What does No Solictors mean to you?

[sallybrealey]

We call lawyers solicitors in the UK so here it means no lawyers

 

[LUVMYTINK]

Ok, I have a NS sign on my door. So why do people who I dont know want to sell me stuff? Then when I say what does the sign say, they get all crabby? Don't go away mad, just go away!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a 'NO SOLICITING' sign on my last home (we have a big community-entrance one where I live now), and once had this guy come to my house anyway. I asked him if he read the sign, and he said (and I am serious). "I am not soliciting, I'm just trying to sell you something"

He was selling books...he needs to read a dictionary or thesaurus...

I had a guy come to my door selling something and I said sorry and pointed to my "No Solicitors" sign. He asked me what was a solicitor and what did it mean

 

[robinb]

I don't know ... maybe the sign attracts them . I don't have a sign and I don't get solicitors very often. Just a few times a year and I have no problem politely telling them "No thank you." and closing the door.

 

[Arielle22]

We don't get many solicitors in my town. However each summer we get religious groups.

One year my niece was watching my daughters. My younger one was about 11 and is very talkative. She answered the door before my niece and spoke with the woman (who asked her about her religious beliefs and gave my daughter a pamphlet). My niece got to the door and shooed the woman away. The next week the woman returned to talk to my daughter. My niece opened the door, remembered who the woman was and told her "we already have a religion, no thanks". The woman never returned.

Leaving brochures on my car or door doesn't bother me but usually I just toss them.

 

[dawn1620]

I don't mind girl scouts or kids trying to raise money, ect. Other than that I don't want anyone trying to sell me something. My favorite are the Jehovah's Witnesses..they are really pushy - not trying to knockl all JW's - this was way back when we lived in VA Beach and got a visit from them on a monthly basis. DH started telling them we were atheists and would they like some of our literature? We're not BTW.

Hubby got caught by a company trying to sell us new roof drains for our old house. He called me while I was in the checkout at the supermarket and told me the guy wanted to demonstrate them. I told him to tell him no thanks and send him on his way. Apparently DH had already been suckered into the demo and the guy already had his crap in the house waiting on me to get home. I told DH to put me on the phone with him...this guy automatically launches into his sales pitch before I could even get a word in...I raised my voice (as nicely as possible) so I could speak over him and told him I control the checkbook and no way there were funds available for that kind of expense. He kept on about financing options, ect. At this point I realize this is one of the pushy type that won't take no for an answer and will try to wear you down or guilt you into a purchase. Basically I had to throw the guy out of my house over the phone. I told him I'm sorry he wasted his time but the answer was firmly no. He started up again so by then I was completely agitated - I'm sure I sounded like a total you know what when I told him I would be home in ten minutes and he had better not be there when I pull up.

DH said the guy just handed the phone back to him and picked up his stuff and walked out without saying a word.

 

[Carly_Roach]

In our neighborhood you have to have a permit to solicit. We also have a 'No Solicitors' sign by our door. That sign is right next to the emblem for the police department DH works at.

Both work like charms.

Here at work we mostly get those people who offer vague business consulting services. They ask if I'm the owner, no, then they want the name of the owner. I tell them they aren't interested- they tell me that they need to speak to the owner anyway. Does anyone have any good comebacks? The owner definitely hates solicitors and telemarketers, and doesn't want to talk to any of them!

The best comeback:

"No. You don't. Please leave."

And if that doesn't work;

"I'm sorry, but if you're not leaving then I have to call the police, have them remove you, and we will be pressing charges for trespassing."

I have a very low tolerance level for uninvited solicitors. Usually I'm pretty polite and offer a cordial, "Thanks, but we're not interested." However, if they don't respond to that (leave) or if they continue to try to sell me something, then the gloves come off very quickly and they're usually sorry by the end of our interraction.

 

[karibritt01]

We sell Girl Scout cookies and Boy Scout popcorn every year. We do respect No Soliciting signs on doorways and mailboxes when we see them, although it is easy to miss the ones on mailboxes sometimes. I do not pay attention to signs at the entrance of neighborhoods. We have one at the entrance to our neighborhood that was put up by the HOA by a "board decision", meaning that they homeowners were not consulted. It does not reflect my wishes, as I always support children's fundraising activities. I feel that if a home owner doesn't want to buy from us, then they will decline, we'll thank them and leave. We do try to remember which houses never buy, and don't disturb those people.

