A salesman was sacked after a doorbell camera caught him talking on his phone about targeting a widow.
The door-to-door seller was caught saying that the 71-year-old woman had a 'few quid' and that he just needed to 'get in her f***ing house' to make a sale, Hull Live reports. The camera heard him say: "Her husband died about six months ago and she’s got a few quid".
After the video was posted on Facebook, the sons of the widow - who lives on the Orchard Park estate in Hull - contacted Safestyle, who the man was working for in a self-employed capacity. They described his behaviour as 'disgusting' and said his contract had been terminated with immediate effect.
READ MORE: Mum's anger as Pontins refuse refund after 'disgusting' stay in 'smelly' room
In the doorbell footage, which has now been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on TikTok, the man can be heard talking into his phone, saying: "I put one through for tomorrow as [woman’s last name] for a door, for 12 o’clock. She’s eh… I talked to her before when I was at [another firm].
"I was just round there so I knocked on her… She’s like one of them, she’s a bit iffy, it’s just one of them. I mean she’s alright, if we get in she will buy it ‘cause her husband died about six months ago and she’s got a few quid. It’s just a matter of getting in her f***ing house, like, do you know what I mean?"
The widow's son, Daniel, said he was horrified on learning his 71-year-old mother had been targeted in this way after losing her husband last December. He told Hull Live: "The conversation took place over the phone, not in person as mentioned on the video. The telephone number had been stored from his previous workplace.
"He requested an appointment about looking at a new door, which was discussed previously at his old workplace. He’s also visited the house a few times to drop leaflets relating to estimates and prices for doors for future reference.
"He expressed the quote didn’t need to be signed for immediately and would be valid for several months." After the phone call, another member of staff reached out to his mum to confirm an appointment for 12pm the following day, he added. "My mum didn’t acknowledge in the moment anything was wrong until the video surfaced."
When Daniel saw the doorbell video on social media, he said he felt "horrified". He continued: "At first I wasn’t aware a sales rep was visiting the house. I called my mum to ask and she confirmed an appointment had been booked."
Daniel added: "I shared the video with her. I’m a well-composed person so didn’t let this get the better of me in the moment. I visited the office in town after the telephone conversation with my mum, to immediately bring it to the attention of the team.
"The effects of this conversation in the video can be felt by many in the local area and even further as it surfaces across various social media platforms. Despite labelling himself as a manager I’ve had his chief communications officer personally on the phone, who has expressed he is no way a manager at the company."
Angry viewers on Facebook and TikTok said they would leave bad reviews on Safestyle's Google page and Trustpilot account in solidarity with the woman involved. However, the company said it had cancelled the sales rep's contract and reported him to Humberside Police.
Gary Pickering, Chief Commercial Officer for Safestyle, said: "We became aware of this incident late on Thursday August 11. The individual is not an employee or manager at Safestyle as he stated, he was a self-employed contractor.
"The behaviour shown is disgusting and his self-employed contract was immediately terminated. Following his termination we reported this incident to Humberside Police and hope they will be able take appropriate action. We have contacted the family and updated them on the actions we have taken."
A spokesperson for Humberside Police said: "We received a call [on Friday August 12] by a member of public reporting concerns following alleged comments made on CCTV footage. Enquiries have been made into the report and at this time no offences have been identified. We would always encourage people to report any concerns or suspicious behaviour so that we can carry out a thorough investigation and take action where appropriate."
Now, Daniel wants others to be aware of what he described as "old-school" sales tactics. He added: "It’s important to me and many others around me that vulnerabilities in our lives are given support, not exploited for a weakness.
"As an accredited mental health first aider, these old-school sales tactics are abusive and damaging. They have no place in our modern society.
"These types of situations don’t help those who do an honest sales job and for that it can also be damaging. I certainly don’t want this happening to any other person.
"My advice to anyone having anyone visit the house always check their ID badge, which is a legal requirement and something also not displayed in the video. Always speak to other people - family or friends - about potential sales meetings and always have someone with you if you think you may be taken advantage of in these situations.
"My mum has a good support network and family around her. Not everyone has that and my heart goes out to those who have been affected by these tactics."
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
- A forgotten child in the Greater Manchester flats that are full of fear
- Lorry driver, 35, killed mum-of-four trapped in broken down car on the M60
- Manchester's 'amazing' secret tunnels and bunkers that are 'like a ghost town'
- Stacey Giggs makes cryptic dig as she holidays with her children
- The brave baby girl with a mechanical heart still fighting to survive after 300 days in hospital
