Vent -I hate solicitors

[JessicaR]

I would have let my dogs free. Its their backyard and he was tresspassing.

I feel the same way but would I be liable if they did bite? I guess each state would differ. I feel that since I have a 6' fence around most of my property you really should not enter unless invited to do so. If you do enter you assume the risk.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I would report any saleperson who came into your backyard uninvited. He will almost certainly be fired. It is a scary thing for a mother, home alone with her children, to have a man walk into her home or backyard uninvited.

I don't mind door-to-door salepeople. They are just trying to make an honest living. But this behavior is not normal and should not be tolerated by their employer. In fact, I wonder if they were really what they pretended to be.

As for letting the dogs bite him - not a smart thing if you love your dogs. There is at least an even chance that a judge will have them put down, even if they bit the person on your property after you asked them to leave. And if you command them to do it - you will likely end up in a jail cell...

 

[stsomewhere]

I won't even open the door when I see solicitors at the front door. I had one guy a few weeks ago that rang the front doorbell several times and then started banging on the glass. My dog was going crazy at this point. That usually scares them away. He eventually left, or so I thought, until I heard my back doorbell ringing. We have a fenced yard with gate, which was closed at the time. I actually went outside because he was beginning to walk up onto my second story deck. I went outside and asked if I could help him and he said, "oh, there you are" We have a door from the second floor that goes out to the deck and apparently he was going to try banging on that door too.

This is how a lot of day home invasions start. They are checking to see if you are really home.

A few weeks ago a car pulled up in front of my neighbors home. He rang the front door, side and back door. I was on my way out there to see what he wanted. (My neighbors were on vacation). When I see him jump in his car and take off. The neighbor on the other side was already out there asking what he wanted. He told her he was looking for his uncle. When she asked him who his uncle was, he jumped in his car and took off.

 

[agnes!]

If I see anybody I don't know in my backyard I'm calling the cops and reporting a trespasser. If someone won't leave my property after I ask/tell them to leave I am also calling the cops.

I agree that some of these trespassers are probably trying to case homes for burglaries.
agnes!

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

True story...I was home on bedrest with my pregnancy (yes, a long time ago). DH was at work for the day and I decided to lay outside on my deck and enjoy the nice spring day. I successfully ignored the 7 times my doorbell rang but by the time the 4th missionary group walked into my backyard and wouldn't go awayI was done! Every single one of them wanted to know if I was concerned about my baby's relationship with Jesus...so I invited the last set of them in to see my baby's room that I described as "black and red with pentagrams everywhere." And then I proceeded to ask them what their relationship with Satan was like.

Needless to say they ran away and I never had another missionary at my door until we moved into our new house.

Now, just for the record, I am not a Satanist...I am Lutheran.

But, yes, I completely understand the vent about door to door solicitors/missionaries/ etc., and thought I should share my (now) funny story!

K

 

[Kies99]

I'm so fed up with this that I don't even make eye contact. I just tell them to "Go Away" and then continue what I'm doing and ignore them. Seems to work everytime.

Though I like the idea of asking religious ones what their relationship with Satan is.

On a side note, last year we had Verizon through the neighborhood putting in new fiber-optic lines. Can't tell you how many times people came to my door just to "tell me what they are doing. We are not selling anything".

 

[Robbiesmommy21]

"On a side note, last year we had Verizon through the neighborhood putting in new fiber-optic lines. Can't tell you how many times people came to my door just to "tell me what they are doing. We are not selling anything".

My dh works for Comcast and yes they do need to tell you if they are working on or around your street/ home. This is so that if you see someone in your backyard/ frontyard for whatever reason you know why. My dh has lots of problems with people when Comcasts equipment is in their yard and he needs to get to it. He will knock on the door and wait, if people don't answer he has no choice but to go back there. 8 times out of 10 the homeowners will open the back door and ask what he's doing. It can get very frustrating because they will say but I don't have Comcast or my stuff is fine. One box sometimes can feed a whole neighborhood. I never post but felt that maybe you should see the other side of the coin.

Beyond that I hate the vacuum people.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA you can post signs that state no soliciting at the entrance to the neighborhood. In our county the only people who are allowed to legally solicit are those who have ID badges given out by the county. The cop that covers our neighborhood gets the biggest kick out of catching and fining the non-badged solicitors, and has told us a bunch of times to call him as soon as we get one at the door.

