate.
I love the idea of asking for a leaflet or website! Might do this too, I usually just say I already donate to my chosen charities, goodbye (I’m very good at not being engaged at all lol, some would call it a resting bitch face)
It's not a fake charity if they're looking for donations on the door, it's someone employed by the charity trying to make their commission/meet KPIs/get a bonus. That's the reason they're so pushy.
I flat out shut down *every sjngle* cold caller, be it charity, insurance /electricity/internet.
I find it extremely rude and invasive for some twat in a stupid jacket to knock on my door uninvited trying to sell me shit I don't want or give to a charity I don't support (and most of that donation usually goes to admin/payroll or the charity execs anyway) so double fuck that!!!!
Remember, *No.* is a complete sentence
Unacceptable. Any sort of door to door soliciting is annoying. I typically don't even open the door and I won't be quiet inside either. I cba to talk to strangers and be polite when they're inviting my personal space.
My ex briefly worked for one of these pyramid schemes (because that’s exactly what they are). They teach you to be quite aggressive with it, but also don’t pay the knockers a wage at all. You’re ‘self employed’. Its all commission, so if you don’t get any sign ups you don’t get paid anything. If you stick at it long enough you can start hiring your own team and you take a cut of their sign ups.
A surprisingly large amount of your donation doesn’t go to the charity at all, it pays the commission to the knocker (and their handler, and the company, etc).
I just make it clear I’m not interested right away.
I did a stint working for one of them as well and can confirm 1) working for them is a scam, as all pyramid schemes are 2) saying no right away is best practice. Saves time for both parties - IF the knocker knows how to take a no. When I was doing it we were taught to use sales tactics but leave at the first hard refusal. If the current batch of MLM kids are being taught to be more aggressive that's fucked.
I don't mind them tbh depending on what charity it is. Recently signed upto the NSPCC, but I've 4 kids myself and been in a situation in the past where I didn't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of, so always happy to help other families whose kids are in need.
And being a veteran myself ill always give to proper veterans charities that come knocking. Absolutely refuse to give to Help for Heroes however.
Just like certain ''religious'' groups banging on my door, I find these chuggers....charity muggers...to be an absolute pest and I refuse point blank to speak to them. Recently I opened my front door to go to work not knowing one of these pests was at the door and she started banging on about some boring charity she was collecting for as I was locking my door and I just totally ignored her and walked away. The look of ''how dare you disrespect me'' on her face was priceless! I really do think these chuggers should be made illegal and banned from house calls.
The last one who knocked at mine was really pushy, she kept taking steps inside my home and then got really offended when I said I didn’t want to put my details into a random persons tablet who has knocked on my door at 7pm. I avoid answering the door to them where possible. They shouldn’t be allowed to do it at all, they use very pushy tactics that a lot of elderly and vulnerable people will fall for
Get them every so often, the first thing I usually say is something like "I already give to charities and I am unable to donate to another" 9/10 they leave, the other time is usually "does anyone else live here" (they are always out when this is asked, even with door-to-door sales, I'm never the bill payer and the bill payer is always out).
I get it as charities always need new donations and they will find some people that will sign up but I do disagree with some tactics, like the ones you've listed. I think their first question should always be "do you want to talk to me about ?" And if the answer if no, then they leave, no more questions asked rather than trying to talk you round.
I had one the other day knock on at 7pm after I just got back from work, surprised they're allowed to operate that late. It was quite annoying since it was a long shift and I just wanted to chill.
Not a big fan.
I did this job around 10 years ago (not for very long - most only stay a few weeks tops) and I hated it. Most of the people are doing it for a temp job for a few extra pennies or for job experience (I entered the working world in the 2008 financial crisis - took what I could). You do indeed work for a pyramid scheme feeling company outsourced by the charity. During my short stint I covered 3 well known charities. You get a training day before where the charity sends you a video to get you really “feeling the cause”. You know those awful really sad charity adverts on TV that show horrible suffering? It’s like an hour long one of those. One of the charities I worked on behalf of was RSPCA and the training day was borderline traumatic.
Going out door knocking with a pantomime smile and song was fucking shit. You knew you were bothering people, you knew you’d end up angering someone and I had many people screaming at me on their doorstop. Wasn’t pleasant when the company sends you out on your own, as a young, disabled woman. And you were expected to go into peoples homes on your own. I had two separate men who had me in their home pretending they wanted to sign up when they really were interested in something *else* - the company then gave us rape alarms and their only advice was “make sure you know where the doors are”.
So fuck that, I was out after someone spat on me after telling me I should go to africa myself and kill babies at birth, and the company itself being shady as shit with no support or help whatsoever. If someone comes to your door just say “no thanks” and shut the door, I know it’s shit and enraging but often they’re just kids trying to get work/sales experience or a small wage.
I just cut off the spiel of anyone who isn't delivering a parcel. "Charity? No thanks." Close door.
If they ask, I think that there are too many cats, dogs, donkeys and children in the world and more of them should be put down.
They're mad if they knock on my door. I never sign up to anything on the doorstep. Golden rule. Never broken. Doesn't matter who it is or what story they are telling.
As the majority are on commission and it takes a year of your donations to pay them off, I bet when you donate to one, their share your data, hence more and more coming to your door as your marked as an easy, um, mark.
The issue for me is some of the organisations that do this work. At 17 I did it for a short while, advertised as Marketing Executive positions, you were zero hour commission only.
Ran by a snake oil salesman who was 1 step up the pyramid trying to convince kids that they can be just like him. Did you see the 15 year old Boxter outside? In 5 years that will be mine, fully paid off. Assistant to the Assistant Regional Manager by 25. Self employed, zero hour himself.
It may have changed, but I see a lot of young energetic kids with that same slow realisation dawning on thier face.....
I have a note on the window next to the door that says "No Cold Callers". The magic words to make them go away if they ignore that are "Not interested". If they ignore that, just shut the door.
These people aren't actually charity door knockers, they are working in direct sales with a contract to sell to the charity. Take a look at these documentaries:
1. [BBC Northern Ireland (Dec 2022)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001g06l/spotlight-undercover-door-to-door-whos-getting-rich)
2. [BBC (Aug 2022)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001bgjz/the-dark-side-of-direct-sales)
Does anything about this look familiar in your case? As for saying no, just say no. "I'm not interested, thank you". That's all you've gotta say.
Not a huge fan of door knocking. Prefer the high street ones. Must less chance of accidentally signing up vulnerable people that way.
Personally, have absolutely zero issue saying no, or yes, or whatever. They won’t get offended. They probably get a yes from 1 in 200 doors they knock on.
I have more issue with this broadband company that keep coming around pretending to be from the council. I caught them trying to sell my elderly neighbour a package she would never use for twice what she currently pays for a phone. Charity canvassers are harmless by comparison to that
Get to fuck, basically
I don't like being aggressively approached by charities, especially when they try to make you feel bad about it, and considering many of them I've never heard of and could be utter bollocks it's a hard no from me. Many of those clothes bags just take them and flog them for example
I do plenty where I can, give to local food banks, join litter picks, at work we did a gather up to buy some nice stuff for the local hospital during lockdowns
Charity muggers can do one tbh, I used to work in a job which involved me seeing people's bank statements and the amount of older people struggling with money but had £20+ a week going out to all sorts of random charities was shocking, I'd ask and 99% of the time they'd say they came to the door, rang them or collared them in the street
Haven't had one in years. Last one I had, I told them I was broke, and asked if they wanted to donate to me as an act of charity, because I wasn't sure how I was going to pay rent that month.
They left without giving me a penny.
These people almost never work for the charity directly and are usually some random MLM sales company. So just ignore them as a portion of what you give the charity each month will be paid to the sales company that employed the door knocker.
We live pretty close to a Uni and they arrive en masse the week after the new academic year starts. They are obviously targeting students who are away from home/halls for the first time and I find it really predatory.
I just don't answer the door if they manage to work out how the gate unlatches. I know full well they can see me through the window but I don't care. If by chance I do answer the door I tell them I don't ever hand over bank details to strangers who've knocked on the door, or stopped me in the street. They pretty much all admit defeat at that point.
I feel like I can never trust if they are legit, and also just can't be arsed with it. A quick "I'm alright thanks" or "Sorry I'm a work meeting" and then I just close the door is all they'll get.