Children... my downfall. I support the neighborhood kids in their fundraisers. However, (and this may freak some other parents out), I ask where they live, because sometimes we get people that live 10 miles away come to our neighborhood. A bit much.

We travel to other neighborhoods to sell Girl Scout cookies. We live in a small (120 houses) neighborhood with 7 other Girl Scouts. We will ask friends if they have had any Girl Scouts come by. If the answer is no, then we will sell in their neighborhood.

We had a burglary ring targeting our subdivision last year and one of the way they were casing houses was by pretending they were ADT sales people. It was quite the sophisticated operation.

That's scary... we had ADT salesmen come by last week.

 

[dawn1620]

That's scary... we had ADT salesmen come by last week.

I work for ADT - if someone claiming to be from ADT shows up ask for their company ID, it's required for all employees. Even if they are in an ADT shirt always ask for ID. Also, our install or service techs all have an ADT van and will be in uniform but they are also required to have ID at all times.

But on the other hand we do have ADT authorized dealers that may do door to door so I'm not sure. If they are legit they should have a business card or something. I've heard of people claiming to be from security companies going door to door giving free quotes - this is a scam so they can case out your home layout and see if you do in fact have a security system. I would just take their card or just say you'll call the local ADT office to set up an appt.

I work for the commercial side so I don't know if our residential salesman make door to door calls like that.

 

[daisax]

As a business, you can't have it both ways. Your door opens to sell...it's also open to be sold.

Says who? If somebody opens a business to provide a specific service or goods in exchange for a fee, what makes them obligated to entertain cold calling salespeople? If their business is up and running, they've survived without whatever you're offering so far, which means they can wait a little while longer while you send them an offer in the mail which they can choose to pursue or not.

 

[scrapbookworm]

nevermind

 

[Scurvy]

Let me ask this on this thread.

If a local shop were going around hanging coupons on doors, is that considered soliciting? Not ringing doorbells, just leaving coupons. (coupons that many people look forward to)

I ask because I was kicked out of a condo complex for soliciting, and personally, I don't think I was, and considering we get a ton of business from this huge complex, the coupons are appreciated.

Yes, I would definitely consider that soliciting. You were trying to solicit people's business, weren't you? If you really get that much business from that condo complex and you were wanting to reward your customers with a coupon, then an easy way to do that would be to give them a coupon that can be used for a future transaction each time they buy something (like when pizza places attach a coupon to a pizza box). But I suspect you were attempting to drum up more business, which is soliciting no matter how you try to spin it. You may not have been trying to convince them to buy something right that minute, but you were trying to get them to buy something. What would you consider soliciting to be, if not that?

I refuse to do business with anyone who leaves anything on my door or mailbox unless they actually paid for postage and mailed whatever it was. Among the many other reasons it bothers me, the main problem is that if I don't remove whatever it is quickly enough it looks like I'm not home, which isn't something I want to advertise.

As a business, you can't have it both ways. Your door opens to sell...it's also open to be sold. A business phone is the the same. It's the price of doing business. I would also say you are turning away new business as those signs reflect the attitude of the business owner. Not only that, outside sales people can be a great source of new referrals...even if you don't buy.

I strongly disagree. Businesses have every right to refuse to allow solicitors to disrupt their business and take up their valuable time. Presumably business owners (and employees) can read the yellow pages or look online for whatever service or product they need. They do not need someone showing up to try to sell them something.

