I don’t know who it was on here who said it but thank you! 
The line “I rent” works [B]great[/B]! In the past 2 weeks I have had 4 different companies trying to sell me new windows, siding etc. 3 came to the door 1 called. In the past they seen sucker written all my face and wouldn’t take no for answer. Now they say thanks for your time and leave! So whoever you are thank you,thank you, thank you!
Getting rid of door to door salesmen
That IS a good idea! :figureditout:
I once told a security system salesman who rang our bell that I was the cleaning lady. :roflhard:
For the most part I have a window I can look out of to see who it is. If I don’t know you, you don’t see me.
Hahaha! :roflhard:
Even though I do actually rent my townhouse, that is a great idea! Now if only there were a similar excuse for telemarketers! (I don’t get them at home because I only use my cell, but they are annoying at work.)
When they call at my home, I just tell them that I don’t take these kind of calls. Hey, it’s me paying the phone bill.
Please be careful about going to the door, if it is a stranger. I wouldn’t answer the door at all. That’s just me. What if they forced their way into your home?
[B]Scenario 1)[/B] IF you get caught on the tellie by answering…just say no, and quietly put the receiver down in the cradle…aka HANG UP nicely.
I have an answering system that gets all my calls, and telephone solicitors usually have auto-dialers that know when a machine has picked up…and the auto-dialer hangs up the call without leaving a message.
[B] Scenario 2)[/B] If solicitors come to the door, [U]don’t open the door[/U]. Just say NO THANKS through the door [U]and walk away[/U]. [COLOR=Blue](see note below)[/COLOR]
[B] Scenario 3)[/B] If you get caught outside in the yard… [U]say nothing[/U], walk back into the house and close the door quietly and firmly. They don’t know what you’re thinking or doing…and so will have no ‘come back’. Don’t tip your hand by talking. They might think you’re going inside to get water to toss on them, or to call the cops. Say nothing! (hard to do!) Just let them come to their own conclusions.
[COLOR=Blue][B]NOTE:[/B][/COLOR] in my city, it’s best to let someone on the other side of the door know that [U]someone is home[/U]. In my city, would-be burglars sometimes knock first, and upon getting no answer…finish what they came for: to break in and rob your house.
Also, in my city, it’s best not to open the door to ‘solicitors’. They might not be solicitors at all. They could be ‘home invasion’ criminals…and home invasion usually occurs because the householder opened the door first. Then they crash on through.
Wow, it’s been really interesting reading all the posts on this thread. I’ve never had someone come to my door to solicit anything, but if someone decides to do so I’ll know what to do. 
As for telemarketers have you all signed up for the National Do Not Call Registry? Since I’ve listed my number with the registry I never get marketing calls.
Oh, this is such a pet peeve to me!
If there’s someone at the door, they usually take one look at two of my dogs…the ones that have the fiercest barks…and they start to back away. :teehee:
Phone solicitation drives me BATTY! I always ask to be taken off of the call list, since I’m supposed to be on the DO NOT CALL registry anyhow, and they are obligated by law to adhere to your request.
When I had caller ID, I just didn’t answer the phone. Of course, I missed my mom’s phone calls too since she used a calling card, but maybe that was for the best. 
I just put a sign up on my front door that reads, “NO Soliciting! I don’t give a crap about what you’re selling, advertising, or promoting! I do, however, want Girl Scout Cookies.”
Works GREAT! :teehee:
Omigoddess I love this!!!:roflhard::roflhard::roflhard::roflhard:
:roflhard::roflhard::roflhard:
I was going to say. . .two big dogs that bark and greet people at the door with me, problem solved!
If solicitors come to the door, [U]don’t open the door[/U]. Just say NO THANKS through the door [U]and walk away[/U].
We’ve had a No Soliciting sign on our door for years, and we still get people knocking on our door! I hate opening the door to anyone I don’t know (even though my neighborhood is pretty safe), so what I do now is peek out the window in our door and if I don’t recognize the person I call out “NO, THANK YOU!” and then wait for them to leave. They can’t see me through the curtain, and it works every time!