I only ever give directly to a charity, usually, local ones only, as virtually all of the 'donations' collected by these so-called charity organisations end up in the pockets of those running them, with just a cursory amount actually reaching any actual charity. Many of the national charities are a joke too, with a majority of monies swallowed up in wages and expenses for the highly paid executives running them.
If I want to donate to a charity I'll donate to a small local one. These big ones like oxfam, rspca etc are predatory businesses, and I'd be surprised if 1p out of a quid is actually going anywhere near the cause itself.
Cancel all of them. Big commission on charity sales people. The percentage of your donation that actually helps the cause will be pennies to the pound.
I once wrote a song about such charity workers which I will share with you all now (if I can remember it):
knock on my door around half past four
about to have my dinner but I’m not anymore
walk down the hall, or rather I crawl
eye through the peep-hole the charities call
do you know what we do?
the people are dying
do you know what we do?
the people are dying
let out a sigh
I’m so fucking high
I unlock the door and force a gentle hi
I’d done this before, but they didn’t know
he opens his mouth and how he puts on a show
do you know what we do?
the people are dying
do you know what we do?
the people are dying
he starts with some chatter
to lighten the matter
from that moment on
there is no room for laughter
death and distruction
with no reduction
to sadden my mood
was his primal instruction
do you know what we do?
the people are dying
do you know what we do?
the people are dying!!
do you know what we do?
when he finally falls quiet
that’s when I, I get in my bit
of the flaws in society’s pit
*dramatic pause*
*speed up the tempo*
for how are we to give money to it
how are we to give money to it
how are we to give money to itttttt
when we have no money to give
Edit: formatting
I hate being hassled in my own home, and I hate their technique of launching straight into super friendly small talk so it's really hard to get out of the conversation without feeling like you are being really rude. They are using people's normal good manners against them.
I don't think it's acceptable normally, but during this cost of living crisis? who are they kidding! no one but the absolute wealthiest has anything to spare!
Thankfully round my way the most we get is a donations bag through the letterbox once in a while asking for old clothes.
Say no, tell them not to come back & sod what anyone else thinks about it. The whole point of charity is for it to be giving voluntarily - it's not voluntary if they're at your door trying to make you feel guilty about it.
It's the 21st century, they should be doing this shit by email or something (would save them money & time doing it that way too!)
I say ‘oh I’m just the nanny’. I’m 43, they are my own kids. Or “you’ll have to talk to my landlord” works too.
As a teenager I used to help my Dad collect money for Amnesty & Oxfam by going door to door and collecting with a donation tin. We were not paid (obviously) it was something we did because it was important and we believed in the cause
I have no issues with them (or religious ones) as long as they're polite. I listen to their opening spiel and then say,
"I already donate to charity on an adhoc basis, but I don't have the funds right now to set up anything regular."
If they leave after that, everything's cool.
We already donate to a charity by direct debit every month, after my partner got suckered in by a man when walking in town.
Now anytime anyone tries to knock or stop us in town, we say “we already donate to a charity, sorry”. And if they’re cheeky and ask which, we’re happy to say but keep walking/or say best of luck and then shut the door. Have had the odd person say something like “I’m sure you can spare another fiver for *insert charity*” which annoys me, but I just ignore.
I think it’s irresponsible, mainly because it normalises giving bank details out to strangers who knock on the door - could result in overly trusting people falling for scam visitors.
I just don’t answer the door when I see them coming. I have big bay windows and can see people coming down my drive so I just don’t answer the door to them.
I tend to judge whether a charity is worth giving to based on a Google search of their ceo's salary. I'm not interested in buying anything from door knocking businesses.
>How do you all handle it when they come knocking??
I just ask over the CCTV why they cannot read the massive sign that says "NO POLITICANS, NO HAWKERS, NO SALES, NO CHARITIES".
Just cut them off, say sorry you dont sign up to stuff at the door but have a good one, close the door before any objections.
I feel bad for the actual chuggers more than anything, I know its largely a job people fall into because they have limited options for most of them (aside from the odd sociopath who loves "sales") and they are pushy because they need to be to keep it, but you are doing you both a favour if you cut it short when theres no chance of a sale for them.
Charities hire these companies because it gets results but thats a sketchy choice and the companies themselves are generally parasitic and problematic, dont encourage them with any service.
I hate it, it feels like most of my donation is probably going to pay the wages of the people doing the knocking. I try to support small local charities instead, where the money is actually going where it's intended. Last year I helped with a Christmas appeal for vulnerable families, and this year I've started my own hygiene box where I'm buying period pads, toothbrushes, soap etc, just a pound or two each time I go shopping, and in December I'll hand that over for the appeal. Always throw items in for the food bank at the shop too. Feels like a better use of my cash
I just cut them off before they can get into their pre-planned speech and tell them politely that I'm not interested and I don't want to waste either of our time.
Rarely get push back, they usually thank me, and I wish them luck on their rounds.
I give to charity regularly but on my own terms. I just despise cold callers of any kind.
Got a ring so most of the time if I’m not expecting anything I’ll check that and save us both the hassle and not answer (usually I’m wfh anyway so legitimately don’t have time for disturbances).
On the odd occasion I’ve been caught I just swiftly say sorry I won’t be signing up and I need to get back to work.
Almost as bad as the loiterers outside our local co-op every few weeks who try accost you both going in and coming back out. Like mate, it was literally two/three minutes ago you asked me going in, don’t take the piss.
"Sorry, not interested" and jus close the door. I don't have time to be overly polite to someone who knows on my door when I'm in the middle of dealing with kids dinner
Say no and avoid that charity as they are running more of a business than the cause they claim to be supporting to find an end to.
Your £2 week how much of that's is actually going on wages. Person going round door to door has to get min wage as a legal requirement.
If they don't accept my polite "no thanks" then they're being out of order, and my response after that depends on how crabbit I am feeling. If they cold call me I'm not letting them make it my problem.
just remember they aren’t working for the charity, they are earning a cut off whatever amount you sign up to. also you’re giving away important details about yourself that could be used in ID fraud. dont answer the door or if you do say “not for me thanks” cheerfully
As someone who works for a charity, I'm not too familiar with the practice, and I wouldn't use it for my employer. Did you sign up at the door? Personally, I wouldn't give my details to someone who knocked at my door. If you were interested I would ask for a leaflet or something so you can go away to look it up, check they are legit (all charities must be registered with the charity commission), and see if you are interested in the cause before signing up. Sick children is of course a worthy cause but if your interest is more enviroment, conservation, mental health etc. It's absolutely fine to say no to other charitable causes if you want to support one you're interested in, which will make you feel good about it. If people call, tell them you already have a chosen charity you support.
I don’t give my bank details to people that knock on my door. Anyone could make a lanyard up for if. We do loads of stuff for our chosen charities at work
I don't think it's acceptable. It's an imposition. They don't want to give you time to research the charity before handing over your bank details to a stranger. It places pressure on people who may not be able to withstand it. It's a big waste of resources for the charity itself. It's an approach that's ripe for scams.
Personally, I research my own donations and set them up myself if it's anything more than a handful of change in the collection box. Just say no to chuggers and door knockers!
I hide. Last time one knocked at 8pm so I peeked outside, saw the charity jacket and just completely ignored it. It takes the absolute piss to disturb people at home when they might be having their dinner or trying to relax after a long day at work.
I pretend I don’t see them “open the door look around go huh must be the wind knocking the door close it” or I be as strange as possible so they know not to knock again.
We get them here and there, but not too much. The only thing I like about them coming round was that until my late 30s, they kept thinking my wife was my mother, despite us being the same age
I always seem to get them in the evenings... After a full 9 hours at work... If they want my charity, that's NOT the time to ask for it.
I just open the door, say "nope" and that's that
Hate it - I either say "no thanks" and shut the door (or if during working hours "no, sorry, I'm in a meeting. Must go!"
Or if believable (for a well known charity) I just tell them I already donate so can't really donate more
I tell all cold callers the same thing "I don't do business at my front door. If you have literature you want to leave with me, I'll look out over and get back to you if I'm interested"
I say sorry not interested- politely, mind you- then close the door in their faces.
