Members of the travelling community calling to the door

#1 · 15-04-2006 05:34PM #1

Do any of you have problems with travellers begging at the door? Had the same kid call to the door *3 fecking times* in the one day... don't think telling him to FO and not come back would be a good idea lest he comes back with his ten brothers and robs me car or something... any tips for getting rid of them?

Ruu_Old · 15-04-2006 05:36PM

What did he want? Money or ciggies usually. Havent had a problem in a long time with travellers.

Renegade_Archer · 15-04-2006 05:48PM

Money usually. Problem is the mother used to give em a few euro, but she doesn't anymore, after two of em decided to take a dump on our doorstep (I **** you not... pardon the pun). She was out today, and the kid just kept calling back looking for her.. me and the father don't give em anything. They call at least three times a week on average, bit of a pain in the hole. Usual conversation goes something like this:

"Is your ma there?"
"no"
*closes door*
*knocks on window, points at my mother sitting in the chair, goes back to ringing doorbell*
"Listen, shes not giving you anything, go away"
*gives me a look like hes going to burn my house down, walks away, comes back 2-3 days later*

Could do without a bunch of knackers smashing my windows in, and I doubt the cops would be of much use....

Tobias Greeshman · 15-04-2006 05:48PM

Well I'm not condoning this, but had similar problem before and my father answered the door with a shotgun in his hand (gun wasn't loaded of course). He told them to clear to be f***ed, never seen them again. Was very funny actually, cos the knacker in question nearly p1ssed his pants.

Blackjack · 15-04-2006 05:49PM

mistake was your mother giving them the money first time. They'll always call back if you ever give them money.

Rhyme · 15-04-2006 05:53PM

Not really a problem but i do get the same Romanian/Eastern European lady calling every now and then... i don't think she understands the word "no", seriously.

Wertz · 15-04-2006 05:53PM

Threaten them with a bar of soap...

Unless you actually want to buy some carpet.

Blowfish · 15-04-2006 05:59PM

Blackjack wrote:

mistake was your mother giving them the money first time. They'll always call back if you ever give them money.

This is true, its far better to offer them anything else bar money. The genuine ones will tend to take anything they are given (food/old clothes, etc), but the ones who will just spend the money on the likes of drink anyway, will try to convince you that money is the only option. And feeding a habit helps noone

Pigman II · 15-04-2006 06:10PM

They used to come round to my house a lot and even tho I'd always tell them the usual "sorry I don't have anything for you" story they'd still pop round again and again irregardless.

Anyway (totally unrelated to them) I got one of those survelance-cameras installed in my front door. One day a mother knacker and her kids came around and rang the bell. I didn't bother answering the door as I'd flicked to the camera channel and could see who it was at the door. I could also see *they* were unusually interested in the camera and it's location and the fact that it was pointed directly at them.

Anyway, years have past at not one of them have ever darkened my doorstep since, but I'm sure it's just coincidence.

Nightwish · 15-04-2006 06:47PM

Tell him you're a paedophile. He'll be afraid of ya then.

Yook · 15-04-2006 06:48PM

For christ sake! Call them Knackers!

whiskeyman · 15-04-2006 06:49PM

Nightwish wrote:

Tell him you're a paedophile. He'll be afraid of ya then.

Or put a few "Free Padraic Nally" stickers on your front door...

Mimikyu · 15-04-2006 06:53PM

This post has been deleted.

Pythia · 15-04-2006 06:57PM

whiskeyman wrote:

Or put a few "Free Padraic Nally" stickers on your front door...

Nice idea...

Ruu_Old · 15-04-2006 07:01PM

Nightwish wrote:

Tell him you're a paedophile. He'll be afraid of ya then.

Either they will leave you alone or they will burn you out of it, you've got a sporting chance

astrofool · 15-04-2006 07:13PM

We had a few call at the door last week, upon being shooed, they returned to their '06 SUV

marco murphy · 15-04-2006 07:39PM

An incident happened in Navan were an attempted car robbery took a swing.
Some travellers trying to rob a car and the owner just shot into the air with a shotgun. They never came back

EDIT : stop calling them knackers.

mikemac · 15-04-2006 08:45PM

When I was home in Tipperary last summer they often called around to us.
There were traders from Rathkeale and they had vans full of furniture. As I understand, its not stolen but brought in from England.
They bring it to Rathkeale and they sell it in the surrounding areas.
We weren't interested and never bought anything.

However our neighbour who is a retired garda seargant told us to be wary of this trick. If travellers call to your front door, often someone goes around the back to check the house out. This especially happens to elderly people living on their own in rural areas. Obviosly this doesn't apply if you live in an estate.

When I was in college, I paid 2 young knackers to cut our small lawn. They did a terrible job and I wouldn't pay them. Got a brick through the window a few days later. So I'd advise people to just say no but maybe not be abusive to them.

kc66 · 15-04-2006 09:08PM

Just in relation to the furniture thing. I know an elderly lady who bought a suite of furniture from them. It was a good deal and the furniture was 100%. A year later they came back and said they need to take the furniture back! They pretty much barged in and demanded €300 to replace it with a better suite. She gave them the money and still ended with a good deal. But what was going on there? The cheek. The woman was pretty vulnerable.

Gone West · 15-04-2006 09:11PM

the idea is that if you dont buy anything or whatever, their kids will run into your back garden while your occupied and rob your kids bikes/etc.

mikemac · 15-04-2006 09:17PM

I'm sure the furniture is good quality. The reason its so cheap is because no VAT was being charged. So you can get a good deal but I'd never buy anything from them.

the_syco · 15-04-2006 09:25PM

Poblachtach wrote:

EDIT : stop calling them knackers.

Travellers don't come to your door to beg. Only knackers do.

