quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee:
Pro tip here - No Soliciting signs are a magnet, not a repellant, to real sales pros. To them those signs mean you can't say no to a salesman, so you try to head them off at the pass with a sign.

I run in-home appointments for final expense life insurance. I do not cold call at all. I run appointments by calling leads these folks mail in, asking for contact. However, I do go to the wrong address once in a while, or the person moved and forgot to tell me on the phone about the new address, or I can't read the number on the lead, etc. My biggest customer, just a cash cow to me, was a door knock of a wrong address from a lead where I couldn't read the phone number. Plenty of signs like "I have a backhoe and firearms" and "Don't even think of ringing this doorbell, just don't." I knock on the door, they invite me in, ask me what took me so long to contact them, offer me food, then buy insurance, then refer their friends to me, then send me Xmas cards.

Sorry, those signs are at best invisible, and, at worst, an invitation to the pros. I only have an ADT sign in front of the house and just do not ever answer the door for unexpected strangers.

That’s a bunch of bullshit and you are generalizing everyone. I can say no and hell no to a salesman all day long and my no soliciting sign means just that, no soliciting. The sign is far from invisible because largely it works and is effective. There is just always that one ass hole or “pro” who thinks they know better. I’ve had some fun cussing out mother fuckers in person or via my ring doorbell on the speaker. “Get the fuck off my property sales dickhead” type stuff. Other times, OWB, easily visible, I crack the door and ask them to get off my property or it’s gunpoint or the PD, choose. The ring is great because I’ve cussed at someone and I wasn’t even at home. Got to love some technology.

But you’re dead wrong because the sign mostly works. I have 2 different cameras on the front door and cannot count the sales fucks who’ve made it to the door, see the sign, then vacate prior to a knock or ring. So it’s I’d say 90% effective. Just have the one ass clown now who has come by 3 times with his “Solar panel cleaning business”. A bit alarming because the door card people hit every house on the street. This fucker drives his truck to the front of my house, parks it in front of my house, gets out like he is a visitor and has the balls to do the door card. A bit insulting because cleaning them is like 3 minutes with my garden hose and a sprayer nozzle. Little does he know I’ve already called the PD on him, given them his license plate number, etc and claimed harassment . Once, no foul. But it’s been 3 times now he’s tried. Next time will be fun. The PDW will be slung and he’s going to get escorted back to his truck in person as my patience is at its end. You cannot see my panels from the street so this fucker is casing. I don’t know maybe I’ll have the Benelli in my hand next time. I’m safe as kittens because my cameras will record the entire event if he lies about being swept, etc.

Funny to read. Your post reminds me of a woman saying NO. She says no she means it. It’s not a no because she wants you to keep going. NO means NO. It doesn’t mean yes. A no solicitation sign does not indicate you’re a sucker or you cannot refuse a salesman. That’s a bit like saying everyone who drives a full size truck is Bubba or that everyone that drives a BMW is an ass hole. Nah, just some bullshit someone came up with that they try to pass off as facts when it’s fiction.

You sound pretty angry and like you enjoy abusing these guys. Might want to take down the signs so you get more chances to yell at folks. The guy you're referring to couldn't care less about your signs or about your calling the cops on him. He's never going to get arrested or even cited for anything. He probably makes pretty good money too. He knows he has to knock on X number of doors to get in Y number of presentations. He knows getting Y number of presentations means he will make $$$. The man probably has ice in his veins and cheerfully moves onto the next one, knowing a buyer is just around the corner.

Perhaps wrapping the front entry way area with yellow crime scene tape, do not cross, might be entertiaining.
$7.99 purchase.

YELLOW CRIME SCENE, DO NOT CROSS

Or the same but reads POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS
POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS

quote:

Perhaps wrapping the front entry way area with yellow crime scene tape

Maybe add the chalk outline on the walkway.

I door knocked what looked like it had once been a nice house because the woman wrote "second request" on the card, but no phone number. LOL. Front porch had trash piled up and the front door was swinging open. The stench was overwhelming. I called her name a few times, no answer and I moved on. Two mos. later I was passing by that house again and there was a dumpster in the driveway and a hazmat crew wearing bunny suits and masks. I was sure they'd found her decomposed body in there. I walked up to one of the guys and asked if this was Linda's house. He said, "Yeah, she's here, she's coming out in a sec." Sure enough the woman came out with a cane and was happy to talk a bit. She wasn't a buyer because she said she had just sold the house and had a lot of cash now. LOL.