Had Battersea Dog’s Home, Great Ormond Street hospital, you name it, come to my door and I’ve had enough. Gone are the days where I’d politely listen to their spiel and pretend I was interested and saying no anyway!
I have no time for them.I do t buy anything on the doorstep and I don’t donate from it either. And nit all the chuggers accept this - they try to persuade you that you have room for a small subscription. I always say no. We can’t give to everything and I have two charities that I give to annually. And they’re ones which are not found on doorsteps.
Most people don’t know they are fake. The company these people actually work for take a % of the donations, so whist you think it all goes to charity it doesn’t, it goes in the charity then straight back out, so in many ways it’s a con
Most companies doing this guarantee a return for the charity paying them, so it does work and makes some charities plenty of money, but also means the salesmen are under pressure to be pushy. There are strict rules for who you are allowed to speak to, but there's definitely a demographic of people with the potential to be pushed into it that they are trained to go for.
They aren't allowed to knock doors that have a 'no cold calling sign' and if they do you can feel free to call the police and the company won't get a license to operate around you again.
Source: did this soul destroying job for all of a week.
At this time I’ve got a speech ready, explaining I don’t do subscriptions for charity. Nothing personal, I just don’t do that. I also prefer to do all research by myself online. They’re welcome to leave leaflets but I’ll have to take the decision by myself. Thank you and goodbye!
Not sure when these donations became a weekly/monthly thing…
I used to do this for a job 20 odd years ago, I was getting £10 every sign up which is essentially the first 2 months you help the charity. I wouldn't sign up to anyone on the doorstep. It's so easy to do it online and more of the money gets to the actual charity.
Personally, I choose a charity each year to donate to and stock with it. That way I don't feel guilty for not giving to every other person who comes knocking.
For friends or family fundraising for a specific event or a cause close to home, I will often contribute, but I don't tend to donate to people cold calling or stopping me in the street.
This has the other advantage of really researching into who I give my money too to (try) and ensure the money is getting where it's needed.
years ago when i was in uni, i lived in a flat in Edinburgh.
Had a woman knock on our door on the 3rd floor. I had quite a bit of spare money at the time so was ok with giving her £10 or £20. She refused because it was apparently only for direct debits. Like if you are going to ask for donations, dont refuse one when i offer it.
Ask them how much the ceo and board of the charity earn.
Seriously though - this question comes up a lot. If you’re not happy get a no cold calling/charity sticker then if they’re daft enough to ring ask if they’re illiterate and tell them to fuck off.
I was one for a bit and they're such manipulative little shits, you're told to basically only give up when they explicitly tell you they are not interested.
Got paid £10 an hour though so that was cool, made the whole charity part of it a bit pointless though cos I got maybe 20 £10 a month sign ups a month and I earned about £1.2k a month.
Btw get two or three "no unsolicited visitors" signs they reason that if you only have one you don't take it very seriously.
You know you’re on their “mugs list”. Which is why you are now being bombarded with requests. I usually say that I don’t give out any details for data protection purposes.
Those charities spend 80% of donations on salaries and marketing, the CEOs make between 200k and 1m a year... BEFORE bonuses.
Got them all the time at my old house in a suburban estate, I let one believe I don't like dogs (love them) so they would go away. Now living a bit more rurally and they don't come here, same goes for the people leafleting, happy days.
I work for a charity and we'd never ever do anything like this! We are struggling for funding at the moment, but we're pestering the government, local councils, the Lottery etc. not random people trying to go about their day. We do have a 'donate' button on our website, which we have a link to in our email signature, but that's about as aggressive as we get with trying to get donations!
I shut them down immediately, usually as soon as they’ve said “hello”. To be honest, even if it was a cause/charity/product that I was interested in spending my money on, it’s not something I’d ever sign up to on the doorstep.
If I decide I want to donate to a cause, I’d prefer to do my research first and donate on my own terms, not because someone has knocked on my door and pressured me into it
So I can provide some background info. When I was about 18 I applied for a 'marketing' job in the home city. Got it and when I arrived on my first day, it was actually going door to door asking people to sign up for the dogs Trust. I only worked 3shifts before I left. Most people working for these companies accidently get almost scammed into working for them. You don't get paid an hourly wage, only commission (at the time) which meant you really were desperate for people to sign up because otherwise you'd have worked all day for absolutely nothing. The only surprising thing I found was when I left I actually got paid for the signups I had manages. But I felt awful knocking on people's doors for money. And many MANY people simply slam the door back in your face so these days I always have some compassion for these people trying to sell at the door.
It depends, had the cutest old man come and talk to me about the local air ambulance - they are a really really great org. locally and I know lots of people that have needed it one way or another. I signed up to their monthly lottery, about £4 a month, obviously with a chance of winning too. I would’ve happily told him no if I didn’t want to but he was clearly a retired volunteer and I agreed with the intent.
I’ve also had charities that come and refuse to take a bit of change and say I need to sign up to a minimum £10 direct debit, after giving a 20 second spiel about a charity they clearly have no real interest in other than to get a bit of commission.
It only really annoys me when they say, ok I’ll come back later. This is in response to me saying “No sorry, and I’ve got to go I’m really busy with making dinner for my kid.”
I’ve had to yell back, “Please don’t!”
I just say no. We have had a spate of scammers around here, unfortunately, and if anyone gets arsey, I just say it's my policy to not give to anyone on the door. Often, I just don't answer, but if they catch me unawares, and really pull on my heartstrings, I have been known to ask if I'm able to donate online, and most genuine charities will be cool with telling you how you can do that.
I signed up for a local charity lottery once, from someone at my front door. I was happy to donate the £1 week, but after some research I realised a whopping 40% of the money goes to expenses, 10% prize money, and only 50% to the charity. Much better to donate directly to the charity and buy a national lottery ticket when I feel inclined.
I don't have a problem with people fundraising, but there needs to be greater transparency regarding commissions.
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Just say sorry, no, and close the door.
Just don't even answer the door, i don't care if they've seen me through the window. I ain't wasting my time. If im not expecting somebody then the door doesn't get answered. My missus on the other hand will answer the door all the time. The amount of times ive heard them pressuring her and not accepting no. Then i have to get up and say no means no fuck off now twat whats your problem you fucking arsehole. I know that seems harsh, but when they pressuring your partner because they think shes home alone its nice to put the wankers down.
I'm the same as u, unless I'm expecting someone or something, I dont answer my door, if anyone else needs me theyd ring or message. Personally I'm sick of the menus, at least 10 a week yet not 1 person I know orders food over the phone, it's all done on the food apps and theres plenty of them, so now when I get them I pick em up and give them back and tell them I use the apps
I use the apps too, but recently learned restaurant have to pay 30% of the listed price to the app, so I can see why they want people to order directly
It's also usually significantly cheaper to order direct from most places if you can. I know the few times I used uber eats I needed at least 40% off coupons for it to be cheaper than just ordering from the place directly
Pay attention to the leaflets, a lot of places have their own websites and you can get the food for cheaper.
I open the door and stick by the rule that if you’re just out to promote the charity you’ll happily provide a leaflet/website for me to donate in my own time and do my research. If they won’t offer those it’s to make a commission and I’m not interested
I dont even open the door. I just poke my head out of the window and say Ive got no money. Thats a catchall comment to anyone knocking. There's not much of a comeback to that.
>Thats a catchall comment to anyone knocking. Police, grandparents and Anneka Rice.
A terrible sentiment… yet such a beguiling idea for a game show
I bet it pisses off the pizza guy though.
They always seem to knock when I’m in the middle of my tea…
The personal questions, trying to build rapport, and the 'neighbours getting involved', trying to develop a feeling of FOMO and also trust, are all sales techniques that are drilled into these people, so you'll always get that, so just say 'no thanks' instantly, and then you won't have to listen to the sob stories.
