# Leaflets being delivered at 4am



## Pickle (13 Feb 2010)

This morning coming down the stairs at 4am to get a drink the wife saw a shadow of a person walk by the front door (scream) awoke me. I thought the worst ...someone in the house. Thank God that was not the case. 

I put lights on outside to disturb would be thief and make noise by knocking on windows.S o I decide to now go outside with a little friend in my hand for protection to check around the house and no one there thank God .

As I am checking out the front I noticed a guy is delivering  leaflets into letter boxes, so I check my letterbox and find a leaflet to give any spare clothing etc.

I think this is really not the time 4am to be delivering leaflets, if this was in some part of America the police would be retrieving a body. 

I know the milkman delivers early but you see his milk van etc.


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## Complainer (13 Feb 2010)

*Re: Leatlets been delivered at 4AM*



Pickle said:


> So I decide to now go outside with a little friend in my hand for protection


Yeah, always important to protect your 'little friend' in dangerous situations.


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## MandaC (13 Feb 2010)

*Re: Leatlets been delivered at 4AM*

Whatever about little friends (!) those leaflets are a pain in the backside.  Same thing, I was getting up to get a drink downstairs and the person was putting the leaflet in.  It is actually more sinister than that, because the person actually tried the handle on my door to see if I had left it open as people often do.  Those dodgy leaflet people did away with my mam's solar lights and my mam's neighbour's pot plants.  A neighbour did see them lifting the pot into the van - but was too late to get reg....northern or uk dirty old white van.

Be careful.  I hate people who give anything to those fraudulent collections when there are so many good causes.  It is not enough to say, sure it saves me getting rid of it.....I get those stupid leaflets nearly every day now.


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## Leper (14 Feb 2010)

*Re: Leatlets been delivered at 4AM*

I thought all you wannabe business people were doing business by 4.00am.  Were you on a half day the day the person dropped in the leaflet?


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## pudds (14 Feb 2010)

thats mad but in the times we live in folks.................2010

always.............  EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED


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## csirl (15 Feb 2010)

Always wondered that if you put up a sign on your letterbox such as the one below, would you be legally entitled to enforce it - through small claims if necessary (isnt this similar to those private clamping charges?):

"All advertising, flyers and junk mail prohibited. Any advertiser/individual/organisation who deposits any of the aforementioned in this letterbox will be liable for a penalty charge of €100."


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## bond-007 (15 Feb 2010)

You would have a job to convince a court of a cause of action.


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## RMCF (16 Feb 2010)

Leaflet drops at 4am sound to me like a cover for burglars.

Could they be checking for unlocked doors and then if challenged just say they are dropping leaflets?


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## Caveat (16 Feb 2010)

RMCF said:


> Leaflet drops at 4am sound to me like a cover for burglars.
> 
> Could they be checking for unlocked doors and then if challenged just say they are dropping leaflets?


 
First thing I thought of too.

*Highly* unusual to be dropping leaflets at that time I would have thought.

It's something I did once upon a time and we were advised never to drop leaflets between 9pm and 10am.


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## truthseeker (16 Feb 2010)

RMCF said:


> Leaflet drops at 4am sound to me like a cover for burglars.
> 
> Could they be checking for unlocked doors and then if challenged just say they are dropping leaflets?


 
Yeah, thats what I thought as well. Id be very annoyed if I came across someone dropping leaflets in my door at that time - Id be onto the guards immediately.


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## Mel (16 Feb 2010)

It happened to me once at around 6am - I nearly died of fright. 
I rang the mobile number on the leaflet to complain, but nobody answered.
I often come downstairs in the morning to find leaflets on the mat that weren't there the night before.


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## csirl (16 Feb 2010)

Does anyone actually read these leaflets? Usually go in the bin. 



> You would have a job to convince a court of a cause of action.


 
I have to pay bin charges to get rid of the leaflet. I also have the inconvenience of having to clean out my mailbox on a regular basis and sift through the junk. 

Legally speaking, the cause of action is that I will be charging people a fee for depositing advertising in my mail box. I'm quite entitled to do so as its my mailbox.


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## batty (16 Feb 2010)

csirl said:


> Does anyone actually read these leaflets? Usually go in the bin.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
+1 was talking about this at the weekend.  Why should I have to pay for the pleasure of disposing of other people's junk?


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## truthseeker (16 Feb 2010)

batty said:


> +1 was talking about this at the weekend. Why should I have to pay for the pleasure of disposing of other people's junk?


 
Ive put up a No Junk Mail sign and it has cut down on the amount of junk considerably, however some people do ignore it and just post the junk regardless. On one occasion I went out and accosted the deliverer who posted some junk and pointed out the No Junk Mail sign, but was only rewarded with a confused look and a non english response.


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## Caveat (16 Feb 2010)

You could always write FREEPOST and stick it back in the mail?


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## bond-007 (16 Feb 2010)

Why not seal your letter box and be done with it?


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## batty (16 Feb 2010)

bond-007 said:


> Why not seal your letter box and be done with it?


 
Why would I do that?  I want any "real" post, not the 10's of leaflets that I get everyday.  I've tried a No Junk Mail Sign with limited results.


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## bond-007 (16 Feb 2010)

No Junk Mail Signs simply don't work on eastern europeans hired to do the leaflet drops.