We have the advantage of living on fairly widely-spaced properties with the homes set 100 feet or better off the road.

That makes for a lot of walking with few returns. Thus, few bother.

I'm the last house on a dead end street. Sometimes I sit on the
front stoop reading a book. They are driving and see me, they turn
around and come to my house. I pick up my glock 19 and hold it in
my hand. I don't point it at them, just hold it. They usually go away.

quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee:
You sound pretty angry and like you enjoy abusing these guys. Might want to take down the signs so you get more chances to yell at folks. The guy you're referring to couldn't care less about your signs or about your calling the cops on him. He's never going to get arrested or even cited for anything. He probably makes pretty good money too. He knows he has to knock on X number of doors to get in Y number of presentations. He knows getting Y number of presentations means he will make $$$. The man probably has ice in his veins and cheerfully moves onto the next one, knowing a buyer is just around the corner.

Or, maybe he’s a dumbass who doesn’t know what “soliciting” means. I suspect that’s the case in my area.

God, I would love to tazer unwanted solicitors.

quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee:
You sound pretty angry and like you enjoy abusing these guys. Might want to take down the signs so you get more chances to yell at folks. The guy you're referring to couldn't care less about your signs or about your calling the cops on him. He's never going to get arrested or even cited for anything. He probably makes pretty good money too. He knows he has to knock on X number of doors to get in Y number of presentations. He knows getting Y number of presentations means he will make $$$. The man probably has ice in his veins and cheerfully moves onto the next one, knowing a buyer is just around the corner.

LMAO. The guy you are referring to is a huckster. You don’t have a clue about what you are talking about. This huckster leaves a flyer with printed information about my home. That’s personal at this point. A whole paragraph about how I could be losing 30% of my power production. How he uses a “reverse osmosis/deionizing water filter to insure spot free cleaning”. Then a computation on how many panels I have, what he charges per panel and it should be $875 but this week only, $280. LMAO. Then a picture of himself, wife, and child. Dude, it takes 3 minutes to clean them yourself with water out of a garden hose. Guy is a scam. If he was raking in the business he wouldn’t be coming by my house every week. It appears business isn’t that great in the scam he’s in and he is in total desperation mode. Oh he uses a water filter, give that man a cigar! I use one too when I clean my vehicles, and?

And angry? Not generally, but you are going to waste my time coming on to my property where I pay taxes and bother me? Oh yeah, that makes me angry, and many others with your bullshit solicitation, see the OP and this thread for reference. I work a lot of hours, and work extremely hard. So when I have free time, in my own home, I don’t want to be bothered. You ring my door bell with your solicitation you are interrupting me and my life IN MY OWN HOME where I pay a lot of money to have, especially in taxes. You’re delusional if you think that homeowners should be happy to have solicitors bother them in their residence. Nobody likes it. Nobody likes constant spam email to our email boxes. We don’t like all the junk mail in our mailboxes. I don’t like the shit people leave in my yard, on my door, or on my porch. None of it is going to work. Give it up.

And you’re wrong about this ass clown too. PD said if he comes again, call and they will pull his over and hassle him like he’s hassling me. Yeah he will not get cited, nor arrested, but he will be hassled. Sign works and keeps 90% at bay, not changing anything around here.

^^^
Yep.

I own my house 100%, pay for my internet, web hosting, email, bandwidth, phone service and such things.

I have zero interest in anyone that spams my email, pushes ads on my bandwidth, or comes on my property without explicit permission.

If I want a product or service, I will do my own soliciting for same.

I do not buy based on ads, spam, or someone knocking on my door.

Putting out a sign is not because I cannot say no, it is because I do not want anyone bothering me, wasting my time or telling me how wrong I am for not wanting what they are trying to sell me.

Real simple. Leave me be.

Solicitors (of goods, products, services, politics or religion) have no right to my door, none. Do not expect me to believe or behave otherwise should you come where you are unwelcome.

For those who have made the choice to make a living door to door, and/or phone soliciting, do not try and justify your choice with me, nor convince me that you have any standing or right to me, my time.

Read the sign.
Heed the sign.

Just sayin'. If it didn't work, they wouldn't do it. Again, I don't like it and I don't answer my door for anyone unexpected. But it does work.