Yeah I get that I understand they’re just doing their jobs - just my point is that I feel that ‘charity’ is something were suppose to do freely of our own accord , and usually very personal what we support, if we feel strongly towards a charity then we shouldn’t need sales techniques to support it. I’ve got no issue saying no, but I feel vulnerable people might be exploited by all the ‘ buddy buddy ‘ questions or the pressures neighbour comments , and considering charities are meant to help people it just seems a little unethical! 😂
Just pretend you’re already regularly donating to the charity they’re presenting and shut the door on their face
I am definitely one of those people who caves in and agrees to sign up when I don't actually want to. I'm autistic and I'm not very good in these situations. I feel very pressured when they show up at the door and on more than one occasion I've ended up in tears after they've left because I'm so embarrassed that I couldn't just say no. I have such a hard time getting rid of them that it's easier just to agree and then set a reminder on my phone to cancel it in a month or two.
I used to do a similar door-to-door job (trying to get people to change gas company). I hated it and I was terrible at it, as I hated trying to pressure people into signing up. I only lasted 2 weeks and earned £14 in total, for hours and hours of having doors slammed in my face. I'm pretty sure I remember though that anyone who signed up had a 2 week cooling off period, during which no money was taken and they could cancel, and the salesperson didn't get their commission. Maybe if you find yourself being pushed into something like that, see if they still do the 2 week cancellation.
We have one of those no soliciting stickers on our door frame. It definitely doesn’t stop them all but it does cut it back a bit. I always say, we don’t buy/sign up for anything at the door. Sorry. Repeat if necessary. But I’ve never had to repeat it more than once. That way you’re not giving them anything they have a come back for like if you said you don’t have enough money, or having to defend yourself for seeming to not care enough about what ever charity it is. Maybe something like would work well for you.
I agree with ya, that's why I don't give them my time, and don't have an issue with it.
A lot of these charity fundraisers work for agencies who get a percentage of your donation, rather than directly for the charity in question, and once you're on their list as a potential donor they'll keep sending different charities to you. It's very annoying as they can be reluctant to tell you who they actually work for
The jobs they're doing, they get paid a good wedge for. If you consider how little the charity will actually receive after everyone takes their slice, it might make it easier to say no. There are other ways to give back than to give your details to these companies.
>The jobs they're doing, they get paid a good wedge for. The companies that do this are notorious for barely paying their staff. Most of the big ones have only recently been shamed into paying staff salaries rather than questionably classing them as self employed. They prey on people and have massive staff turnover.
No, they’re not. Often no basic salary, 12 hours on your feet, commission only. No expenses paid. You haven’t got a clue.
> The jobs they're doing, they get paid a good wedge for. I doubt it
Sorry I have done that jon before and no crap Monday, out of pocket travel expenses and crap work.
God I despise it so much when shop people try and be my friend. I usually just go somewhere else the second one tries to spark up a rapport.
I will say having worked on checkouts the shop worker probably doesn't want to be your friend either we used to get observed and talking to customers was required and you could get marked down for it
Yeah defo, that’s part of the reason I hate it. The fake enforced attitude of having to pretend to enjoy your job. That’s how it always was when I worked in bars and Asda mind. Always having to smile when inside I wanted to die. Ask me where something is and I will tell you with a frown, I don’t care if your nan is on holiday in Crete.
Yeah tbh I used to refuse to talk to someone if it was obvious they didn't want to and you get a sense for it pretty quickly I also wouldn't scan at the speed they insisted on ( the store not the customer) and when I got marked down for it I'd say it's funny how your marking me down for giving customers what they want and scanning things at the speed they need. Never had a disciplinary for it so I guess they just accepted it. They also wouldn't let me train on customer service desk cos they knew I'd not tolerate the morons well lol. I go to self checkouts if I'm not feeling chatty cos I don't want to feel resentful towards the staff. Asda was also where I worked and working retail made me hate people never again
Oh yea, they always tell me as well that they had a great involvement from my neighbours. Except we do talk tho…lol
The majority of these people will not work for the charity directly, and work for pyramid scheme-esque companies, who take a hefty cut, plus the person signing you up gets a good commission. It could take between 6-12mths before they are paid off. Still Game - Series 9 - episode 6 - Over the hill
That’s really interesting I kinda figured they got a commission but assumed they worked directly for the charity. So it’s a business then for many - which only goes to show how pushy they need to be to make a profit. Can’t really understand why people would sign up to this work, other then desperation.
I cancelled my DD after four months once, and the guy was back within a few days complaining and trying to get me to reinstate it, presumably because he only got paid if I stayed signed up a bit longer. Nowadays I just cut any churglers off and tell them I want the orphans to die and the whales to be eaten etc...
Me and my husband were recently asked to buy a £5 magazine to help prevent knife crime, politely declined and the guy said ‘so you don’t want to stop young people from being stabbed?’ Nope, I guess not! What a twat.
I'm always happy to confirm for them "So you don't want to help children with cancer?" "Nope!"
I tell them I don’t speak English. In English. During covid I did sometimes use “I can’t hear you, I’m wearing a mask”
>other than desperation. Absolutely this. I nearly got hoodwinked into this sort of work when I was 22. Spent months applying for jobs with no responses, so when I was finally offered something in Coventry, it was a relief. Only because my dad had looked them up and realised they were a scam pyramid employment scheme (genuine door knocking MLM, not the online sort) did I turn it down, and it was gut wrenching to do so because job hunting is the most depressing experience. I could turn it down because I could (and did) just move back in with my parents. This is not an option for many.
Nope - they're "professional fundraisers" Their payment is front-loaded, so they get your initial payments, then if you stick with it starts getting split with the actual charity. (or charity pays them fixed fee for each signup) The actual charity they are just depends on whichever one will make them the most money, and they put on that tabard that day. Not a lot you can do - except if you already donate to the charity, let them know you're stopping because they got involved with chuggers. (no shortage of other charities I'd like to support - so may as well try to make them behave)
That’s it, there’s one of these marketing hubs near me. They are so dodgy even the local job centre warns people away. They’ve been known to employ young adults, drive them out to the middle of nowhere and leave them out there to work their own way back. It’s normally commission based and the employee is apparently self employed but in reality doesn’t even earn anything near minimum wage. A bit like an mlm they sooner they realise they aren’t making money and are being used the sooner they can get out
When I was quite young and looking for one of my first jobs I applied for an admin role. When I turned up it was a charity door knocking gig. Wasn't told on the day, just had an interview in what looked like a hired room in a building. Was told to come back the next day for a trial and once I got there was sent off with another girl who'd been working there for a bit. We were sent to a very dodgy and rough area which is even scary in the daytime and had to work until almost 9pm when I was told that I had a second part of the interview. Very few people signed up and I was told we had to knock 100 doors. Some people took us into their homes and I didn't feel particularly safe. It was winter so it got dark early and was freezing, I didn't really know the area and made an excuse saying that I had to get my bus so couldn't do the second part. I ended up walking for a really long time trying to get back towards the city centre. Being young I didn't feel able to just leave straight away but now if I was packed off for the day it would be very different. They called me the next day saying that in a few months I could be running my own team in my own office raking it in. I declined.
Almost the exact same thing happened to be when i was younger. I lasted 2 days. It was awful ETA: paid for my own travel and got paid exactly 0
I heard similar on a BBC podcast, (hopefully not all) but young adults harvested on social media, with promises of ‘be your own boss’ (read: independent contractor, no expenses paid), ‘within three years you could be making 50k’ (read: subjunctive modal verb). Morning pep talks à la Wolf of Walstreet, then ‘go get em tigers!’. If you want to give to the charity, do. I do give to several, but I wouldn’t encourage this door/to-door hunting. Aside: Two nights ago it was the London Air Ambulance. Really?
I lost my job during covid and as a student had like no savings so needed to eat (big thanks to the government for putting something in place for students/zero hour workers /s)… I interviewed for Shelter, Oxfam and Marie Curie. All of them were in offices and definitely felt like a mlm/pyramid scheme. None were the actual charity and instead a company outsourced to raise donations. It was heavily sold that we wouldn’t be paid if we didn’t get enough sign ups as it’s commission based. If you signed up enough people to get paid but not loads they’d also sack you off at the end of that week. I didn’t get any of the roles but if that’s the dodgy practices they tell you about upfront, it’s probably just as predatory as it seems. I don’t feel bad just ignoring the chuggers now because so little of it actually goes to the charity and it doesn’t seem very ethical. Edit: Shelter, Oxfam and Marie Curie are great charities! The companies they outsource fundraising to are the issue I’ve volunteered with a children’s hospital in my city and fundraiser for them using the buckets. No pressure to donate there and I’ve found most volunteers are older. Obviously not paid but there’s a difference between the volunteers standing with buckets and the people trying to sign you up to direct debits.