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## RonanC (16 Feb 2010)

Its very strange to have junkmail delivered at that time of night. It could be as some suggested someone trying the doors, but it could also be someone who is double jobbing and is doing this before hitting their other job? 

Anyway, as for the junk itself, collect them for a while and then post them all back to them with a little letter saying _*thanks, but you can keep your own rubbish in future!*_


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## AgathaC (16 Feb 2010)

I always find these leaflets, particularly the 'charity' ones in the hallway very very early in the morning. I put them straight into my recycling bin. It gives me the creeps to think the people who deliver them could be, in some cases, up to no good.


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## JP1234 (16 Feb 2010)

Because of the position of our house I can often see the people coming, so have a bit of fun by opening the door while they are putting the leaflet through, then insisting they take whatever they are posting away with them. Other than that it's straight in the bin or on the fire!


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## Capt. Beaky (16 Feb 2010)

csirl said:


> Always wondered that if you put up a sign on your letterbox such as the one below, would you be legally entitled to enforce it - through small claims if necessary (isnt this similar to those private clamping charges?):
> 
> "All advertising, flyers and junk mail prohibited. Any advertiser/individual/organisation who deposits any of the aforementioned in this letterbox will be liable for a penalty charge of €100."


If you had it in Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, Estonian (?) etc., you may get a result


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## Chocks away (17 Feb 2010)

Capt. Beaky said:


> If you had it in Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, Estonian (?) etc., you may get a result


At that early time the signwriting should be lit up


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## Rois (17 Feb 2010)

Also have them delivered at all hours of the night - main reason I'm aware of this is the dogs let me know. Horrible thought that they may be checking the house door etc. 

The leaflets go straight in the bin, 99 times out of 100 they're not legitimate charities and rarely have waste collection permits. Don't even bother trying to phone the mobile numbers on the stickers, you'll never get an answer. 

Worst thing of all now, is that many of them are doing a very good job posing as well known legitimate charities whom I would happily support - but never without calling the charity in question. Polio society was latest fraudent one I had.


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## Leper (17 Feb 2010)

I can see from some of the posts here that many know nothing of housebreaking. Your house is more likely to be broken into at 4.00pm than 4.00am. Dont give criminals any reason - keep all valuables out of sight always. Furthermore, it is unlikely that any leaflet deliverer is casing the joint. 

Delivering leaflets at 4.00am is a new business i.e. you get the leaflet for your breakfast. Nice sales ploy.


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## Rois (17 Feb 2010)

*Re: Leatlets been delivered at 4AM*



MandaC said:


> Whatever about little friends (!) those leaflets are a pain in the backside. Same thing, I was getting up to get a drink downstairs and the person was putting the leaflet in. It is actually more sinister than that, because the person actually tried the handle on my door to see if I had left it open as people often do. Those dodgy leaflet people did away with my mam's solar lights and my mam's neighbour's pot plants. A neighbour did see them lifting the pot into the van - but was too late to get reg....northern or uk dirty old white van.


 
This is one posters experience.


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## BONDGIRL (21 Feb 2010)

last night 4am More leaflets through my door. I nearly had a heartattack as yes I was downstairs getting a drink..


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## MandaC (21 Feb 2010)

Leper said:


> I can see from some of the posts here that many know nothing of housebreaking. Your house is more likely to be broken into at 4.00pm than 4.00am. Dont give criminals any reason - keep all valuables out of sight always. Furthermore, it is unlikely that any leaflet deliverer is casing the joint.
> 
> Delivering leaflets at 4.00am is a new business i.e. you get the leaflet for your breakfast. Nice sales ploy.




These people are opportunist. I am not saying they are casing the joint.  More grab and run.  They are not bone fide leaflet deliverers.   I know what I saw and I saw the guy try the handle on my door.  Also, they would be looking for other opportunist things, kids bikes left outside, people leaving car doors unlocked  with phones, ipods, inside etc.  As people do. 

The charities involved are not legit.......usually a northern irish mobile number and a ni or uk registered van.

We get a chap who delivers leaflets outlining special offers for our local Eurospar and he delivers every Friday about 8.30am.  I am not speaking about these kind of people only doing a job.

Legitimate charities like Barnardos are suffering because of these bogey people, I had read a spokesman for Bernardos say that these people often take the bags of clothes people leave out for Bernardos by getting up earlier and covering the route.

This rag collecting is a huge business with massive turnover for those involved.  Do not give them anything.

Incidentially after the incident in my mam's with the solar lights and the neighbours pot plants, the Guards were notified.  Their take on it was that the stuff would show up at the weekend at some car boot sale or sunday market.


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## Johnboy45 (25 Feb 2010)

we get overnight deliveries too - and they try car door handles on their way up the driveway. I'd often woken up thinking had heard strange noise until one night I actually saw them in action. trying all the cars on the street on their leaflet rounds. I've now got sensors on the outdoor lights so place is all lit up to "welcome" the overnight visitors.  I find these work better than lights left on all night as the kinda shock you when they turn on.


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## sinbadsailor (25 Feb 2010)

We've had those clothes collection stickers come through in the middle of the night a couple of times, once it set the alarm off down stairs and woke the whole house, the wife and children were scared out of their minds, till we discovered what had tripped it (by discovered I mean, build up the bottle to go downstairs at 4am  )


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