Power Struggle
This is my doorstep. It is the entrance to my home. I do not think I am particularly unusual in wanting my home to be a private, peaceful place where I can relax and shut out the rest of the world. I have fought very hard for those things over the last few years, having been subjected to untenable noise by ignorant people who think that they have the right to ruin my life, and my sleep, with their appalling behaviour. Now that I have peace and quiet, the concept of home is quite important to me. I don't think I'm particularly unusual in that, pig-headed past neighbours or not.
My doorstep is for welcoming friends and family, accepting parcel deliveries, having a coffee in the morning sunshine, pondering my plan for a butterfly and bee garden. It is not a place where strange men should feel it is their right to disturb me, patronise me, try to manipulate me and lie to me.
Some time ago we decided to have a nosey at what other companies were doing compared to the company that we were paying for our gas and electricity. I don't think we were particularly unusual in doing this at the end of our year contract - a free market suggests the customer looks around for the best deal. We didn't actually switch to the cheapest supplier because the customer reviews for that company were not complimentary. We researched the options and made our choice.
A few days later my personal equilibrium was shattered not by a lunatic on laminate or a sick sub-woofing psycho. This time my working day was interrupted by an arrogant man from our ex-power company. Scottish Power. He was very insistent on trying to manipulate me and, actually, bully me into divulging information about who we had switched to, how much we were paying etc. I explained that I was not interested in cold-calling and he tried to tell me that turning up on my doorstep uninvited to sell me power was not cold-calling or marketing.
It didn't end there. Next Scottish Power began a series of phonecalls attempting to buy us back. They promised to offer us a better deal than the one we were getting but they refused to put the offer in writing - we had to agree to the deal on the phone there and then. No chance to compare the actual deal with our new deal, no time to think or research. We left them with the suggestion that they give us their best offer in writing and we'd consider it, we have since heard nothing.
We have no complaints over our new supplier and no reason to look elsewhere.
Yesterday was a busy day for me and I was happily whizzing around getting things done, creating things and in a particularly groovy frame of mind. Unusually, I was working to a deadline and I had my afternoon planned out with military precision.
This was all ruined by a knock on the door. It was not a family member, or a friend or a neighbour. It was not a parcel, or a pizza, or even a bottle of wine. It was a man from Scottish Hydro Electric.
He told me his name, which I forget, and that he was the assistant manager of something or other. I asked him rather pointedly if he was cold calling me and trying to sell me something and he, ludicrously, suggested that he wasn't.
He spouted some crap about how he was visiting people to check whether they were "on the right tariff" as there had been reports that people were being "miss-sold" power. He tried to come across as some sort of Robin Hood of gas saving the masses from being exploited by their own stupidity - because that is the way with these doorstep cold-callers, they all believe householders are dumbos.
He explained that we had been "flagged up" because we had recently switched power companies.
It should be noted that at no point were we ever an actual customer of Scottish Hydro Electric and I'm very curious about how they "flag up" people who switch power who aren't even on their books as a customer.
Basically this man was a cold caller trying to market his company to me and he didn't like that I could see right through his spiel and that I refused to be manipulated into giving out our information. After a few moments I smiled at him and said "you aren't listening to me, are you?". He then explained that I was within my rights not to buy anything from him.
No shit Sherlock.
I like to think I am also within my rights not to have to argue with someone to get them off my doorstep. I like to think I am within my rights not to have someone trying to manipulate me into sharing information I choose to keep to myself, especially on my doorstep.
Having finally closed the door, I came back upstairs to my desk and grumbled to the greyhound. I grumbled on Twitter too. The next thing I know, Scottish Hydro are following me on Twitter and trying to make things better, but really only making things worse.
According to MJ:
"I should explain; we only visit people who are not already our customers and your visit was not related to any switch you might have made recently."
Which is in direct conflict with what mr assistant manager of bullshit stated, on my doorstep, yesterday.
I don't think I'm particularly unusual in thinking that cold calling is a nuisance and I would like to live without it.
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Tags: cold calling, doorstep harassment, gas, marketing, scottish hydro electric, scottish power
Posted on August 12, 2010 in Opinionated, Wordy.
[...] homes are important to us; Taexailia contemplate the purpose of her own doorstep and the power struggle which can occur there: “My doorstep is for welcoming friends and family, accepting parcel [...]