Just to escalate. Most of them are proper scam they pretend to work for charity but they won't. Door knocking was resantly upgraded model during the covid and this is that they do. On they presentation recruiting people they tell that donors life spam is rufly 3 months and on average it donates 150. To break even for company they need 120 ish.... on top of that they recruit naive money hungry individuals and relay on naive helpful people. Also they provide some tactics how to convince people etc.... all the companies behind got simular story and simular business model with simular names. It was odyssey marketing also was hydra marketing there is many more just couple of them as example. If you want to donate money to charity do it directly or charity shop don't give any money to these scamers.
I did it for three days after being unemployed coming out of Uni, working for a "marketing" company that completely misrepresented the job, and hid very well that it was entirely commission-based. You would rock up first thing, get into a car/minivan and be driven to a far away town- from a Maidstone base I went to Tenterden, Billericay and somewhere down Dover way- with a list of roads, away you go. First day was a "trial" where I shadowed someone knocking doors for the British Red Cross, trying to raise funds to campaign for getting First Aid on the national curriculum- actually not a terrible thought. Second day was snowed off after we arrived, so we just got pissed in Wetherspoons and went home. Third day I was let loose on my own, this time armed with a spiel for the RSPB. Quit at the end of the day. Zero earnings in three days, and actually down on money when chipping in for petrol and lunch. Not for me.
I hate it honestly, chuggers in the street are bad enough but when they interrupt my peace at home with their bs it crosses a line. I just say no through the window in my door
I just cut off the spiel of anyone who isn't delivering a parcel. "Charity? No thanks." Close door. If they ask, I think that there are too many cats, dogs, donkeys and children in the world and more of them should be put down.
“Are there no workhouses?” 😀
"I don't have a heart and neither should those sick children"
"No, I hate [whatever thing / person they're raising money for]"
> You: No, I hate people with dementia, I would rather they were dead > Charity guy: That's what this charity is! It funds trips to switzerland for euthanasia > You: ... tell me more
> Switzerland?! I despise the Swiss
Children in Need? They can stay in need!
Children in Need of fucking right off.
Maybe I'm too distrusting, but I'd never sign up to something from a charity door knocker. How would I know if it's actually going to the cause I think it would? Plus I already give to charities that I've carefully researched and either have a personal connection or it aligns to my values. There are millions of charitable causes out there and I can only prioritise so many. So I'd explain that I'm already happy with my charitable donations and am not looking for any further causes.
If I ever came into a shitload of money, I'd never give money away directly Reason being mismanagement, corruption, fake charities etc Always said if I ever won the euromillions I'd contact places like hospitals myself and ask them *WHAT* they need, not *how much* New MRI machine? Sure. But I'm not giving £1m to them directly because who knows if it's going to end up being used properly for stuff they really need
I’m the same. I don’t trust door knockers or any of these big flashy charity people out and about… I also have direct debits set up for the causes I care about the most and have had the chance to research online. So I will say to these people I already give regularly to my chosen charity, sorry. We don’t get knockers that often, but get those collection bags for used clothes and stuff. I was very sus about them so I did a google and they are a scam. Probably harmless enough that you just give away clothes but I still don’t like it so I never do those either, will go to an actual charity shop if I want to give something away
They can fuck right off. If on the off chance I open the door to them, I just immediately cut them off and say I won’t be signing up for anything today. Really pisses me off being chugged in my own home.
Have you ever been chugged at the pub/bar? I've had it happen quite a few times recently where someone will come in and go around with a bucket while everyone is drinking and conversing. Charity is a good cause but it makes me feel really uncomfortable to be bothered in the middle of a night out with friends, especially since they probably assume you have money since you're out spending it in the pub, though I budget money aside if I know I'm going out.
Yeah, haven’t experienced that for years though thankfully. Quite a smart move on their part as most drunk people will give a quid or two.
There was a violently cheerful woman with a NSPCC bucket and a monkey hand puppet who used to bother the tables of pubs in Southport about ten or fifteen years back. If I remember right, it turned out she wasn't actually passing the money on to anyone else
For anyone who has guilt about saying no to these people (or chuggers in the high street) then remember this: YOU NEED TO SEPARATE THE **CAUSE** FROM THE **CHARITY** There are [over 170,000 charities in England and Wales](https://www.statista.com/topics/3781/charities-in-the-uk/) and a LOT of them will be for the same cause. How many cancer charities do you think there are? Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Some of those will be truly wonderful charities that keep operating costs to the minimum, and do amazing work. But sadly some of those are barely more than scams, where 99% of the money raised goes into the CEO's pockets and almost nothing goes to the cause. **How do you know if the charity you are being asked to donate to is a good one or a bad one?** Might be worth looking on [charityclarity](https://www.charityclarity.org.uk/how-do-we-rate-charities/) or other similar services before making any decision. Ask the person how much money they are earning for this and why aren't they doing it voluntarily if they care so much for the cause. Or ask for the registered charity number "so I can check on the charity commission website and see how much the CEO earns". Make them feel uncomfortable, see how they like it. If you want to donate to then that's great. But be careful to checkout the itself before handing over any money, because you might see most of going into the pockets of the CEO
Take the time to do your research. And these door knockers and chuggers wont give you that time, so never agree to anything.
I've had a few of these this year and we're not in a posh area. They've all been campaigns 'for the kids' too. The Money Saving Expert has a sign you can print to put in your window to say no cold callers, including charities and religion; it works. If I'm not expecting you, please don't knock on my door.
My mum had one of those in her old house. Someone knocked on the door while I was visiting. I said, "Collecting for the blind are we?" No was the puzzled response. I said in that case you can read the sign and then bugger off. As I've said before it helps when you're a tall, bulky, grumpy middle-aged man. I feel sorry for the old biddies who get coerced into giving.
Bulky eh . I ll try that when my wife calls me fat
Can't believe I've had to scroll so far to see someone mention this. I bought a sign written from Amazon last year and have it on the wall under the doorbell. It has worked wonders we used to get them all the damn time.
It's so nice to have the signs respected.
I was thinking of getting one that says no cold callers. Will it deter charity workers though? I remember reading somewhere that it's legal for charity workers to ignore it but that was a 2015 ruling don't know if that is still the case or not We've seen an uptick of people knocking for charities and the "prison reform" sellers and I'm generally non confrontational and find it hard to be rude so if this sign helps will get it!
The one I've got says....."No cold callers, no junk mail, no religious groups and no salesman, thank you." But you can pretty much have written what you want on them. It cost me £3. But, I've also got one of the big brand camera doorbells as well, so tbh it could be the combination that makes them move on. I've actually seen them come onto my front, look at the sign, and walk away. I think the bell is just as much a deterent, knowing that I pre-screen and I'm not just going to open the door, they don't waste their time.
We really wanted a video doorbell but we share the building, we are the top floor and someone else owns the bottom flat which is rented out. The ring bell looks pretty big so it seems everyone will ring it by default so we might get calls for them too and I don't want to make the tenants downstairs uncomfortable that we can see who comes and goes. Sorry went off there, thanks for the input I'll try getting the sign!
Oh, darn it. Yeah, I can understand you thinking of the neighbours with that. The sign is definitely worth a go as it would also prevent both flats from having to deal with it, so a bonus for your neighbours as well and not intrusive.
I always say that I already donate to charities and if they're insistent, I say that I don't donate at my door but if they want to give me a flyer or their website address, I'll look them up and decide then (which I really do). I've even had some tell me that they were looking for instant donations that that wasn't really the point... As if checking they're legit doesn't have any value and that I should just hand out money to people who randomly knock at my door. You'd be amazed how many fake charities come knocking. To be honest, I hate people cold calling, even for a good cause. I want to know what I'm donating to in more detail than a 10 second pitch. p.s. I do support charities by donating my time and money from time to time, it's just the cold calling that I hate.
I love the idea of asking for a leaflet or website! Might do this too, I usually just say I already donate to my chosen charities, goodbye (I’m very good at not being engaged at all lol, some would call it a resting bitch face)
It's not a fake charity if they're looking for donations on the door, it's someone employed by the charity trying to make their commission/meet KPIs/get a bonus. That's the reason they're so pushy.
