Pushy Door-to-Door Sales People
 

Today, starting early, I have had two pushy sales reps come calling at my door. The first was 'Deluxe' wanting to wash my windows, and the second was "Freedom Forever" wanting to install solar panels on my roof. So much for the non-soliciting policy of the Villages. They were really pushy and did not take the first three 'No's if not more.

The joy of having a video doorbell. You can see who it is and decide whether or not you want to answer the door. If you’re curious or feel unsafe you can talk to them without getting off the couch.

Or.......You can just slam the door in their face

The pushy approach has never worked on me. What's the big deal? If it really bothers you, get a "No Soliiciting" sign for your front door.

While solicitors can be on the roads - which are public - the Villages has a no soliciting policy. So yeah they can stop in front of your house. But they're not allowed on your property.

What works for me, is being rude to them. If I have to get up off my royal arse to answer the door, and they're not presenting me with the Publisher's Clearing House check, then I tell them to get off my property or I'll defend my property with my recurve bow. I don't say "no" to them, because I don't give them a chance to ask me any question.

I’ve been very lucky. Although I get a lot of solicitors, they have all been very polite and not wasted much of my time.

I am in shady brook and all the houses are new so it’s a prime area for people selling services. I say an unambiguous no thank you to every one and so far all have just said thank you for your time and left. I take their cards if they have them but have never called one.

Florida law requires door-to-door salespeople to have a solicitation permit. You can ask to see it, and if they don't have one, you can call law enforcement.

That’s why I keep a disgusting looking old toilet seat in the closet. Whenever some unwelcomed stranger knocks on the door, I answer with toilet seat in hand, and tell them I am thrilled they stopped by to help me install a new one. They run away before even thinking about their solicitation scam.

Depends on what you say.

Some years back (not in TV) we had a guy stop by on a Saturday, selling whole home security systems. Half price. The only thing was it was a one-day deal and we would have to get the work done and pay for the system that day.

Very seriously, I told him "I HAVE security. .38 caliber security. My wife, too".

Guy left in a big hurry.

It was awful up north (not the north villages either, lol). The mailbox post area was a springtime magnet for the bag with the rock and lawn care business cards inside. Nice not having the mailbox here at the house eliminating one source. I finally put a no soliciting stencil on my door window that helped greatly with detering the door knockers. Still would get the occasional kid throwing stuff on the door step while we were away for a month or more.

Have zero issues with door to door. I speak enough VN, Cantonese, French, German, they take less than 30second to leave. Spanish doesn’t work, so well.

You can also just order them off your property. You don't have to ask them to present a solicitation permit. Soliciting is not permitted in The Villages. They can have permission from the governor himself, and it won't change that fact.

You don't need to ask for their solicitation permit. You can just tell them to get lost. If they're not invited to your house, AND if they're not law enforcement, THEN they are not entitled to be there. And you can order them to leave. Full stop.

The only people we had up north (in Connecticut) at the door uninvited were Jehovah's Witnesses and the guy who was running for Mayor against the current Mayor. Jehovah's witnesses were easy "No, I don't want to hear your testament, I don't want to read your pamphlet. Have a nice day" and shut (not slammed) the door. The guy running against the current mayor was just as easy: "I don't vote for people who come to my door uninvited. Have a nice day."

My Jehovah's Witness line in NY went something like this: Praise the Lord! My lord Beelzebub promised he would deliver 2 virgins for sacrifice at tonight's midnight celebration of the third rectification of the Drules and Azoths. Please come in for a "drink". Their exits would set speed records.

Most of us don't like to be rude to people, but sometimes it is the only choice. "No thank you", close door. Simples.

Many years ago, when I ran for Town Supervisor in a rural, small town in Western New York, I knocked on over 800 doors handing out flyers to all introduce myself and my positions. (I had lived in the town for about 15 years so was not really well known.) With the exception of two people, everyone I met was friendly and courteous. Ended up winning the election with over 76% of the vote. I understand not wanting unsolicited people knocking on your door but, occasionally, you might find someone who has something in which you are interested.

