Solicitors and dealing with them

[TAT2D]

I actually have bi-monthly arguments with the Oregonian for leaving the free sample newspapers in my driveway.

Back in the day, one idea was that you could charge storage for that sort of thing left on your premises. Try invoicing them some nominal fee and see what happens.

MrB

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I actually have bi-monthly arguments with the Oregonian for leaving the free sample newspapers in my driveway. All that happens is they get wet and mushed up by my cars going over them. Since I'm on a no soliciting kick, can I report them for littering or something too? It really gets on my nerves that my driveway looks like a landfill.

I guess I'm just a private person at home, I simply don't want anyone near my house that wasn't invited, period, and annoying me in my private space to sell whatever the **** it is they are selling is getting on my last nerve.

All unwanted mail and solicitations/newspapers go into my firestarter barrel.. it's 60 gallons and bulging at the seams for next year, already. I guess I'll have to start a second barrel

 

[Blitzkrieg]

If you don't have a baby in your house try a sign over your doorbell saying "Baby sleeping, please knock quietly". If you hear quiet knocking, ignore it. I assume that your friends will ring anyway. If you hear the doorbell, go answer. If it is a friend, invite them in. If it is a salesman, you get to tell them to "get bent", "can't you read", or "go away, I have to take care of the baby you just woke up". Either way, it seems like a good way to get a laugh out of these annoying nitwits.

I have the following on my door

No Soliciting and this means you!

If they knock anyway, I quietly open the upstairs window (it's a split level home) and in a booming voice I say.. "can't you read?"

Many of them give a little visible jump.. I think they assume at first that it's God confronting them, because they can't see me through the flame thorn bushes

 

[elsullo]

I had a country buddy who was constantly awakened early to his hangover by the Witnesses on Saturday mornings. They routinely drove through his long driveway gate with the big, "no tresspassing" and "no soliciting" signs. They always left literature even though he made it clear that he was NOT interested. One time they left him with a hard-bound book about their church doctrines (NOT a Bible.) He later shot the center out of it with rifle practice, and nailed it to his gate. They never drove up his road again!..........................elsullo

 

[Trlsmn]

Answer the door with an AK47, a wide eyed look, and a big grin, yelling "Here's Johnny", then ask them to come in!

 

[aflineman]

Just post a sign:
"By knocking on this door, you consent to a probing."

 

[Keane]

Ha! Your story made me laugh. I had a similar experience.

When the wife and I were living in a suburb of Kansas City, we had a Jehovah's Witness church nearby that would frequently send folks out to "spread the word". Nice folks, but an unwanted intrusion.

I had been rabbit hunting one fine fall Saturday morning and had been successful and was in my garage with the door open when I heard footsteps coming up the driveway.

I had just finished gutting and skinning 2 rabbits and was getting ready to clean my shotgun when I heard "Good afternoon Sir.". I had the shotgun in my hands and blood on my hands and forearms and turned to address the person and his face turned white and he said "It seems like I've come at a bad time." and beat a hasty retreat off of my property. I laughed for quite some time!

In a similar vein: When i first moved into my apartment, we would get Jehovah's Witness people all the time, just about every saturday morning. I would be sleeping, so I'd ignore the knocks, but find their watchtower pamphlet in my front door.

Anyway, one Saturday I decide to go out shooting, so I pack just about every bit of firearm stuff on my body all at once (because I'm lazy). I look exactly like a 130 lb rambo... M1 Garand on my shoulder, 1911 and CZ on my hip, 4 bandoleers full of ammo around me, a case of ammo, etc. I was a headband away from being able to take down the greater North Vietnam area.

So, as I am turning my doorknob, I hear a knock on the door. Still in the process of opening the door to walk out, I see a well-dressed couple. I open my mouth to talk just in time to see these two drop what they have in their hands, and run like someone just lit them on fire.

I realize what had happened, so I give up on the trip to the car, and close the door. I look out my window, and see these two hiding behind one of my neighbor's cars, peaking out at me. They obviously want the stack of these Watchtower magazines back!

After about 20 minutes of peaking out and seeing them hiding behind the car like they were dodging automatic weapons fire, I give up and decide to go shooting anyway.

On my way out the door I pick up the Watchtower magazines, and go to my car (which puts me out of their field of vision) and put away the rifle/bandoleer and stuff, and go to bring them their magazines (still with both handguns on my hip ).

As I get within about 5 feet, I say "hello". They both notice me at the same time and turn pasty white! I reach out to hand them the magazines, and they both run again! In his haste to get away, the man takes the woman by the shoulders and shoves her to the ground!

So, he has run away out of sight, and she is on the ground whimpering. I walk over to her sure that she's about to piss herself, get on a knee, and say, "you forgot these" and hand her the magazines. She stutters out 'thank you', and I walked back to my car and went to go shooting.

My building has not had these visitors since. I see them at the other buildings, but for some reason they avoid mine

 

[Starship]

MarkSBG, the baby notice has worked very well for my wife for quite a while. She puts it up during the day if she's home alone.

If I'm home it's even easier, I just "don't answer the door!." I don't care if they can hear the TV, I don't care if they saw me in my chair through the window as they came up the walk, etc etc. I just let them stand there and don't answer. they can waste their time standing there but I'm not going to waste mine talking to them.

 

[Cougfan2]

I used to have fun with the credit card companies when they were calling trying to get you signed up on their card. They'd make their pitch and I'd say "Really? I can get a credit card from you? Heck, I haven't been able to get credit from ANYONE since the bankruptcy.". CLICK (from their end)

 

[Member 5605]

How about a nice sign saying something like this:

"By knocking or ringing the doorbell you acknowledge a $100 hour fee for my personal off work time. 1 Hour minimum. Can you afford me?"