So, here's how it goes down:

Doorbell rings.

Dog goes apes***. (note to self: Tivo cesar milan before I kill dog)

Solicitor at door says "I'd like to..."

I say "Show me your solicitation badge or I'm calling the cops right now."

Sometimes they try and BS, sometimes they just leave, fast. The BS ones I actually do call the police non emergency # programmed into the phone, have it on speaker, so he gets to hear who I'm calling.

It not only cuts down on the solicitations for me, it cleans them out of the neighborhood.

If you have an HOA in your neighborhood, it might be worth looking into.

 

[disney1990]

99% of the time I do not answer the door. I look out the window and, if I don't recognize the person, I don't answer the door.

Now the twist. During the months of March, April and May, my DH and I worked for the Census Bureau. We walked around neighborhoods and knocked on doors to ask questions of the residents. (Is this a single residence? You have 2 mail boxes, are there multiple families living here? I don't see a house number posted, can you verify your house number?) I wouldn't be happy when people wouldn't answer the door -- especially when I knew that they were home. I needed to get the answer to my questions and then often had to knock on the next door neighbor's door too.

And, starting in September, we will probably be working for the Census Bureau again. You would think I would answer the door when somebody knocked, but I hate solicitors

 

[surfergirl602]

I had to tape a very explicitly detailed no soliciting and no trespassing sign on our front door. Some times we'd have three people a day, four or five times a week in our neighborhood. Sometimes at 7:30 in the morning. Since puting up the sign, no one!

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

My roommate's girlfriend is visiting again and the mailman came to our door today. She didn't answer and instead called me out of my room and asked whether I was expecting anyone, without ever bothering to look out the window and see the mail truck that I saw clearly once I walked out of my room. She must be really scared of solicitors

 

[omghidanielle]

Some man went up and down my block the other day, re-painting the house numbers on the curbs, and then went door to door, demanding payment.

I didn't answer the door, but my neighbor told him off. We never asked for him to do that!

My neighborhood is full of crazy people.

 

[Pikester]

I saw a story on the news about some jerk who was going around to elderly people and asking them if they wanted him to fix the cracks in their driveways. Some said yes and some said no. Well, for the ones that said "yes" he would fix the cracks by paving the whole driveway and demand 1000s of dollars and for the ones that said "no" he would do it anyways and then demand money. Creep!

 

[manning]

I saw a story on the news about some jerk who was going around to elderly people and asking them if they wanted him to fix the cracks in their driveways. Some said yes and some said no. Well, for the ones that said "yes" he would fix the cracks by paving the whole driveway and demand 1000s of dollars and for the ones that said "no" he would do it anyways and then demand money. Creep!

As soon as I saw that the first move would be calling 911 and then stopping him from doing that. This way the cops are on the way as I am dealing with him.

And I would be filing trespassing charges.

 

[mom2rb]

As for letting the dogs bite him - not a smart thing if you love your dogs. There is at least an even chance that a judge will have them put down, even if they bit the person on your property after you asked them to leave. And if you command them to do it - you will likely end up in a jail cell...

I don't think that would happen in Texas. We can shoot you if you walk in our house uninvited. So I am pretty sure we can sic the dogs on you if you go in the backyard.

 

[minnie56]

Some man went up and down my block the other day, re-painting the house numbers on the curbs, and then went door to door, demanding payment.

I didn't answer the door, but my neighbor told him off. We never asked for him to do that!

My neighborhood is full of crazy people.

Some students did this last summer on my Street--but they did come to the door first and ask if it was okay and no payment was required but they were "starving University students" so if we chose to give something-- they were grateful. I thought they were so honest..I was happy to support them!

 

[surfergirl602]

I don't think that would happen in Texas. We can shoot you if you walk in our house uninvited. So I am pretty sure we can sic the dogs on you if you go in the backyard.

God, I love Texas.

 

[Chipmunk89]

We get the religious ones (I like my religion thank you), and Dh had a guy selling steaks out of the back of his truck. I look out the window and if I don't recognize the car, I don't open the door.

Steak guy has come to my house twice in the past few months. Yeah...like I would EVER buy meat from the back of a truck!

Hello E. Coli!