Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Had a young black girl, looked around 17 years old, call in today saying she was selling ADT alarms for better deals than available on the web. Am concerned this is a scam. Se was not able to give me a card and left me with a mobile phone number which goes straight to answerphone. Has anyone else had her call into them. Am worried we will be burgled. What are your thoughts?
I saw an ADT salesperson on Blackwater Street on Monday eve but he wasn't terribly young, was on his own and didn't raise any suspicions - saying that it wasn't me he was calling on so there no saying what card or number he would have left. I say this tho as there may be a possibility of genuine sales reps in the area being followed by those less honest. Just a thought.
Had the youngish guy call on us TWICE last Wednesday. Both times he was somewhat indignant that I wasn't interested. Looked on the ADT website for some email address to complain to but couldn't find any. Not the best advert for a company looking for our business.

Yup, also had a very young chap visit. Extremely patronising in his tone ("I presume you don't know the difference between type x and type y alarms") and also throwing in the big "we're giving stuff away for free" without actually explaining what that stuff was, nor how it was actually free...


Close the door on them.

I've had these guys cold-call/door-step us and whilst we gave them pretty short hrift, we reported them to the local police SNT.


Whilst the young guy we had call on us wasn't overly agressive what I didn't like about was his complete lack of ID (wasn't able to give to any kind of ID - no business cards, headed paper or anything looking vaguely official). His ID card had very little on it - apart from his photo and name and a hi-vis jacket with ADT on it- which could have been printed anywhere.


The dodgy bit was him trying to get into the house to take a look to assess our security measures ..........

I also had them at the door, which I closed on them after I saw his ADT insignia and heard his opening "this isn't a sales pitch" gambit (always a clear sign that something *is* a sales pitch). Really loathe doorstepping like this of any kind, it's annoying but also potentially upsetting for the vulnerable, particularly if they are scare-mongering about personal safety.


So I had a whinge on twitter at them, gave them this thread link (which they have apparently "raised internally") and they've asked me to email [email protected] so that it's properly logged. So I suggest people do posting here might also want to do that.

We had the young girl on Ondine Rd last week (seem to have done the whole road as saw her at other end much later on!)

Luckily answered the door holding 2 full watering cans so managed to put her off saying we were happy with our security.

I lived in Copleston for 8 years and never had door-to-door callers - seem to have them constantly on Ondine and it's getting really annoying now! Planning to answer the door on the phone if I don't recognise who it is in future!

  • 7 months later...
We've had 3 ADT people in the last week. When I answered the door a couple of days ago I explained this was the third call in a week and they replied "oh there's been a lot of people who feel they've missed out on a promotion on this road" argh GO AWAY!

We had this on Melbourne Grove yesterday. After passing me a couple of inane compliments she explained they were trying to improve security in the area and we're doing free assessments to see if we qualified for something, I wasn't entirely sure what; then she said "so would you like shoes on or off?" whilst taking a step through my door - this freaked me out so I told them I wasn't interested and closed the door. I was surprised how creepy it is when someone tries to smarm themselves into your home!


Thanks for the complaints email address - I have emailed (using my junk email address). I think we should all do that, causing them to have to take time to read our emails (at least) may make them think twice about their sales techniques and save us (and hopefully any vulnerable neighbours we may have) from this unpleasantness!

Old thread, newer one is http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,1232380,page=1. No idea if that email address is still valid, so might be worth checking. I've been in contact again since and I don't think it makes much different tbh, I'm pretty sure they couldn't care less what people think. Better to put efforts towards getting a designated no cold calling zone, perhaps?

I contacted our local East Dulwich Safer Neighbourhood Team during February.

They've responded that they're going to deliver lots of no cold calling stickers to the areas and investigate a cold calling zone.


They've contacted ADT who stated that not their team but people selling their products.

Mustard Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> There was an article about ADT and their doorstep

> selling in the Guardian Money section today.