 

[Stomper]

LOL... a couple years ago this 20-something guy that I never saw before knocked on my door, so I stuck my pistol in the back of my waistband and opened the door not knowing what he wanted. Well he was selling magazine subscriptions, so I looked through the list of what he was offereing... it was all crap, and I told him he didn't have any subject matter that interested me. He asked me what I WAS interested in, so I pulled out the pistol from behind my back (not menacingly mind you) and said, "guns". He turned three shades of pale, thanked me for my time and left... nowadays my mean-arsed lab keeps EVERYONE he doesn't know out of the yard.

Another thing I HATE is telephone solicitors... charities are exempted from the national do not call rules... I have learned that a blank caller ID when ringing is a charity solicitation. On the few times they catch me on the phone, I always say, "SURE I'll pledge $150" send me the remittance form and I'll send it in"... it arrives, then I toss it into the burn barrel.

 

[Ballistic]

If a charity calls, ask them to remove you from their calling list. They will do it and you'll not hear from them again.

After giving some money to Special Olympics, they started calling me every month for the rest of my life (apparently). Asked to be removed and i haven't heard from them since.

 

[Member 5605]

Honesty is the best policy.

 

[Stomper]

Why yes, yes it is.

 

[clearconscience]

I regrettable used to be a door to door salesman.....I will never do sales again.

It's pretty unbelievable the things people will do. A couple of the people I used to work for would (if they could) tear off the "no soliciting" sign and say "oh I didn't see any sign". people would threaten to beat you up, kill you, you name it. Others invite you in their house like your their friend. It was crazy. But you have to be harsh with them, and if they really look like dirtbags watch them. Make sure they don't do anything to your yard, car, etc.
When I saw those signs I would stay clear. It wasn't worth it.

Or you could answer the door with a 12 gauge. That's a good sign.

 

[Cougfan2]

I regrettable used to be a door to door salesman.....I will never do sales again.

It's pretty unbelievable the things people will do. A couple of the people I used to work for would (if they could) tear off the "no soliciting" sign and say "oh I didn't see any sign". people would threaten to beat you up, kill you, you name it. Others invite you in their house like your their friend. It was crazy. But you have to be harsh with them, and if they really look like dirtbags watch them. Make sure they don't do anything to your yard, car, etc.
When I saw those signs I would stay clear. It wasn't worth it.

Or you could answer the door with a 12 gauge. That's a good sign.

I need to comment here. I have been in professional sales for 30+ years and you can't lump all sales people into the same basket. Not saying anyone is doing it on this thread, but I would never do door to door sales either. The only people I contact are people who have asked my company for information about our products or have actively solicited a quote.

It's a little weird, but my company doesn't even want me making cold calls. I have NEVER worked for a sales oriented company with that policy, but I have come to love it!

If I contact you we can either talk about your needs or you can tell me to pound sand (hopefully politely). If you're not interested in talking to me, I'm not interested in wasting either of our time. BTW, I do all of my business on the phone, but I am not what you would call a telemarketer.

 

[clearconscience]

I'm sorry I wasn't in anyway saying all salesmen/women are "dirtbags" because they certainly are not.
I even worked with some guys in the door to door I wish I knew now because I would hire them in a second.
I've worked closely with sales in my current job and I've seen early 20s kids making 80k a year and end up throwing it away riding the white horse or just spending money like it was going out of style. They also treat people like they could buy them. But there were others that deeply cared about people and wanted to help them and sold becuase they knew they could change people's lives.

There's maybe 20 percent of sales people that are dirtbags, others just like everyone else. Trying to pay bills.

 

[Cougfan2]

I'm sorry I wasn't in anyway saying all salesmen/women are "dirtbags" because they certainly are not.
I even worked with some guys in the door to door I wish I knew now because I would hire them in a second.
I've worked closely with sales in my current job and I've seen early 20s kids making 80k a year and end up throwing it away riding the white horse or just spending money like it was going out of style. They also treat people like they could buy them. But there were others that deeply cared about people and wanted to help them and sold becuase they knew they could change people's lives.

There's maybe 20 percent of sales people that are dirtbags, others just like everyone else. Trying to pay bills.

No offense taken, clearconscience, I wasn't calling you out personally, just posting for the general benefit. Sales is no different than any other profession, you've got great folks, the average Joe's, and total dirtbags. I just have a real problem with people damaging my property to leave their flyer.

As far as throwing their salary away on the "white horse", I used to work in the music industry and have watched a couple of guys put an entire business up their nose if you know what I mean.

 

[clearconscience]

I had a manager that made 140k a year was only 28 years old, had 3 houses, 2 cars, a malibu race boat, all gone. Houses taken, cars repo'd, boat repo'd, and can't hold a minimum wage job.

Pretty sad really.

 

[greydog111]

I worked as a teenager for Watkins products selling door to door. It sucked big time!! One lady, after handing her free samples, threw them in my face and slammed the door. The samples were food condiments such as mustard, and spices. I was so mad that I stomped them into her front porch. What a mess.
My Rottie, Libby, now helps me repel boarders with a hearty bark and her large square face in the door crack. She is really a sweetie, but the "magazine sales guys start to shake and take huge steps back when they see her. One asked me if she would "eat me?". I said, "only if you smeared some Jack Daniels bbq sauce on your leg." He promply left. Greydog.