=-=

I just tell them to f*ck off. Anyone who knows me to see proberly knows I'm kinda tall. Also, I tell them to f*ck off if I come to the door, and they're already talking to a member of my family. Finally, after I tell them to f*ck off, I warn my mates, who also tell the knackers to f*ck off. If the knackers get it into their heads they aren't welcome, they come back less and less. Same goes for the rest of the beggers.

Haven't gotten a begger to the door in almost a year.

micmclo wrote:

I'm sure the furniture is good quality. The reason its so cheap is because no VAT was being charged. So you can get a good deal but I'd never buy anything from them.

If you let them into your house, when they're bring the furniture in, they can scope out your house, see if you have an alarm, or dog, and if you have anything they can steal.

mikemac · 15-04-2006 09:41PM

Lately in our estate, we have a women and two small children coming to all the houses looking for help.
My landlord is big into charity and gave them money last week so they're ringing the doorbell every second day.

The only time I was talking to them, they handed me a note which was barely legible(spelling?) but was basically asking for cash. I directed them to the local social welfare office. Landlord informs me they are Serbian.

As a rule I never give money to beggers. We live in a great country where if you don't work or pay tax you can still apply for housing and benefits. Maybe, I'm hard-hearted but I like the American system where if your fit and able to work but don't, your welfare is cut off in six months. We could then spend the money saved on pensioners and people who realy needed it.

Any time a begger asks me for change, I wonder how can thousands of immigrants arrive here and manage to work hard, rent a place and generally make a success of themselves. Maybe beggers should stop feeling sorry for themselves and enrol on a FAS course.

Sorry rant over.

Pazaz 21 · 15-04-2006 09:44PM

micmclo wrote:

As a rule I never give money to beggers. We live in a great country where if you don't work or pay tax you can still apply for housing and benefits. Maybe, I'm hard-hearted but I like the American system where if your fit and able to work but don't, your welfare is cut off in six months. We could then spend the money saved on pensioners and people who realy needed it.

Any time a begger asks me for change, I wonder how can thousands of immigrants arrive here and manage to work hard, rent a place and generally make a success of themselves. Maybe beggers should stop feeling sorry for themselves and enrol on a FAS course.

Sorry rant over.

With you their man, good rant:D

projectmayhem · 15-04-2006 09:46PM

micmclo wrote:

Lately in our estate, we have a women and two small children coming to all the houses looking for help.
My landlord is big into charity and gave them money last week so they're ringing the doorbell every second day.

The only time I was talking to them, they handed me a note which was barely legible(spelling?) but was basically asking for cash. I directed them to the local social welfare office. Landlord informs me they are Serbian.

As a rule I never give money to beggers. We live in a great country where if you don't work or pay tax you can still apply for housing and benefits. Maybe, I'm hard-hearted but I like the American system where if your fit and able to work but don't, your welfare is cut off in six months. We could then spend the money saved on pensioners and people who realy needed it.

Any time a begger asks me for change, I wonder how can thousands of immigrants arrive here and manage to work hard, rent a place and generally make a success of themselves. Maybe beggers should stop feeling sorry for themselves and enrol on a FAS course.

Sorry rant over.

QFT

netwhizkid · 15-04-2006 09:48PM

Down our way in Kerry once a Knacker sold a wardrobe to an elderly old woman, gave her a good deal. They landed back an hour later saying they had sold her the wrong one by mistake and the "boss" was mad. Refunded the money she had paid and took off. About two hours later the old lady discovered that just about everything of value in the upstairs was stolen. They smuggled in a Child Knacker and he filled up the wardrobe with stuff.

Another case I heard is once was of a newly married couple who were in the process of completing and moving into their new house. Anyway while the couple were on honeymoon, the knackers landed to their neighbours saying how they had arranged with the newly-weds to drop off the carpet. The foolish neighbours payed them alot of money for the carpet believing that such a deal was okay. When they returned from honey-moon there had been no deal and the roll of carpet was enough to go around the roll once and the rest was off cuts and old carpet and newspapers etc. :mad:

The shotgun is the answer.

mikemac · 15-04-2006 09:50PM

projectmayhem wrote:

QFT

Sorry, what does this mean? I've no idea

netwhizkid · 15-04-2006 09:52PM

micmclo wrote:

Sorry, what does this mean? I've no idea

QUOTED FOR TRUTH

projectmayhem · 15-04-2006 10:00PM

netwhizkid wrote:

Down our way in Kerry once a Knacker sold a wardrobe to an elderly old woman, gave her a good deal. They landed back an hour later saying they had sold her the wrong one by mistake and the "boss" was mad. Refunded the money she had paid and took off. About two hours later the old lady discovered that just about everything of value in the upstairs was stolen. They smuggled in a Child Knacker and he filled up the wardrobe with stuff.

Another case I heard is once was of a newly married couple who were in the process of completing and moving into their new house. Anyway while the couple were on honeymoon, the knackers landed to their neighbours saying how they had arranged with the newly-weds to drop off the carpet. The foolish neighbours payed them alot of money for the carpet believing that such a deal was okay. When they returned from honey-moon there had been no deal and the roll of carpet was enough to go around the roll once and the rest was off cuts and old carpet and newspapers etc. :mad:

The shotgun is the answer.

i'm no fan of these scummers tbh, but those two cases were examples of pure idiocy from the victim's perspectives. i mean, who buys a wardrobe without opening it? and who the hell buys carpet for someone else?

Daily D 5 · 15-04-2006 10:02PM

mikemac · 15-04-2006 10:08PM

Daily D 5 wrote:

You posted this on another thread as well.
Wasting time and heading for a ban, me thinks :rolleyes:

Members of the travelling community calling to the door

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