A year ago a kid was walking up to my driveway as I was pulling in. He waited as I got out of my car, carrying my work stuff and sidearm (under my arm). He was a kid and I was sure he was selling some BS candy or magazine thing to fund a fake trip somewhere. Yup, it was a trip to Germany. I asked him if he knew anything about the Covid travel restrictions to the EU (knowing there was no such trip), and told him I was not int. As he wasn't a pro, he didn't know how to overcome objections and just backed out when I said I was closing the garage door. But again, the orgs that send those kids out to door knock know how many attempts it takes to make a sale.

Called the police on one. A 20 something came saying he was “Collecting for military families.” I saw no name badge, no handouts, no receipt book. Closing the door I started listing ACS, AER, Red Cross… all stuff that supports military families.
I called 911. After the basics was ask “Is he still there?” Looked, he was. Quickly got THREE patrol cars. Guess he was part of group working the neighborhood and the guys were looking to find him.

Retired about 6 years ago, sold the 5 bedroom house and purchased a "patio home" on a private cul-de-sac clearly posted "RESIDENTS AND INVITED GUESTS ONLY". Basically, anyone who walks or drives into the property without permission is committing Third Degree Criminal Trespassing under Colorado law. This is a "strict liability offense", meaning that anyone who "breaks the close" (enters a property) is presumed to be a trespasser and the only possible defense is proving prior invitation or permission has been granted, thus the burden of proof is largely upon the defendant.

Door-to-door salesmen, Girl Scout cookies, political activists, religious missionaries, all the same as far as the law is concerned.

I have explained that to a few salesmen and solicitors. Most leave by themselves, but a couple have left in the back seat of a patrol car. Being retired now, showing up for court proceedings is not the big inconvenience for me that it might be for some bozo with a bad attitude.

Other peoples' children. I accept no responsibility for how they were raised.

If you've not seen the movie Second Hand Lion, why not? This is a really good movie. Robert Duvall and Michael Caine are excellent.

Side tale that may be on topic.

2 days ago my wife drives home and tells me a house down the street is “spewing” water from the side of the house. No further details so I get on my bike and ride down there. Sure enough their pool filter has disintegrated along it’s seam and the pool pump is basically draining their pool all down the side yard of the two houses. I ride back home and try to contact the realtor (house is pending sale and empty) but really don’t get a good feeling that they will be timely so I decide to talk to next door neighbor thinking he might have contact info for owner or is ok with me traipsing over and shutting it down if I can figure out their system. This is Florida and I don’t want somebody practicing their Castle doctrine on me.

So I pedal back and walk up to the door with a beautiful No Soliciting sign in brass mounted to their door. I knock and then step back off their patio which is my normal way of trying to show no ill intent. This old man (older than me) opens the door. “Hello I’m your neighbor down the street and” I instantly get cutoff. What neighbor? “Down the street and the pool next”. Where? “On the corner”. What address? Well, I can’t seem to get past this and I’m quickly giving less of a shit that his side yard is completely swamped and getting worse by the minute. So I try one last time, go right to the details that matter. I tell him your side yard is getting flooded by the neighbors pool pump can you contact him?

This shuts him up and then the process becomes quite normal. No he can’t but he has the same system and we turn it off.

I swear the No Solicitor sign should have been a clue. He just wanted a fight and I don’t know why. Nice guy once he realized I didn’t want anything from him.

My nextdoor neighbor's hose bib blew when no one was home and I happened to be in the garage and heard the spewing water. Their house was also listed for sale and I didn't have the owner's phone number. I shut the water off and called the realtor listed on the sign out front. Voicemail of course, she was in an airplane. Took a few hours for someone to call back, but it got fixed. New owner and I chat once in a while and get each other's packages off the front porch when traveling.

Earlier this winter at 6:00pm two guys in dark clothing knocked on my door selling solar. They showed me their township approved ID. I told them I don't care what the township told them, they are not allowed on my property because the town said so. I also told them it was a good way to get shot coming to someones door at night wearing dark cloths. Their reply was are you threatening me? NO, I just stating someone could think they are criminals. They left.

For possible legal reasons I cannot post the "no soliciting" and "no trespassing" signs because it would state something to the effect that only invited persons are allowed on my property and that violators will be shot and any survivors will be shot again. Now when some uninvited person knocks on the door IF I answer telling them i am not interested and they need to leave my property right now then i make sure they see my Glock 19 in a shoulder holster on on my hip and they usually get the hint real quick and leave. ..................... drill sgt.

quote:

i make sure they see my Glock 19 in a shoulder holster on on my hip and they usually get the hint real quick and leave.

'Look! that dude doesn't know whether he's on his ass or his elbow, lets get out of here!'