Community Chat

[fortune]

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@BabyYoda wrote:

I need to vent here. We usually get solicitors year round in my neighborhood and it is usually the same company sales people or religious people. I have already spoken to these same people in the past to leave us alone and yet they continue to come to my door. 

It has been getting excessive this time of year that they want to sell something to you or collect donations. The fire dept. came here on Saturday while we were fixing a fallen Christmas decoration outside and asked us for donations (I give them a donation every year and told him so). The fireman said to me that is great you donate to us but can you give me something today extra? 

Today alone I had 10 people ring my doorbell and knocked very loudly numerous times. In fact the same man came here 3 days in a row (Sat, Sun, Mon) in regular clothes (same colored neon green jacket). A few months ago I decided not to answer the door anymore. Sometimes (rarely) I will open the window in front of the house and ask them what they want. We had another robbery this week in our neighborhood and I discussed it with hubby that I would like to install a camera security system. I am home alone while he is at work. 

How do do you deal with solicitors?

Put up a sign:  "Solicitors Will Be Shot On Sight"

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[BabyYoda]

Update...I called the local police station earlier and told them about the many solicitors stopping by more than usual lately and I found out they know about the happenings of this area and are sending squad cars daily to our area. He said there are no town ordinances for solicitors.

He also told me this.... A neighbor just 4 days ago was held at gunpoint to her face as soon as she pulled in her driveway after she came home from work and they stole her car!!!! A neighbor came over last night that lives up the block and told me about the house next to hers that got robbed last week. She was the one who called the police as they were away. Then she told me she got a lot of solicitors yesterday as well and she called the police during the day when one man kept banging on her door. I just saw a police car drive by. So far there are no solicitors out. 

I appreciate all your responses and love those funny signs.

[Spurt]

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@lulu2 wrote:

We get tons of phone calls and letters in the mail, but luckily no one knocks on our door asking for contributions.  If this were the case, I'd post a No Solicitation sign.

It drives me nuts when you receive an acknowledgement for your donation accompanied by letter requesting you give more.

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@lulu2  That drives me crazy too.....one charity here (which is an organization that helps LOTS of people) however, after you send in your donation you get TONS of letters asking for MORE, so it appears that your donation must have gone to pay for the cost to mail out letters...SHEESH!!!   I understand charity donations have been down lately, but this is a bit ridicilous....

I also check out charities through Charity Navigator which shows where your money goes....

The things that drive me crazy are the PHONE CALLS (and charities are exempt from the no call laws)....The representatives get a % of their total donations in a lot of cases so they are very pushy.  I have told them even if I wanted to give to your organization I certainly would NOT give my personal information or credit card info over the phone!!! 

I've gotten so sick of them now after I pick up the phone I tell them, "sorry, I'm not interested" and just hang up.

[Spurt]

And folks BE VERY CAREFUL---quite a few stories on our local news about people impersonating everything from electric company workers, water company workers, cable repairmen, policemen, salesmen etc etc as a ploy for a home invasion or possibly casing your home for a future robbery!!! If it's a person claiming to be from your city government agencies, ask for identification tell them to wait a moment, then close and lock your door and call the company to make sure they are legit!

[Spurt]

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@KentuckyWoman wrote:

We never have solicitors knocking on our front door.  Our little town requires solicitors to have a license with a fee attached.  That pretty much killed the mood.  They did allow the fire department to collect for charity while motorists were stopped at traffic lights until citizens complained so much they finally had to abandon that as well.  It is aggravating as all get out.  Our problem is the dang telephone and telemarketers.  We are on a national no call list but at least once every three months I have to re-register to stop it.

ETA:  I never answer the door if I am here alone.  Our neighbors and family all come to the back door. 

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@KentuckyWoman  Oh how I can relate to those telemarketers and ROBOCALLS which are illegal in our state, and even though I am on BOTH the state and national DO NOT CALL LISTS I still get tons of them...... And even if you use caller ID and don't answer it's darn right annoying to stop in the middle of what your doing to check your phone!!!  Oh you can buy a device for a couple hundred dollars but why should we have to go through the expense when it's illegal......  I've reported the numbers to the federal government website but it doesn't stop them..... On one national business that wouldn't stop calling me with their ROBO calls, (an insurance company) I actually filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, some head honcho called me and apologized and said it was the fault of a regional sales person and he would see that the calls are stopped..... and they did!

[Spurt]

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@denisemb wrote:

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@denisemb  LOL---but instead of beer I would change the last sentence too...

UNLESS YOU ARE HERE TO GIVE ME MONEY PLEASE GO AWAY!!!

[Spurt]

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@jlkz wrote:

@sunshinekate:

They can get in several ways: walking through woods, biking through woods, friends or acquaintances of folks who live there, riders in vehicles that have passes, etc.

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Yep I've seen it happen at my DS's complex waiting for a car with a pass or has a friend that lives there and buzzes them in, then the unwanted guests can just merrily drive through.....

[SaRina]

This may be a more effective sign:

[nun ya]

oh we had the 2 guys with the freezer full of meat come a couple months ago. Weird thing is, they went to our back garage, not our house. They drove past our fence and no trespassing sign. One of them got out and was lookng around, until my 80 lb German Shepherd chased them. I doubt they will be back, The police came after because my neighbor saw them by our garage. He said they needed a permit to sell anything and if they were dumb enough to get out with a german shepherd there, they get what they get.

[denisemb]

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@Spurt wrote:

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@KentuckyWoman wrote:

We never have solicitors knocking on our front door.  Our little town requires solicitors to have a license with a fee attached.  That pretty much killed the mood.  They did allow the fire department to collect for charity while motorists were stopped at traffic lights until citizens complained so much they finally had to abandon that as well.  It is aggravating as all get out.  Our problem is the dang telephone and telemarketers.  We are on a national no call list but at least once every three months I have to re-register to stop it.

ETA:  I never answer the door if I am here alone.  Our neighbors and family all come to the back door. 

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@KentuckyWoman  Oh how I can relate to those telemarketers and ROBOCALLS which are illegal in our state, and even though I am on BOTH the state and national DO NOT CALL LISTS I still get tons of them...... And even if you use caller ID and don't answer it's darn right annoying to stop in the middle of what your doing to check your phone!!!  Oh you can buy a device for a couple hundred dollars but why should we have to go through the expense when it's illegal......  I've reported the numbers to the federal government website but it doesn't stop them..... On one national business that wouldn't stop calling I actually filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, some head honcho called me and apologized and said it was the fault of a regional sales person and he would see that the calls are stopped..... and they did!

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@Spurt

I might get slapped on the wrist for this, but we bought this phone for $100 on HSN and it was the best money ever spent!

ETA:  I'd recommend buying it on QVC if it were available.

https://www.hsn.com/products/panasonic-corded-and-cordless-phone-system-wcall-block/1606147