No I will not donate to your college fund

[undertheradar]

I would contact the local police and let them know about the incident. They may drive around looking for these characters.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

I had a father & son come by last fall, selling $10 posters for a home school trip to Washington, DC. I didn't want a poster (they were ugly), but I did give the boy $5 donation. I learned later what a chump I was. Some friends in the neighborhood next to us were talking about this father/son duo. Come to find out, their "home school trip" was really a family vacation to DC. I guess since they home schooled, they could count the trip as an educational experience, but they were actually going door to door to ask for money to finance their family vacation. How sick is that?!

 

[lilybrooke14]

We used to get those kids all the time when we lived in our old apartment. We were sitting at the coffee table one night eating dinner and watching a movie, and there was a knock at the door that turned out to be a boy selling magazines "for a trip to Europe." DH told him he was sorry, we didn't need any magazines thank you, and we're right in the middle of dinner, so we won't waste any more of your time.

The kid started to argue with him. "Nuh uh! You're just sitting around watching TV!"

DH just shut the door.

 

[JenM]

You might be so correct. This is a scam going across the nation. Some have even known to threaten violence.

Check out this article from one of our local news channels. http://www.koat.com/news/23497305/detail.html

I would report it to your local police department.

This is correct. I work for a magazine company and we have issues with these unauthorized agents all of the time. Unfortunately we have no way of knowing that these groups are trying to sell our magazines until someone calls in wanting to know where their magazine is.

A popular scam is for them to offer to donate the subscription to the military, but there's usually no such program (we do donate military subs, just not through agents). The people thinking they're donating a magazine wind up just receiving it anyway.

These groups are scams. Do not give them any information or pay them any money.

And it's really sad too - these kids get offered these "jobs" by these companies and wind up scamming them worse than the people they try to sell magazines to. I know of one case where a girl got pregnant and they refused to take her to a hospital when she got sick, and she miscarried.

 

[dzorn]

Awhile back two African American boys rang my doorbell selling magazines for college as well. This is pretty much an all-white neighborhood, and when I answered the door the first thing they said to me is "Don't be scared, we aren't here to harm you". That infuriated me! I couldn't believe that they assumed I would be scared because they are black! Despite their ignorance, I listened to their pitch, and then told them that I wasn't interested. The one kid then said to me "Oh, come on, you can afford it. Your garage is as big as my whole house". That REALLY ticked me off. I finally told them I wasn't interested and wished them good luck before I shut the door.

The whole incident really bothered me. I would have turned them down no matter what color they were. I have one kid in college and another one heading there next year. I am more concerned with paying for my own kids to go to college. It's as simple as that.

It may have nothing to do with color. I will not answer the door for anyone I do not know. I don't buy anything door to door so no need to answer. For safety I would not answer no matter the color.

Denise in MI

 

[HelenePA]

Last year and this year I had "teens" selling mags for college show up at my door. Last year the guy was insane.. He was from Cali and called himself a "beaner" now I live in a 90% white community where we dont use slang terms for other races. I had no idea what this guy was talking about. I had to google it.. I told him I wasn't interested. He then told me people like "me" (white) lived on credit cards anyway and just put it on one of them. I told him no. He then started calling me a racist very loudly for my neighbors to hear.. well most of my neighbors are 70+ I told him he had to speak up because they couldn't hear him This year the kid was very nice at least I wasn't called a racist! ahaha He took my first no for an answer and moved on. he has been the only door to door sales man to come this year.. last year I had so many people knocking on my door trying to sell me things. Windows, siding (which we have new anyway) homeschool books, mags, meat.

 

[Sparx]

I'd be very worried that they were theives casing a home. I wouldn't open your door to strangers for the next few days and make sure all doors and windows are locked!

 

[ThisIsJason]

Never had anything like that happen, but for a while a kid would sit in front of the local Barnes & Noble with a 5 gallon bucket with a sign on it saying to donate for his college education.

 

[RitaZ.]

Years ago, a young woman came to my door. I looked out my front window and she saw me. She told me she was selling magazines to raise $ for her senior trip. This was during school hours and she looked older than 18. I told her I wasn't interested in buying magazines. She told me to open the door and she would show me what she was selling. Sorry, not going to happen. Then, she became irate and asked me if I didn't feel ****ty (exact word) that she wouldn't be able to go on her senior trip. I told her that I didn't. She walked off in a huff.

I don't open the door to anyone that I don't know. They can knock and ring the doorbell all they want.

