No Soliciting! How to Stop Those Pesky Solicitors from Knocking on Your Door
Post a Sign
Well, it may sound a bit too simple, but actually posting a sign could work wonders. I know that in many neighborhoods and apartment complexes that signs are already posted, but posting one on your door or next to your doorbell can really drive the message home. One of the most popular excuses I get is the ole 'I didn't see anything posted' bit. I hate to call these people liars but they know what they are doing and they know where and where not to solicit! If you have a 'No Soliciting' note on your door it will be easy to call them an idiot right there on your doorstep!
Come to the Door Naked
What a wonderful suggestion! I'm not entirely sure that I could do that myself, but it definitely is a creative way to scare off anyone that you weren't expecting!
Ask for Credentials
I have heard the ole song and dance bit about how the individual 'really isn't selling anything' and how they are just 'wanting to talk'. I always ask for credentials. 10 out of 10 times they can't give me proof that they aren't truly soliciting me, get fed up and move on to the next person. I always grab my cell phone and ring the name/number that the solicitor gave me (right in front of them) and explain that they have told me they are not really trying to solicit me.
Remind 'em of the Rules
Remind them that your community is a 'No Soliciting' community/neighborhood. You actually do have the right to call the authorities if you feel you are being harassed. Solicitors can be fined in some areas of the country, especially if they are annoying people in places they aren't supposed to!
What about Religious 'Solicitors'?
Now this is a rather interesting situation. Those such as Jehovah's Witnesses do not consider themselves to be solicitors in most cases because they are not truly 'selling' anything. So does the 'No Solicitor' sign apply to them? Most of the time it doesn't appear to. I have talked to others who suggest making a separate note that specifies that you are also not interested in any Religious offers.
I am very interested in hearing what YOU do to thwart solicitor's efforts? I personally try to be polite anytime I deal with solicitors. I know they are just trying to do their job and make some cash and I really don't want to just slam the door in their faces or be rude. I humor them (a little) and politely decline their offer. I suppose in my world I expect them to be just as gracious in my refusal as I am and just 'leave it'. If they continue to pursue me after I have politely said no then that is when I start showing my 'other colors'. It would be best if there were laws out there to keep people from soliciting door-to-door in the first place. I must join the masses in saying that if I want something I will go to the source, I don't need them coming to me. (Especially at 8pm at night when I am trying to get babies down for bed!)
Do you have any creative ideas for 'no soliciting' signs? I think I will make one for my own home once I get back!
Published by Private Pen
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10 Comments
Post a CommentLast summer two vans drove into my trailer park and disgorged a hoard of men. I ran to my computer and printed this sign, I plan on buying the actual sign from Etsy so I can leave it up all the time: http://tinyurl.com/3draywk
Three times a man came to my door, gazed at the sign then reluctantly left. The park has a sign up stating that solicitation is not allowed but they didn't honor it. In the past I have politely told them that I'm not interested but they just talk over you and won't go away.
and give you all a pay check so that you can clothe, feed and house your families. All of this as the result of a salesperson who knocks on your door and you complain he‘s trespassing, how absurd!! Did you stop to think that that salesperson is in someway directly or indirectly affiliated with the company you work for? And yet when he knocks on the door you show up naked at the door or you decide to answer the door with a gun . Not necessarily how I would want to treat someone who might be indirectly or directly for that matter responsible for how I get paid.
I can’t believe that we live in a country where people are chastised and treated like dirt simply because of the profession they chose. Not all sales people and solicitors are out to take advantage of people. If someone knocks on your door or calls you then kindly say you’re not interested but thank you for your offer. I’m proud to be in sales and work for a reputable company and professionally licensed in my field and very good at what I do. Sales is one of the oldest and most honorable professions. In fact it is on the backs of salespeople that the whole of the American economy floats. Every Government bureaucrat from the President all the way down to the lowest local city worker, that lives off of sales and tax revenue has to survive because of private sector businesses, that most of you probably work for, that market products and services that you help to manufacture and create so that those same companies can earn profits, pay taxes and give you all a pay check so that you
A simple NO TRESPASSING sign should do.
@Josh: Why don't you grow the hell up? We have these things called "stores" and "private property" in this country; we have every right to treat these annoying and dishonest solicitors as we see fit, seeing as to how they have interrupted our living on our property. Many times as a homeowner I'm worried these solicitors will come back later to commit theft or vandalism, which has happened locally on several occasions. Have a decent enough product and put it in a store, but leave us the f@!k alone.
Grow the hell up. These poor bastards are just trying to earn a living. In an economy that's struggling trying to find work, you and your crying aren't helping.
Try selling them something you have. "I have this great pair of socks you really should try". Then point to your sweaty socks and start to take them off. If you push back just as much they will feel the same discontent.
When my brother served in Iraq with the Marine Corps, he brought me home a souvenier - a "burka" which is a women's headress that covers their hair and face, with simple slits for their eyes...typically if you answer the door in this, people stumble their words and find a way to get out of your hair. However, I am now trying to find a way to keep these solicitors away from my office place...any thoughts?
I always answer the door with my pistol in my holster. Most people see that and politely leave.
Decades ago, when I spent the weekends at my boyfriend (now husband)'s house, I answered the door in his t-shirt (that was it, just a t-shirt -- I looked good in it then - :)). It was a Jehovah witness. They never came back.