Now, I am well aware that many of you live in a very different part of France and things which happen around me might not touch you.
However, our Mairie is today issuing a warning to all Commune Residents… about DtoD Salesmen.
Especially those promising to do work… and only asking for money upfront to buy “the necessary”.
No Official Quote is ever given, just verbal chit chat, when they promise the earth and, in reality, come up with a shoddy “whatever” if they don’t just grab the money and run…
It’s worth keeping a keen eye open as it’s so often the non-French speakers who get targeted.
Good advice. In the past I’ve had very insistent, verging in the aggressive, people wanting to clean and “treat” my roof. They are nasty people. Don’t get sucked into any dialog with them, just threaten to call the police. These people just hit an area, rip off the vulnerable and move on quickly.
We have had visits (twice) from a well dressed lady with a clipboard who informs us there have been other houses in the village with wood infestation and they are offering a ‘free’ inspection. Must be nuts! It’s either an attempt ti squeeze money from us after magically showing beetles they have ‘found’ or it’s an oportunity to case the joint for later burglar.
I don’t know why I don’t check out the gate cam before opening
We also have had people needing to “see where the phone line comes into the house…” in advance of Fibre arriving in the commune. sounds plausible enough… and some elderly/gentle souls let these people into their homes.
Verisure type of sales people coming round late evenings are another one to be careful about. They could be anyone who has copied that company’s logo onto paper/cards and once inside your home they would have carte blanche to look around. I can see who is at my gates so I either reply or ignore when they ring if I don’t like the look of them.
Another one may be faux immobiliers who ring your bell saying they have buyers interested in your property. Next, they ask if you’d like a no obligation appraisal. Then, the burglars visit.
Reminds me of when my sister won a full life-size model of the Dulux dog (old english sheepdog) in a paint competition at Homebase years ago. When they were all out at work, it would be placed in front of the glass panel of their front door so burglars might think a dog was waiting for them. It got eaten by moths eventually and consigned to the dustbin in bits.
I’ve moved it myself… @wozza put in the Lounge originally as I wasn’t sure if it would be of much interest, but wanted to give the warning from my Mairie none the less.
Two men, pretending to be Gendarmes, entered a home to check the Owner’s “valuables” were carefully secured from burgulars ( ) after doing so, while one was talking with the owner, the other carefully helped himself to money, jewels and whatever he could… then they both scarpered.
A Gendarme should be in full uniform and have an identity card, if any doubts or just to reassure before letting 'em in… it is suggested one can phone 17
I asked the pompier for ID when selling calendars before I had my lockable gates put up especially as he came late at night. I’m lucky living within spitting distance of the local gendarmerie so anyone coming here, I would ring them to find out if they were authorised or not.
Another instance of fake gendarmes/police… this time the men were wearing baseball caps with POLICE in large letters… and on reading the story… it seems they had smooth answers for every doubt expressed by the householder…
Normally the gendarmes would contact the householder before doing any visits, just like when they convoke you to go along to their offices and they normally just put an official note in your postbox. (Been there and done that, not a nice experience either but all sorted easily). They don’t have the time, money nor manpower to go to every vulnerable householder and here, they put leaflets in our boxes warning us not to let anyone in or give info on the phone.
As the article explains, the fakers had a perfectly reasonable explanation for their visit …
and the lady was not someone easily fooled… which is why she feels so daft about letting them in…
Just goes to show, anyone can be hoodwinked by someone crafty enough…