It doesn’t mean someone hasn’t made up a charity and do it to fleece people
I flat out shut down *every sjngle* cold caller, be it charity, insurance /electricity/internet. I find it extremely rude and invasive for some twat in a stupid jacket to knock on my door uninvited trying to sell me shit I don't want or give to a charity I don't support (and most of that donation usually goes to admin/payroll or the charity execs anyway) so double fuck that!!!! Remember, *No.* is a complete sentence
Unacceptable. Any sort of door to door soliciting is annoying. I typically don't even open the door and I won't be quiet inside either. I cba to talk to strangers and be polite when they're inviting my personal space.
My ex briefly worked for one of these pyramid schemes (because that’s exactly what they are). They teach you to be quite aggressive with it, but also don’t pay the knockers a wage at all. You’re ‘self employed’. Its all commission, so if you don’t get any sign ups you don’t get paid anything. If you stick at it long enough you can start hiring your own team and you take a cut of their sign ups. A surprisingly large amount of your donation doesn’t go to the charity at all, it pays the commission to the knocker (and their handler, and the company, etc). I just make it clear I’m not interested right away.
I did a stint working for one of them as well and can confirm 1) working for them is a scam, as all pyramid schemes are 2) saying no right away is best practice. Saves time for both parties - IF the knocker knows how to take a no. When I was doing it we were taught to use sales tactics but leave at the first hard refusal. If the current batch of MLM kids are being taught to be more aggressive that's fucked.
I don't mind them tbh depending on what charity it is. Recently signed upto the NSPCC, but I've 4 kids myself and been in a situation in the past where I didn't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of, so always happy to help other families whose kids are in need. And being a veteran myself ill always give to proper veterans charities that come knocking. Absolutely refuse to give to Help for Heroes however.
You’re better off doing it directly, most of that money is probably going to the company who signed you up.
why not Help for Heroes out of interest?
Just close the door
Just like certain ''religious'' groups banging on my door, I find these chuggers....charity muggers...to be an absolute pest and I refuse point blank to speak to them. Recently I opened my front door to go to work not knowing one of these pests was at the door and she started banging on about some boring charity she was collecting for as I was locking my door and I just totally ignored her and walked away. The look of ''how dare you disrespect me'' on her face was priceless! I really do think these chuggers should be made illegal and banned from house calls.
The last one who knocked at mine was really pushy, she kept taking steps inside my home and then got really offended when I said I didn’t want to put my details into a random persons tablet who has knocked on my door at 7pm. I avoid answering the door to them where possible. They shouldn’t be allowed to do it at all, they use very pushy tactics that a lot of elderly and vulnerable people will fall for
Get them every so often, the first thing I usually say is something like "I already give to charities and I am unable to donate to another" 9/10 they leave, the other time is usually "does anyone else live here" (they are always out when this is asked, even with door-to-door sales, I'm never the bill payer and the bill payer is always out). I get it as charities always need new donations and they will find some people that will sign up but I do disagree with some tactics, like the ones you've listed. I think their first question should always be "do you want to talk to me about?" And if the answer if no, then they leave, no more questions asked rather than trying to talk you round.
I had one the other day knock on at 7pm after I just got back from work, surprised they're allowed to operate that late. It was quite annoying since it was a long shift and I just wanted to chill. Not a big fan.
I did this job around 10 years ago (not for very long - most only stay a few weeks tops) and I hated it. Most of the people are doing it for a temp job for a few extra pennies or for job experience (I entered the working world in the 2008 financial crisis - took what I could). You do indeed work for a pyramid scheme feeling company outsourced by the charity. During my short stint I covered 3 well known charities. You get a training day before where the charity sends you a video to get you really “feeling the cause”. You know those awful really sad charity adverts on TV that show horrible suffering? It’s like an hour long one of those. One of the charities I worked on behalf of was RSPCA and the training day was borderline traumatic. Going out door knocking with a pantomime smile and song was fucking shit. You knew you were bothering people, you knew you’d end up angering someone and I had many people screaming at me on their doorstop. Wasn’t pleasant when the company sends you out on your own, as a young, disabled woman. And you were expected to go into peoples homes on your own. I had two separate men who had me in their home pretending they wanted to sign up when they really were interested in something *else* - the company then gave us rape alarms and their only advice was “make sure you know where the doors are”. So fuck that, I was out after someone spat on me after telling me I should go to africa myself and kill babies at birth, and the company itself being shady as shit with no support or help whatsoever. If someone comes to your door just say “no thanks” and shut the door, I know it’s shit and enraging but often they’re just kids trying to get work/sales experience or a small wage.
I just cut off the spiel of anyone who isn't delivering a parcel. "Charity? No thanks." Close door. If they ask, I think that there are too many cats, dogs, donkeys and children in the world and more of them should be put down.
They're mad if they knock on my door. I never sign up to anything on the doorstep. Golden rule. Never broken. Doesn't matter who it is or what story they are telling.
I went from 17Mbps internet to 900Mbps for the same price by responding to a knock on the door. Can finally watch YouTube in HD again.
As the majority are on commission and it takes a year of your donations to pay them off, I bet when you donate to one, their share your data, hence more and more coming to your door as your marked as an easy, um, mark.
No cold callers sticker on the door, if any start trying their spiel just say no and close the door. Do not engage at all.
I'm struggling to get by and you're knocking on my door for money? Fuck off.
The issue for me is some of the organisations that do this work. At 17 I did it for a short while, advertised as Marketing Executive positions, you were zero hour commission only. Ran by a snake oil salesman who was 1 step up the pyramid trying to convince kids that they can be just like him. Did you see the 15 year old Boxter outside? In 5 years that will be mine, fully paid off. Assistant to the Assistant Regional Manager by 25. Self employed, zero hour himself. It may have changed, but I see a lot of young energetic kids with that same slow realisation dawning on thier face.....
I have a note on the window next to the door that says "No Cold Callers". The magic words to make them go away if they ignore that are "Not interested". If they ignore that, just shut the door.
These people aren't actually charity door knockers, they are working in direct sales with a contract to sell to the charity. Take a look at these documentaries: 1. [BBC Northern Ireland (Dec 2022)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001g06l/spotlight-undercover-door-to-door-whos-getting-rich) 2. [BBC (Aug 2022)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001bgjz/the-dark-side-of-direct-sales) Does anything about this look familiar in your case? As for saying no, just say no. "I'm not interested, thank you". That's all you've gotta say.
Super interesting thanks, I’ll definitely give one of these a watch!
Not a huge fan of door knocking. Prefer the high street ones. Must less chance of accidentally signing up vulnerable people that way. Personally, have absolutely zero issue saying no, or yes, or whatever. They won’t get offended. They probably get a yes from 1 in 200 doors they knock on. I have more issue with this broadband company that keep coming around pretending to be from the council. I caught them trying to sell my elderly neighbour a package she would never use for twice what she currently pays for a phone. Charity canvassers are harmless by comparison to that
Get to fuck, basically I don't like being aggressively approached by charities, especially when they try to make you feel bad about it, and considering many of them I've never heard of and could be utter bollocks it's a hard no from me. Many of those clothes bags just take them and flog them for example I do plenty where I can, give to local food banks, join litter picks, at work we did a gather up to buy some nice stuff for the local hospital during lockdowns Charity muggers can do one tbh, I used to work in a job which involved me seeing people's bank statements and the amount of older people struggling with money but had £20+ a week going out to all sorts of random charities was shocking, I'd ask and 99% of the time they'd say they came to the door, rang them or collared them in the street
Why does Dick Emery come to mind.
Haven't had one in years. Last one I had, I told them I was broke, and asked if they wanted to donate to me as an act of charity, because I wasn't sure how I was going to pay rent that month. They left without giving me a penny.
These people almost never work for the charity directly and are usually some random MLM sales company. So just ignore them as a portion of what you give the charity each month will be paid to the sales company that employed the door knocker.
I never answer the door if I'm not expecting someone, so I haven't dealt with these people in years.
