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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/happyscatteredreader on 2024-11-01 16:22:23+00:00.

This is one going back a few years but it’s one that made me chuckle when I remembered it.

As we live in a busy estate, we are in a prime position for door to door callers. Usually they were fine, polite and if I was happy to listen to their pitch then great and if not, they were pretty good about hearing “no” and leaving me be.

In our house, all the utility bills are in my name because I am the financial person in the house hold and by mutual agreement, the one who knows how many beans make five when it comes to deals and offers. Therefore, I decide our provider each year and negotiate the best offers. I know the exact date we come out if contract and am generally organised in swapping suppliers. Sometimes I do this with the D2D salesperson and other times online or via phone.

It just so happened one year that we had a D2D salesperson knock in for a utility that was pretty close to its contract end date. He immediately started his pitch with “Good afternoon, is the Man of the House there?” Now, straight away that rubbed me up the wrong way. I answered no and he proceeded to ask me when he would be home. I mentioned that he was at work but he was welcome to call back after 5pm when “The Man of the House” would be home. The salesperson wrote this down in his book nodded at me and left.

Sure enough, he called back after 5pm and spoke to the very irritated Man of the House who asked the salesperson why he didn’t speak to me about all this. The salesperson back pedaled so quickly and asked if I was there. Sadly, I was out and wouldn’t be back until late but he was welcome to call over again tomorrow and see if I would speak to him.

As it so happens, I did speak to him the next morning. With a beaming smile and a smug of tea in my hand, I thanked him for reminding me to check my offers and I haf switched online to his company a couple of hours before he arrived. Then I waved him a cheery goodbye.

I believe that would have cost him two sales, as I switched gas and electricity.