 

[dakcp2001]

I have a neighborhood kid (high school aged) who does every single fundraiser known to man, and he will not take no for an answer. He argues with you and has an annoying comeback for every way of saying no. "Come on, please just 5 dollars and I will leave you alone" He begs and one time he even cried when I shut the door in his face after about 20 minutes of trying to be polite while saying no. I dont answer the door anymore. He will ring the bell 20 times and knock loudly and say " I know your home". But well, if you wont take no for an answer....I wont answer at all! One of my neighbors called the cops on him after he kicked over her plants when she said no. BTW my no soliciting sign has NO effect. I get all kinds of people ringing my doorbell.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

In this house I had a kid selling "books" to give to our local Children's Hospital to raise money for his sports something or another.

I told him I was ethically opposed to his fundraiser. He asked why and I told him.

I said if you need to raise money for a sports thing you need to have car washes, etc. and work for it instead of making money for a "book fundraiser company" under the guise of "donating books" to the hospital.

I am sure he was full of it with the raising money for his sports thing. Please spare me.

 

[dakcp2001]

OP- you might want to get some timers for your indoor & outdoor lights, they are really easy to work. When we are away we have one room turn on at one time, and another at a differnt time so it looks like someon is home. When I was little my mom used to leave a radio on talk radio to make it sound like somoene was there, but that is only good if youa re gone for a few hours.

 

[RitaZ.]

I have a neighborhood kid (high school aged) who does every single fundraiser known to man, and he will not take no for an answer. He argues with you and has an annoying comeback for every way of saying no. "Come on, please just 5 dollars and I will leave you alone" He begs and one time he even cried when I shut the door in his face after about 20 minutes of trying to be polite while saying no. I dont answer the door anymore. He will ring the bell 20 times and knock loudly and say " I know your home". But well, if you wont take no for an answer....I wont answer at all! One of my neighbors called the cops on him after he kicked over her plants when she said no. BTW my no soliciting sign has NO effect. I get all kinds of people ringing my doorbell.

Rude punk!

 

[C.Ann]

Is Reverend Moon still around? This was one of his many scams he would run to get money.. Another was roadside flower sales - out of the back of cars/trucks.. Oh - and his followers would approach people in department store parking lots selling something or another, but I can't remember what it was..

I wouldn't purchase anything from someone who showed up on my doorstep out of the blue (or make any kind of donation) - regardless of what they claimed the money was for..

 

[AustinTink]

It may have nothing to do with color. I will not answer the door for anyone I do not know. I don't buy anything door to door so no need to answer. For safety I would not answer no matter the color.

Denise in MI

Yep. I've said it before on this board. If I don't know you or I'm not expecting a service person at the door, I don't open it. Life's too short to deal with solicitors, real or scam.

 

[Piglet4Ever]

Today I had a young man come to the door and he was trying to sell us on carpet cleaning, he handed me a sheet of paper telling what they did. I told him we only have hardwood floors so we didn't need their services. He peeked inside the house saw our area rug and said we can clean that, I said when it's dirty we can take it outside and hose it down so no thanks! So then he snatches the piece of paper he gave me out of my hands and said mind if I take this to give to your neighbors. Well if I did mind it wouldn't matter since you just took it from me buddy.

 

[Art 1]

We don't open the door anymore unless of course we are expecting a visit. Sad really.

 

[themilesfamily]

I always feel kind of sorry for those kids who are selling magazines door to door. But I will NEVER, EVER buy from them because:

1) If they are working for a legitimate company, I am opposed to any company that would drop young kids off in a strange neighborhood and encourage them to go to and into strange people's houses. That sounds like a good way to get yourself killed.

2) The company probably isn't legitimate anyway.

You know, I am just sick of people trying to sell me stuff in general. I'm constantly getting invitations from "friends" to every kind of product party known to man. No, I can't afford your Pampered Chef, Lia Sophia, Amway, Mary Kay, etc., etc., etc. These are "friends" who don't call EVER until they want me to show up at their house and buy a bunch of crap so they can get free stuff. Sheesh.

 

[armywife]

My step daughter's boyfriend used to "work" for one of those magazine subscription companies. They basically lure kids who are runaways or want to be runaways. He told me they teach them to make up their scholarship or contest story, flatter the person or their home and tell them they are raising the $ so they can be just like them or have nice things just like them. They sell the magazines, sometimes you get them, sometimes not. They do drugs/drink and trash the cheapo motel rooms and move on the next day to the next town. He did it for a year and saw almost every state. That's how much they move around. The companies tell the kids that they can go home/quit whenever they want, but yet make it very hard or bully them into staying. He said it is hard to leave. He basically learned to be a scam artist and got addicted to some pretty hard core drugs. Some of the kids that have come to my door have said these programs are to get kids off the street. Excuse me, you are on the street now. My dog is harmless but barks hysterically. I act like she is ferocious and may bite them, just in case they are casing my house.

 

[torinsmom]

It wasn't at home, but at a Chinese restuarant, this guy came up and handed me a flyer with some of his poetry on it. He wanted me to donate $2 to help him get his poetry published. I told him no and he snatched the flyer back from me.