Stop wasting my time calling the cops on me

[Mr. Security]

I understand your just doing your job and it's annoying for someone to call the cops on you but unfortunately we live in a paranoid world where door to door salesman scams are common now. so common that there really isn't many company's that do it anymore. I'm being honest if some person came to my door around 8pm asking me to buy something I would be very suspicious as that's quite late to be selling something I think I would most likely call Police non-emergency and giving them the heads up

Also you said you do this in the dark, I find that to be quite dangerous and I'm surprised your boss would allow or even can allow you to do that. Do you have a partner with you because if you don't then that's is a major heath and safety issue and you should really bring that up to your company because I have the feeling that your company can't make you sell products if it's dark out and it might even violate some rules

[Canarr]

These stories are scary. Not too long ago, on a summer day, two college guys came through the neighborhood trying to sell magazines so they could go to on spring break....now that I think about it, it wasn't just stupid college kids after money, they just wanted to scam the hell out of people!

How do you know?

[Darkforge]

Around here they are paranoid as all hell about any door to door salesmen as ever since they made it so that you could do the same kind of sales over the phone.

well lets just say you can speak to more people over the phone in half an hour than the number of doors you can knock on, and you don't have to factor in transport costs whilst being able to sel to anywhere in the country (not to mention that if all your sales staff are in one room its a lot easier to keep an eye on them)

[wildman]

This is why we have a " No Soliciting! " sign on our door. Haven't had a problem since we put it up.

[EricKei]

I am tempted to chase down the people from the payday loan stores who keep coming around these buildings and putting advertisements on our doorknobs and to beat them senseless with all of their doorknob hangers.

You'd love the little slice of suburbia not too far from me, then -- door-hangers and windshield ads are explicitly forbidden within their municipal limits, and the cops really do enforce it, heavy fines and all; after all, it's really easy to track down the place doing the advertising ^_^ Most places dumb enough to try it once don't try it a second time.

Also you said you do this in the dark, I find that to be quite dangerous and I'm surprised your boss would allow or even can allow you to do that.

It's worse than that -- If I read the OP correctly, the boss *required* them to work those hours.

[LillFilly]

I had forgotten about it being used as a scam or to case a house for a break-in. Had a guy knocking on our door the other week at about 7PM, something about a home survey. He seemed all right, but then you never know. I think I'll put up a no soliciting sign; will save me a lot of hassle!

[sylvier]

Sounds like another Stella award nominee.

[AccountingDrone]

Put me down as another person who will not let random people into the house during the day, and I typically wont answer the door after dark unless I am expecting you and I recognize your vehicle driving into my driveway. I have the usual no soliciting no trespassing signs up. All my friends know to call ahead.

I know it sounds strange, but I live on a dead mans curve, and I don't even bother looking out, I hear the usual squeel crunch of someone jumping the curve, I just call 911. Usually happens 3 or 4 times during the course of the year. The really bad one happened a few years after we moved in - 2 cars, each driving a bit close to the center line head on-ed each other =(

[scroob]

I don't have to be let in the house, just turn me down on the stoop and let me walk. Don't then call the police and say that I was there asking questions. I am not a criminal I am just a salesman.
And as a sidebar, I went to a house yesterday with a "no soliciting" sign, did my pitch and sold them anyways!
I realize they may be just doing their jobs, but asking me "do you have any arrest warrants" and running my license is totally not necessary, and nobody will convince me otherwise.

[ShadowBall]

My mother is incredibly paranoid when someone comes to her house and I have no idea why. She won't answer the door, even when her car is in plain sight, and it doesn't help when people who drive along her road use her driveway to turn around in when they realize that, oops, they missed their turn.

And Mom did once chase off a Jehovah's Witness with a gun. But I think she was justified since she has bright orange "Posted: Private Property" signs right at the edge of the driveway and the person was trespassing the second they set food in the yard.

On one hand, I want to say you don't know who you can trust. On the other, I want to say don't run to the door with a fucking shotgun because you think every knock is from a serial killer looking for a fresh victim.

[NorthernZel]

I'm happy knowing that door-to-door soliciting is 100% illegal over here. Only organizations who have a permit from the police to do charity collections (such as, say, Red Cross - and they have to announce their collection day approx. 1 year in advance) are allowed to ring on people's door, and they have to show ID.

Jehova's Witnesses used to go soliciting as well, but I think that even they have dropped it now, it's been a while since the last time they came by. Now they just stand by the stations during rush hours, trying to hand out their Watchtower pamphlets.

[ADoyle90815]

I'm also another person who doesn't answer the door if I'm not expecting anyone or waiting for a package. One scam I've heard other than those magazine subscription types is someone claiming a family member was in an accident and they didn't have any health insurance. I'm still thinking of getting a No Soliciting sign because I had to close the door and lock the deadbolt after telling another salesperson that I wasn't interested. My dogs were going crazy as well.

As far as the magazine sales people go, I got one creepy guy banned from the Target entrance, after I complained to the store security. It wasn't just that this person was trying to sell magazine subscriptions, but I got that feeling that women shouldn't ignore.

[Zippity Doo]

Being a door to door salesman is a shitty gig and I'm sure having the cops called on you only makes it worse. But I can't blame anyone for getting nervous about seeing some stranger wandering around the neighborhood after dark knocking on doors. I didn't even know door to door slaesmen still existed. Seems like using the phone or internet would be more effective for legit businesses and scammers alike.

[scroob]

door-to-door sales is not soliciting. there is a difference.

[Dave1982]

Alright, the "salemen are strangers; you can't blame people for being nervous about strangers" point has been made. Let's move on, shall we? This is a variation of "failing to see the suck."

Also, I don't want to see any more posts made "at the risk of going into Fratching."