We had a fair number of missionaries come by when we lived in MN. Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, etc. If they stopped by in the winter I always invited them in for coffee: I figured that if someone was suffering in that cold for free they were pretty dedicated people. Some declined, but those who accepted appreciated the warm-up.

Drove my wife nuts.

Just say no thanks, close the door and walk away.

That's nice, but once they sat down for coffee they had no idea what to say----they never got that far before :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Yep, you can try gibberish (loud) as well. It works.

If I open the door then I just say, “No thank you” and shut the door.

I like your style! 😀😈💀👹

Not yet. Not even once. One time, though, a lady came to ask if she could have a flower from my plant for an arrangement she was making. I said, "yes".

I can do enough French and German to get by.
Learned some Cantonese when stationed in Hong Kong for a while, many years ago.
I still remember most of the niceties, and can still swear profusely.
It's a colorful language for obscene insults!

A good insult requires thought and a bit of artistry. One of my all time favorites was, "may you be blessed with the breath of a thousand camels." Still makes me laugh.

First, no soliciting is more a "suggestion" than a policy. This is not a private community as you know, and there is no provision for ENFORCEMENT of any of the suggestions here. We finally learned to not even answer the door, safest policy of all. Next, if you have a ring type app, is to simply say, NO SOLICITING, and of course do not go to door. Found it useful IF you are so curious you feel compelled to actually open the door, put up a hand and say " Sorry, I don't handle ANY of that, you'll have to call the landlord and talk to him", that also works to stop their line immediately; they don't want to waste their time on someone who is not the owner. But bottom line is, answering is foolish at best (even if is something you might be considering; new windows, roof, landscaping, etc. would you not want to talk ONLY to those YOU chose to contact to come out?), and, it could actually be dangerous, you never know.

There is a saying by the “travelers” in Europe; “May you live in a beautiful large mansion with many floors. Which has no stairs or elevators, and the tremors and shakes from your illness take you upstairs and downstairs.” (Loses a bit in transition, but you can get that it is a curse.)

I agree. And the fact that the counties charge for and issue Florida state solicitation permits is proof that they consider The Villages to be fair game for door-to-door solicitation. If you have a state permit, then you are allowed to sell your product or service door-to-door, unless the permit specifically states that you cannot do it in The Villages.

And the "ring type" systems are getting so inexpensive they are available to anyone these days. A relative who lives on a VERY limited retirement just purchased a light bulb camera that comes with app to connect to door bell, it was unbelievably inexpensive and she says it works great (but only had it since June, so don't know the longevity), she loves it. Got it on Amazon. She has NO tech skills what so ever, and she was able to use it immediately !

When we first moved in I put a small NO SOLICITING" sign on the front door and in seven+ years only 2 or 3 solicitors bothered us and I just told them to read the sign and closed the door.

Why does anyone think sacrificing virgins is a good thing. Lots of that went on years ago

Call Community Watch 24/7 at 352-753-0550 and report these people

Of course without injury so they do not call Morgan and Morgan. 😂

On the other hand, if they are injured by a slamming door that means that some part of their body is on the inside of the inside/outside boundary of my house, so technically I could shoot them as home invaders.

Release the hounds!

I had a roofing scammer offer me a free inspection on a three-year-old roof. I told him I did not want an inspection or his card, and he went away.

With roofing crooks have to tell them numerous times to go away and make sure there is no ladder against our home

:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Every new neighborhood has this problem. We placed a no solicitors sign. Don’t answer the door, or call the police for anyone behaving in a threatening manner ( exactly what the police told us to do). Technically there is no solicitation permitted in TV from what I understand.

That may have been the case when the Villages was a truly gated community with private roads. It no longer is.

Florida statute 501.022 requires a permit for solicitation of sales at a consumer's home BUT there are several exclusions including one for certain religious organizations.

I am not sure why this is considered a problem. I occasionally get solicitations at my front door. It is typically vendors working on a neighbors house; landscape folks are the most common. I just say “no thanks”, wish them a nice day, and close the door. No drama is required.