I have an answering system that gets all my calls, and telephone solicitors usually have auto-dialers that know when a machine has picked up…and the auto-dialer hangs up the call without leaving a message.
I actually didn’t know this, so thanks!
I figured out awhile ago, however, that if you pick up the receiver and say hello and there’s a 1- to 2-second pause before anyone speaks, chances are it’s an auto dialer. I hang up immediately, before the telemarketer has a chance to start talking. We kept doing this and they couldn’t get through to us; now we rarely get these types of calls (and we’re NOT on the Do Not Call list because I’m too lazy to deal with it).
Lately we’ve been getting automated phone messages that tell us our vehicle warranty is about to expire and we need to call and take care of it. After a few of these I finally picked up the receiver and pressed “2” or whatever number they said would stop the calls. Didn’t work – now they’re phoning to tell us that this is our second or third notice and the situation is urgent.
Guess what? All of our cars are 30-40 years old and haven’t been under warranty in decades! :nails:
Here’s what I heard about the DO NOT CALL registry: if the solicitor is somehow affiliated with a vendor that you do business with, they have the right to contact you. They view you as an established customer. For example: if you have a CHASE bank card…someone who is selling credit card protection can call you about it.
Same here ! I kept getting them on my cell phone. I pressed every number option they offered. I told them this is a cell phone you are wasting my minutes. I tried blocking the calls but they kept coming from different numbers so that didn’t work. After about 10 of these calls saying the same thing finally I spoke to someone who apparently understood and I stopped getting them. They always cracked me up since my car is 15 years old that warranty expired a long time ago.
CA’s privacy laws are fairly comprehensive, and requires most everyone to disclose privacy notices and give opt-out choices. This is probably why I never get telemarketing calls after I registered with the Do Not Call Registry.
Whenever I sign up for an account with a bank or credit card one of the first things i get is a form that says if I don’t want my information to be shared with it’s affiliates, fill it out and send it in. Every time I get one, I send it in. I’m all about taking a few minutes to stop unwanted telephone solicitations, junk mail and reducing waste.
If you live in CA and want to know the general privacy laws, the website for the California Office of Information Security & Privacy Protection is very helpful.
Thanks, Artlady. Good point about letting someone know that you are at home. Hubby says to get the sawed off pump shotgun and work the action. He said if someone hears a woman working the action, they will run. I did run and get it one night and then realized it was my next door neighbor. I had to hide it behind my back, but I think he did see it.:roflhard:
With Telemarketers, i give the phone to one of my kids… ha ha ha :roflhard: it’s their on their dime. I have heard them saying give the phone to your mommy and they say, “but I want to talk to you” and what’s even funnier is when I give it to Jeremiah… he’s 1, so he makes noises at them and pushes buttons… most stop calling after just a few times at most. And we recently got on a really bad one’s list that they we calling like 5 times a day! :noway: And I read about people that were getting these calls for MONTHS! It makes me laugh just thinking about them on the other side…
We seem to have good luck getting rid of telemarketers. My bf handles the calls. He is very nice, listens to their spiel, tells them he knows that they are just doing their job but he isn’t interested and won’t be so nice if anyone ever calls back again. They thank him, tell him that his honestly was appreciated, and hang up. no calls ever again. its beautiful! On time we did have a door to door magazine seller that threatened to send all of his buddy sellers to our house until we bought something. My bf pulled out his katana that hung just inside the door and asked him just how many friends he had and if he thought the police could get here “in time” ROFLMAO it was great! This guys face turned white, he apologized, and backed down the steps! we never saw him again!
Yeah, WTH is with that? We’re on the “Do Not Call” thing at home, but now where I work is getting inundated with calls like that!!! Really annoying, especially considering we rely on customers being able to get through on phone lines. And, 9 times out of 10, you pick up the phone, say “Hello” TWICE, and still no one comes on the line!!! Boo, hiss to those computer calls!!!