Trading Standards Info - Rouge Traders

Below is an extract from the latest Aberdeenshire Council Trading Standards Bulletin providing advise on saying no to forceful cold callers. The full bulletin can be viewed here - Trading Standards Crime and Scams bulletin - Aberdeenshire Council

Saying no to forceful cold callers can be difficult for some people, but there are other ways to deal with situations like these. Preparation is often the key, particularly at this time of the year. For instance:

• Place ‘No Cold Callers’ notice on the garden gate or driveway gate and similar stickers at the front door. For a doorstep caller to simply ignore these and continue up to the door may be an offence under Trading Standards regulations. These would apply to any type of cold caller, such as salesmen, canvassers or people trying to drum up business or sell things door to door (pedlars),

• Fit a video doorbell at the front door. These allow the resident to link them to a mobile phone or tablet so that the resident can converse with the caller without having to come to the door, sometimes when they’re not even at home. Many video doorbells also record visitors at the door, From mountain to sea which can provide evidence of the caller’s identity if the matter has to be reported to Trading Standards. Prices are gradually falling for these and they can be fitted by a competent DIY-er,

• If there isn’t one fitted to the front door already, consider fitting a ‘fish-eye’ door viewer which allows a resident to look through the viewer and have an enhanced view of the doorstep area (due to the convex lens on the exterior of the viewer) before the door is opened. If you don’t like the look of the caller, you’re not obliged to answer the door,

• Also, consider a door chain or door bar which allows the door to be partially opened, to allow a conversation, without the door being opened all the way, so preventing the caller from literally getting a foot in the door,

• Remember too, particularly as we go into darker evenings, the lighting at the front door. Assessing who may be at the door is only feasible if you can see them properly, so consider installing a passive infra-red (PIR) activated light covering the front door area so that you can see the caller clearly,

• All of the above items can be bought for a few pounds from well-know DIY stores and fitted by a competent DIY-er for just a few pounds,

• If you’re going out into the garden (perhaps to do a tidy-up of leaves or similar), garage or shed, in case you may be approached by a doorstep caller when away from the front door, ensure first that your mobile phone is charged and that you keep it with you in case a caller becomes pushy or aggressive and you need to summon help,

• Likewise with any community alarm pendant you may carry,

• As a precaution against a doorstep caller catching you working in the garden etc. and deliberately engaging you in a protracted conversation to allow an accomplice to sneak in a back door to steal, when you exit the house, ensure all other doors (and windows are locked) from the inside and that you lock the door you exit by with a key - and keep the key on your person until you go back inside again,

• Even if there’s someone in the house when you’re working outside, securing the house can prevent problems rather than having to deal with them after they’ve happened. Let the person in the house know that you intend to do some work outside, how long you think it may take and to check with you if it takes longer (or get waylaid outside by a doorstep caller),

• As always, please report any concerns you have to your local Trading Standards office