> Worth a read.


http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/mar/15/burglars-alarm-bells-home

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • got a collection gathering dust? especially in the era of streaming services.. need the space?  most things considered rock / indie / hip hop / dance / funk / soul / heavy metal / jazz etc etc no easy listening  DM if you think you have something of interest.. cash awaits thanks Tim 
    • So much nonsense in a single post! 1) this vaguely xenophobic stuff is based on a belief that London is full of houses owned by foreigners that are kept empty and out of the hands of native buyers and renters. This is unmitigated bullshit. "England has the lowest rate of empty homes in the OECD, and Greater London has about one-tenth the level of Paris, just 0.7% of properties being empty compared to 6.5%...the effect on the general housing crisis is minuscule. London, Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton and other cities have eye-wateringly expensive housing because of high demand and low supply. That’s the obvious and boring answer." https://www.edwest.co.uk/p/the-myth-of-londons-empty-homes 2) where do you get this idea that infill sites have to be small? Southwark and the GLA planning documents explicitly recognise that industrial sites can be infill sites. 3) It is simply factually untrue and misleading that taller buildings are out of character for the area of the development. The neighbouring school has taller blocks, Hambledon Court on the other side of the tracks is a taller building, the Dog Kennel Hill estate on the other side of the station consists of taller buildings. 4) if that is the lesson you have taken away, then is your opposition to this new housing in East Dulwich part of a Lib Dem policy to "deny, baby, deny"? Let's be real for a second: there is no way out of the housing crisis that doesn't involve building lots of new housing. If we can't build on top of a disused builder's yard above a railway station, where are we going to build in this neighbourhood? 5) This is also nonsense. The student accommodation was initially closed because of systemic fire risks that made the buildings unsafe. KCL is now halfway through totally renovating the blocks and expanding capacity. KCL gets twice as many applications for student accommodation as it can fulfil. KCL just opened another 452 student rooms in Battersea - so clearly they don't have a concern about a cataclysmic decline in student numbers. https://www.rlb.com/europe/projects/kcl-champion-hill/ https://roarnews.co.uk/2024/kcl-accommodation-still-empty-four-years-after-evacuation/ https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/03/03/watkin-jones-wins-30m-student-digs-campus-upgrade/   It is really disappointing that someone involving themselves in planning matters is relying on (and spreading) prejudices, misconceptions and misinformation like this.
    • Hello, I am pleased to let you know that registration for the Spring term is now open. Classes will begin from the week commencing 12th January 2026.  Spring Term Classes We offer a wide range of online and in-person classes to build confidence, creativity and future-ready skills. Click on the links below for more details: Onsite Coding and STEM classes at libraries in Southwark Online Coding Classes Online Maths Classes Online Creative and non-fiction writing classes Duke of Edinburgh’s Award 👉Click  here to register: https://www.ignitehubs.org.uk/register New Online Coding Classes Micro:bit – Physical Computing An introduction to physical computing and coding using the BBC Micro:bit through interactive projects. Please note: after the half-term break, students will need to have access to a Micro:bit. They cost around £18, and we will provide details on where to buy one if needed. Ignite Hubs will provide free kits to families in need of financial support. To find out more about Micro:bit, please click here. 🕛 Mondays | 5pm to 6pm Age 7 to 18 Click here for more details Computational Thinking Learn the core principles of computer science. Explore how computers work and develop computational thinking skills. 🕛 Wednesdays | 6pm to 7pm Age 7 to 18 Click here for more details Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) Ignite Hubs is an Approved Activity Provider for the skills section of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE). Students can select any of our classes as their chosen skill. Click here for more details: https://www.ignitehubs.org.uk/duke-of-edinburgh Places are limited, so please book as soon as possible.  We look forward to welcoming your child to learn with us for an exciting Spring term. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] Many thanks,   Lin Ignite Hubs Coding Classes Spring 26.pdf STEM Hub Spring 26.pdf
    • I'm sure there's a coherent point in there somewhere, but I can't fathom what it might be TBH
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...