If I need something, I'll call you. If you show up at my home or workplace to try to solicit my business I will not consider using your service or product in the future.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

We usually only get the JW's, and they always come on Saturday morning, early. I just don't answer the door. I admire their dedictation so I would never be confrontational with them. My aunt, however...oh boy. She would get a thrill when she saw them pull up in her driveway. She likes to debate, and she is really good at it and can be pretty intimidating. I wish there were a way to warn the JW's (esp the teens) that they need to steer clear. She will invite them in and debate and argue until they leave. She never, ever gives in. She is nice, but firm and always tells them she enjoyed the discussion. I bet by now, she is already on some JW list as a "hopeless case".
For those who have the "No Solicitors (except for childrens fundraisers)"
has anyone every made you feel obligated to buy from their child because your sign implies they are welcome? We get a lot of kids, this street is full of them, but I have 2 kids, and I kind of have to buy from them. And the stuff is so expensive, I can't always afford to buy from other kids.
And to the PP who posted about the man with the meat in his truck, he gets to us quite frequently too. He really needs to get that freezer fixed! His line is "My freezer just tore up on my truck and I got to get rid of this meat quickly. I can give you a real good price". I guess he doesn't realize how many times he has used that line on us and we didn't even buy his tale of woe the first time we heard it.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

I don't mind girl scouts or kids trying to raise money, ect. Other than that I don't want anyone trying to sell me something. My favorite are the Jehovah's Witnesses..they are really pushy - not trying to knockl all JW's - this was way back when we lived in VA Beach and got a visit from them on a monthly basis. DH started telling them we were atheists and would they like some of our literature? We're not BTW.

Ohh, I really wish I could remember where I heard this. It may have even been on here...if so, I'm sorry for stealing your story whoever you are.
A woman tried weekend after weekend to politely turn them away and asked them not to return. They never listened. So she went to her church, got a bunch of tracts from her Christian church, found out when the JW's had service and waited til about halfway thru. The she walked right in the church and started witnessing and handing out the tracts. They asked her to leave but she wouldn't. They called the police and that didn't bother her either. When the police showed up she explained why she did what she did and how long she had tried to be nice about it but wasn't getting anywhere. I know they didn't arrest her, they probably thought it was clever. From what I understand, the JW's never, ever went back to her house.

 

[EveDallas]

Ohh, I really wish I could remember where I heard this. It may have even been on here...if so, I'm sorry for stealing your story whoever you are.
A woman tried weekend after weekend to politely turn them away and asked them not to return. They never listened. So she went to her church, got a bunch of tracts from her Christian church, found out when the JW's had service and waited til about halfway thru. The she walked right in the church and started witnessing and handing out the tracts. They asked her to leave but she wouldn't. They called the police and that didn't bother her either. When the police showed up she explained why she did what she did and how long she had tried to be nice about it but wasn't getting anywhere. I know they didn't arrest her, they probably thought it was clever. From what I understand, the JW's never, ever went back to her house.

awesome.

 

[disney1990]

Ok, I have a NS sign on my door. So why do people who I dont know want to sell me stuff? Then when I say what does the sign say, they get all crabby? Don't go away mad, just go away!!!!!!!!!!!!

No matter what you are selling -- magazines, windows, religion, girl scout cookies, don't knock on the door.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

awesome.

I wish I knew I could "safely" claim it was my story!

 

[disney1990]

We sell Girl Scout cookies and Boy Scout popcorn every year. We do respect No Soliciting signs on doorways and mailboxes when we see them, although it is easy to miss the ones on mailboxes sometimes. I do not pay attention to signs at the entrance of neighborhoods. We have one at the entrance to our neighborhood that was put up by the HOA by a "board decision", meaning that they homeowners were not consulted. It does not reflect my wishes, as I always support children's fundraising activities. I feel that if a home owner doesn't want to buy from us, then they will decline, we'll thank them and leave. We do try to remember which houses never buy, and don't disturb those people.



We travel to other neighborhoods to sell Girl Scout cookies. We live in a small (120 houses) neighborhood with 7 other Girl Scouts. We will ask friends if they have had any Girl Scouts come by. If the answer is no, then we will sell in their neighborhood.

I know I mentioned Girl Scout cookies, but all Girl Scouts are welcome to come to my house. But, they never do. We usually end up buying our cookies from booths set up outside the grocery store.

That's scary... we had ADT salesmen come by last week.

I know I mentioned Girl Scout cookies, but all Girl Scouts are welcome to come to my house. But, they never do. We usually end up buying our cookies from booths set up outside the grocery store.

 

[FINFAN]

It means RESPECT my decision of NOT including my house or family in whatever your door to door purpose is. If I want your product I will find you.
My sign does not say, "TRY soliciting, maybe I'm interested today" it says NO soliciting.