There was a knock on the door the other night. It was some young bloke, of about 12, who told me that he had called round to reduce my gas bills. I interrupted his spiel to ask which company he represented and to tell him that I already had a gas supplier and as far as I was concerned one set of 'licensed bandits' was much the same as any other. He then asked which supplier I was with - I told him to mind his own business.

He then told me that the company that he represented was much cheaper than any other and offered to sign me up, there and then, on the doorstep. I told him that if I felt the need to change gas suppliers I would research the matter on the Internet and would make the change in my own good time. Eventually he left.

I suppose what really annoyed me about this exchange was the slippery, slimy sales pitch which implied that his visit was somehow officially sanctioned and that it was imperative that I sign up immediately. All he succeeded in doing was increasing my contempt for 'modern', privatised utilities companies.