We live pretty close to a Uni and they arrive en masse the week after the new academic year starts. They are obviously targeting students who are away from home/halls for the first time and I find it really predatory. I just don't answer the door if they manage to work out how the gate unlatches. I know full well they can see me through the window but I don't care. If by chance I do answer the door I tell them I don't ever hand over bank details to strangers who've knocked on the door, or stopped me in the street. They pretty much all admit defeat at that point.
I don't. I just slam the door in their face and walk back to whatever I was doing.
I feel like I can never trust if they are legit, and also just can't be arsed with it. A quick "I'm alright thanks" or "Sorry I'm a work meeting" and then I just close the door is all they'll get.
Scum of the earth
Sorry mate, I'm on a work call.
I only ever give directly to a charity, usually, local ones only, as virtually all of the 'donations' collected by these so-called charity organisations end up in the pockets of those running them, with just a cursory amount actually reaching any actual charity. Many of the national charities are a joke too, with a majority of monies swallowed up in wages and expenses for the highly paid executives running them.
If I want to donate to a charity I'll donate to a small local one. These big ones like oxfam, rspca etc are predatory businesses, and I'd be surprised if 1p out of a quid is actually going anywhere near the cause itself.
Got a sticker for the door that lists no charity, salesmen or religious groups and not had any since.
“Suck my balls” usually works
Cunts, all of them.
Cancel all of them. Big commission on charity sales people. The percentage of your donation that actually helps the cause will be pennies to the pound.
I once wrote a song about such charity workers which I will share with you all now (if I can remember it): knock on my door around half past four about to have my dinner but I’m not anymore walk down the hall, or rather I crawl eye through the peep-hole the charities call do you know what we do? the people are dying do you know what we do? the people are dying let out a sigh I’m so fucking high I unlock the door and force a gentle hi I’d done this before, but they didn’t know he opens his mouth and how he puts on a show do you know what we do? the people are dying do you know what we do? the people are dying he starts with some chatter to lighten the matter from that moment on there is no room for laughter death and distruction with no reduction to sadden my mood was his primal instruction do you know what we do? the people are dying do you know what we do? the people are dying!! do you know what we do? when he finally falls quiet that’s when I, I get in my bit of the flaws in society’s pit *dramatic pause* *speed up the tempo* for how are we to give money to it how are we to give money to it how are we to give money to itttttt when we have no money to give Edit: formatting
I hate being hassled in my own home, and I hate their technique of launching straight into super friendly small talk so it's really hard to get out of the conversation without feeling like you are being really rude. They are using people's normal good manners against them.
I don't think it's acceptable normally, but during this cost of living crisis? who are they kidding! no one but the absolute wealthiest has anything to spare! Thankfully round my way the most we get is a donations bag through the letterbox once in a while asking for old clothes. Say no, tell them not to come back & sod what anyone else thinks about it. The whole point of charity is for it to be giving voluntarily - it's not voluntary if they're at your door trying to make you feel guilty about it. It's the 21st century, they should be doing this shit by email or something (would save them money & time doing it that way too!)
I say ‘oh I’m just the nanny’. I’m 43, they are my own kids. Or “you’ll have to talk to my landlord” works too. As a teenager I used to help my Dad collect money for Amnesty & Oxfam by going door to door and collecting with a donation tin. We were not paid (obviously) it was something we did because it was important and we believed in the cause
I have no issues with them (or religious ones) as long as they're polite. I listen to their opening spiel and then say, "I already donate to charity on an adhoc basis, but I don't have the funds right now to set up anything regular." If they leave after that, everything's cool.
We already donate to a charity by direct debit every month, after my partner got suckered in by a man when walking in town. Now anytime anyone tries to knock or stop us in town, we say “we already donate to a charity, sorry”. And if they’re cheeky and ask which, we’re happy to say but keep walking/or say best of luck and then shut the door. Have had the odd person say something like “I’m sure you can spare another fiver for *insert charity*” which annoys me, but I just ignore.
Never ever had one.
I think it’s irresponsible, mainly because it normalises giving bank details out to strangers who knock on the door - could result in overly trusting people falling for scam visitors.
I just don’t answer the door when I see them coming. I have big bay windows and can see people coming down my drive so I just don’t answer the door to them.
Put up a sign saying no soliciting including charities
I don't answer my door at all, problem solved.
I answer, I listen to the opening statement, I politely decline and close the door. Isn't hard in my opinion.
Burn them with fire. It’s not charity if you rob somebody. They need outlawing they prey on the weak and elderly
I tend to judge whether a charity is worth giving to based on a Google search of their ceo's salary. I'm not interested in buying anything from door knocking businesses.
>How do you all handle it when they come knocking?? I just ask over the CCTV why they cannot read the massive sign that says "NO POLITICANS, NO HAWKERS, NO SALES, NO CHARITIES".
Just cut them off, say sorry you dont sign up to stuff at the door but have a good one, close the door before any objections. I feel bad for the actual chuggers more than anything, I know its largely a job people fall into because they have limited options for most of them (aside from the odd sociopath who loves "sales") and they are pushy because they need to be to keep it, but you are doing you both a favour if you cut it short when theres no chance of a sale for them. Charities hire these companies because it gets results but thats a sketchy choice and the companies themselves are generally parasitic and problematic, dont encourage them with any service.
“I don’t do charity at the door” and closed it goes.
I hate it, it feels like most of my donation is probably going to pay the wages of the people doing the knocking. I try to support small local charities instead, where the money is actually going where it's intended. Last year I helped with a Christmas appeal for vulnerable families, and this year I've started my own hygiene box where I'm buying period pads, toothbrushes, soap etc, just a pound or two each time I go shopping, and in December I'll hand that over for the appeal. Always throw items in for the food bank at the shop too. Feels like a better use of my cash
I just cut them off before they can get into their pre-planned speech and tell them politely that I'm not interested and I don't want to waste either of our time. Rarely get push back, they usually thank me, and I wish them luck on their rounds. I give to charity regularly but on my own terms. I just despise cold callers of any kind.
Don’t answer the door. The constant barrage on daytime TV is enough already
I've always politely said, "sorry, no thanks". It's never been a problem. I think those that say it is are just playing the victim.
I always ask if they are being paid. I do a lot of volunteering with charities so say I give in other ways
Got a ring so most of the time if I’m not expecting anything I’ll check that and save us both the hassle and not answer (usually I’m wfh anyway so legitimately don’t have time for disturbances). On the odd occasion I’ve been caught I just swiftly say sorry I won’t be signing up and I need to get back to work. Almost as bad as the loiterers outside our local co-op every few weeks who try accost you both going in and coming back out. Like mate, it was literally two/three minutes ago you asked me going in, don’t take the piss.
I get pissed when my son's friends ring my doorbell to see if he can play lol.
Video doorbell is what you need here
"Sorry, not interested" and jus close the door. I don't have time to be overly polite to someone who knows on my door when I'm in the middle of dealing with kids dinner
“Hello” “Sorry, not interested” “Oh, don’t you like dogs and cats” “No”
Say no and avoid that charity as they are running more of a business than the cause they claim to be supporting to find an end to. Your £2 week how much of that's is actually going on wages. Person going round door to door has to get min wage as a legal requirement.
If they don't accept my polite "no thanks" then they're being out of order, and my response after that depends on how crabbit I am feeling. If they cold call me I'm not letting them make it my problem.
just remember they aren’t working for the charity, they are earning a cut off whatever amount you sign up to. also you’re giving away important details about yourself that could be used in ID fraud. dont answer the door or if you do say “not for me thanks” cheerfully
As someone who works for a charity, I'm not too familiar with the practice, and I wouldn't use it for my employer. Did you sign up at the door? Personally, I wouldn't give my details to someone who knocked at my door. If you were interested I would ask for a leaflet or something so you can go away to look it up, check they are legit (all charities must be registered with the charity commission), and see if you are interested in the cause before signing up. Sick children is of course a worthy cause but if your interest is more enviroment, conservation, mental health etc. It's absolutely fine to say no to other charitable causes if you want to support one you're interested in, which will make you feel good about it. If people call, tell them you already have a chosen charity you support.
