I don’t even let them get started. As soon as I see the clipboard and the “badge”, I close the door. They’re like cockroaches…there are a million of them!
In what state by the way? In criminal law in that state? Good for you (in that state).
I’d noticed you kept moving the goal posts back into “trespassing” when you knew that wasn’t what I was trying to post about at all, but I just figured you were confused.
And you deliberately re- mis-stated the core of my post in your “interpretation” of what I posted for your “trespass” set up. Huh.
Given that what you state isn’t even remotely close to what I have actually seen in he- said-he-said disputes when police arrive, I’ll leave you to your statements and your hijack.
Just don’t ask me to believe them.
The thread can get back to electricity scammers now.
They’re at it again. twice in the last couple of weeks. It’s especially bad for me because I telecommute so I’m home when they come. When the most recent [del]gentleman[/del] pushy bastard woke me up on a Saturday morning (I was sleeping in) so I was not in a good mood. I saw him standing there with his clipboard and I angrily asked him if this was about electricity. His reply? “I’m with the light company”. WTF is the light company? What is this, 1915?
He then went into a spiel about people complaining about overcharges and I may have been overcharged. I told him that this was private property and I wanted him to leave. That should have been sufficient but instead of leaving he waved some paper at me and said, “I have a permit”. I asked him again to leave and he again said “I have a permit”. At that point I threatened to call the police. That got through to him and he left.
I wish now that I had asked him specifically what company he worked for so that I could file a complaint with the PUC, but he probably would have lied or evaded the question.
I just contacted my local councilwoman about this. My town tried to stop these people and got a lawsuit in response. All she could suggest was a no soliciting sign. I’ll give that a try.
But it’s not just about me. I’m concerned about the elderly residents who are the real target of this nonsense. These people are insistent and persuasive.
Am I old enough?
I’m 66. Male. I got an attractive young woman with a simply wonderful smile wanting to see my GAS bill.
She even offered to wait until I could look up my bill online.
And, bless her heart, she kept that smile all the time when I told her I’d check it out online, and closed the door.
If someone is so mentally deficient as to be conned by these sleazebags, they should maybe have a conservator appointed.
And yes, she was after the account number - if she had gotten it, I’d give it 60/40 that my signature would be forged.
Jesus, you showed INTEREST? Now you’ll NEVER get rid of them! Don’t do that.
A guy I knew from AA got a job doing that, his first after sobering up. He claimed to do well at it and that it was a real service. He was a bit sleazy, but not that bad (more enthusiastic than sleazy), and I was glad when he found someplace to live besides his van. Got a lot of exercise climbing stairs in the projects on the South Side of Chicago. I guess the Old Dears liked getting visits from him.
I ask them for a printed brochure. They NEVER have one. So tell them to send me one. They NEVER do. And that’s the last I hear of them. It’s worked for me.
As for the suggestion to call the police – Save your electrons for something else. The police either don’t give a shit, or else it’s waaaaaaaaay far down on their priority list. It just doesn’t concern them.
I wouldn’t actually call the police, that was just a threat to get him to leave because he was so insistent. I should probably just have shut and locked the door but he woke me up and I was not in a good mood about it.
I do feel a bit bad for these people. It’s probably true that for many of them this is a last resort at employment. I told one guy that it was nothing personal against him, I was just sick of being bothered by these companies. I don’t think I’d mind as much if their approach wasn’t so dishonest.
I’m hoping that the no soliciting sign works. I don’t like it because I don’t want to discourage neighborhood kids selling candy bars for school or whatever but I’m sick of the harassment.
It depends where you live (& davidm is near where I used to live, two towns over if I remember correctly). I have called the PD in the past; where I was, they showed up before the guy got another 10 houses down the street.
Last time I looked (which was admittedly quite some time ago), most door-to-door salesbeings read “No Soliciting” as “Sucker Inside.” That said, I hope it does work for you.
Are doormats reading:
If You Weren’t Invited
You Are Not Welcome
still available?
I knew I should have bought a lifetime’s supply when I saw them.
How about just not answering the door?
I can’t remember the last time I opened the door when I wasn’t expecting someone or a package where it WASN’T a salesman.
They occasionally slip through if I am expecting a knock, but it cuts down the stress considerably.
Last time this happened to me was earlier this year, when some guy from a chemical lawn company came calling (don’t remember the name of the company, but it was a real company, like “Scott’s” or “ChemLawn”. Anyway, the guy was here for over 30 minutes, and wouldn’t take “no” for an answer…
He called about an hour later, begging me to sign. He told me he just wanted to show his bosses he made “one sale today”. And, he told me, “you have 3 days to cancel, just please sign up!”
The guy was older than me, so it was kind of sad. I told him I appreciate that he is working, but I wasn’t signing up for a service just to cancel it the next day. I cannot imagine actually trying to make a living like that. He wasn’t some kid or college student. The guy was in his 40’s easy… Maybe even around 50.
Was his name Gil Gunderson?
We do a solid business in “GO AWAY” door mats in the stores I work with.
-DF
You are far more polite than I am. I mention to them they are trespassing and my barking dog wants to escort them off my property.
I used to have one that just said “Go Away”.
Correcting inaccurate information is not a “hijack.”
My apartment has a LOUD buzzer that can’t be ignored and these fools are insistent.
I just now had another one from the same company. I tried ignoring it but he kept buzzing and buzzing. When someone is ringing that insistently it’s hard to not think that maybe it really is something important.
When I saw the guy standing there with the same clipboard as the previous guy I opened the door (at which point he went into his non-stop rapid fire spiel) and pointed out the very obvious “No Soliciting” sign to him. He replied that he wasn’t soliciting, that he was from the light company and that I had failed to respond to a notice, at which point I swore, slammed the door and went back inside.
What I need to do is keep my head long enough to ask to see his permit so I can file a complaint with his employer.
Mind you, I don’t know whether you’ve considered the advantages of owning a fine set of electricity.