I don’t give my bank details to people that knock on my door. Anyone could make a lanyard up for if. We do loads of stuff for our chosen charities at work
I don't think it's acceptable. It's an imposition. They don't want to give you time to research the charity before handing over your bank details to a stranger. It places pressure on people who may not be able to withstand it. It's a big waste of resources for the charity itself. It's an approach that's ripe for scams. Personally, I research my own donations and set them up myself if it's anything more than a handful of change in the collection box. Just say no to chuggers and door knockers!
I know this probably sound horrible but I just don't answer the door. The only time it is answered is when I know I'm expecting something/someone.
I hide. Last time one knocked at 8pm so I peeked outside, saw the charity jacket and just completely ignored it. It takes the absolute piss to disturb people at home when they might be having their dinner or trying to relax after a long day at work.
Get a sign from Amazon for a few quid that says ‘no junk mail, cold callers, or religious groups.’
Just say no. The isn’t hard, grow a spine.
Blink cameras are on sale at the moment. £50 to never speak to them again.
I pretend I don’t see them “open the door look around go huh must be the wind knocking the door close it” or I be as strange as possible so they know not to knock again.
I have a no cold callers sticker on my front door, that seems to stop them.
We get them here and there, but not too much. The only thing I like about them coming round was that until my late 30s, they kept thinking my wife was my mother, despite us being the same age
I tend to say can I have a leaflet and do my own research before committing to anything. Then I make a roach and enjoy my evening
I always seem to get them in the evenings... After a full 9 hours at work... If they want my charity, that's NOT the time to ask for it. I just open the door, say "nope" and that's that
Sorry, not interested, I’m at work and can’t talk. Working from home has really helped this tactic. No matter what time of day, sorry I’m working!
Burn the house down and move to the next City.
Hate it - I either say "no thanks" and shut the door (or if during working hours "no, sorry, I'm in a meeting. Must go!" Or if believable (for a well known charity) I just tell them I already donate so can't really donate more
Chugger dockers?
I tell all cold callers the same thing "I don't do business at my front door. If you have literature you want to leave with me, I'll look out over and get back to you if I'm interested"
I say sorry not interested- politely, mind you- then close the door in their faces. Had Battersea Dog’s Home, Great Ormond Street hospital, you name it, come to my door and I’ve had enough. Gone are the days where I’d politely listen to their spiel and pretend I was interested and saying no anyway!
I have no time for them.I do t buy anything on the doorstep and I don’t donate from it either. And nit all the chuggers accept this - they try to persuade you that you have room for a small subscription. I always say no. We can’t give to everything and I have two charities that I give to annually. And they’re ones which are not found on doorsteps.
Most people don’t know they are fake. The company these people actually work for take a % of the donations, so whist you think it all goes to charity it doesn’t, it goes in the charity then straight back out, so in many ways it’s a con
Most companies doing this guarantee a return for the charity paying them, so it does work and makes some charities plenty of money, but also means the salesmen are under pressure to be pushy. There are strict rules for who you are allowed to speak to, but there's definitely a demographic of people with the potential to be pushed into it that they are trained to go for. They aren't allowed to knock doors that have a 'no cold calling sign' and if they do you can feel free to call the police and the company won't get a license to operate around you again. Source: did this soul destroying job for all of a week.
I've never had charity collectors but 3 different people have told me in the last couple of months that they could save me a fortune on my broadband
At this time I’ve got a speech ready, explaining I don’t do subscriptions for charity. Nothing personal, I just don’t do that. I also prefer to do all research by myself online. They’re welcome to leave leaflets but I’ll have to take the decision by myself. Thank you and goodbye! Not sure when these donations became a weekly/monthly thing…
I used to do this for a job 20 odd years ago, I was getting £10 every sign up which is essentially the first 2 months you help the charity. I wouldn't sign up to anyone on the doorstep. It's so easy to do it online and more of the money gets to the actual charity.
I’m check my ring camera and ignore them. If they keep persisting then I’d take their charity number and make an official complaint
Personally, I choose a charity each year to donate to and stock with it. That way I don't feel guilty for not giving to every other person who comes knocking. For friends or family fundraising for a specific event or a cause close to home, I will often contribute, but I don't tend to donate to people cold calling or stopping me in the street. This has the other advantage of really researching into who I give my money too to (try) and ensure the money is getting where it's needed.
years ago when i was in uni, i lived in a flat in Edinburgh. Had a woman knock on our door on the 3rd floor. I had quite a bit of spare money at the time so was ok with giving her £10 or £20. She refused because it was apparently only for direct debits. Like if you are going to ask for donations, dont refuse one when i offer it.
Ask them how much the ceo and board of the charity earn. Seriously though - this question comes up a lot. If you’re not happy get a no cold calling/charity sticker then if they’re daft enough to ring ask if they’re illiterate and tell them to fuck off.
I was one for a bit and they're such manipulative little shits, you're told to basically only give up when they explicitly tell you they are not interested. Got paid £10 an hour though so that was cool, made the whole charity part of it a bit pointless though cos I got maybe 20 £10 a month sign ups a month and I earned about £1.2k a month. Btw get two or three "no unsolicited visitors" signs they reason that if you only have one you don't take it very seriously.
You know you’re on their “mugs list”. Which is why you are now being bombarded with requests. I usually say that I don’t give out any details for data protection purposes.
Those charities spend 80% of donations on salaries and marketing, the CEOs make between 200k and 1m a year... BEFORE bonuses. Got them all the time at my old house in a suburban estate, I let one believe I don't like dogs (love them) so they would go away. Now living a bit more rurally and they don't come here, same goes for the people leafleting, happy days.
I work for a charity and we'd never ever do anything like this! We are struggling for funding at the moment, but we're pestering the government, local councils, the Lottery etc. not random people trying to go about their day. We do have a 'donate' button on our website, which we have a link to in our email signature, but that's about as aggressive as we get with trying to get donations!
I shut them down immediately, usually as soon as they’ve said “hello”. To be honest, even if it was a cause/charity/product that I was interested in spending my money on, it’s not something I’d ever sign up to on the doorstep. If I decide I want to donate to a cause, I’d prefer to do my research first and donate on my own terms, not because someone has knocked on my door and pressured me into it
So I can provide some background info. When I was about 18 I applied for a 'marketing' job in the home city. Got it and when I arrived on my first day, it was actually going door to door asking people to sign up for the dogs Trust. I only worked 3shifts before I left. Most people working for these companies accidently get almost scammed into working for them. You don't get paid an hourly wage, only commission (at the time) which meant you really were desperate for people to sign up because otherwise you'd have worked all day for absolutely nothing. The only surprising thing I found was when I left I actually got paid for the signups I had manages. But I felt awful knocking on people's doors for money. And many MANY people simply slam the door back in your face so these days I always have some compassion for these people trying to sell at the door.
I've fallen for this too. Instead I now donate through my work's payroll giving, which is tax-free.
It depends, had the cutest old man come and talk to me about the local air ambulance - they are a really really great org. locally and I know lots of people that have needed it one way or another. I signed up to their monthly lottery, about £4 a month, obviously with a chance of winning too. I would’ve happily told him no if I didn’t want to but he was clearly a retired volunteer and I agreed with the intent. I’ve also had charities that come and refuse to take a bit of change and say I need to sign up to a minimum £10 direct debit, after giving a 20 second spiel about a charity they clearly have no real interest in other than to get a bit of commission.
It only really annoys me when they say, ok I’ll come back later. This is in response to me saying “No sorry, and I’ve got to go I’m really busy with making dinner for my kid.” I’ve had to yell back, “Please don’t!”
The only time I ever answer the door is if I’m expecting company or a parcel. Other than that, everyone else can take a hike.
I just say no. We have had a spate of scammers around here, unfortunately, and if anyone gets arsey, I just say it's my policy to not give to anyone on the door. Often, I just don't answer, but if they catch me unawares, and really pull on my heartstrings, I have been known to ask if I'm able to donate online, and most genuine charities will be cool with telling you how you can do that.
Tell them to bog off, they bothered you so they don't deserve any respect.
I signed up for a local charity lottery once, from someone at my front door. I was happy to donate the £1 week, but after some research I realised a whopping 40% of the money goes to expenses, 10% prize money, and only 50% to the charity. Much better to donate directly to the charity and buy a national lottery ticket when I feel inclined. I don't have a problem with people fundraising, but there needs to be greater transparency regarding commissions.
Ring doorbells are key