How many times have you had a sales person knocking on your door? More often that you’d like, am I right? Hard to believe this is still happening in 2019. It has actually been a growing trend amongst Pest Control companies to use this sales tactic and many people are falling victim to signing contracts with poor service coverages and hidden fees! Let’s see what the State New Jersey has to say about it… Accord to a report by NJ 101.5 these cities and towns have created a Do Not Knock Registries: Jersey City, Toms River, Manchester Township, Freehold Borough, Hamilton, Howell, Hillsdale, Edison Wycoff, Manalapan, Middletown, West Long Branch, Saddle Brook, and Kenilworth. https://nj1015.com/stop-knocking-on-my-door-nj-towns-pass-laws-against-solicitors/ Click the link for the full story. These above-mentioned towns certainly have the right idea, but what if you don’t live in one of those areas? What should you do? It’s pretty obvious when you see someone at your door – that you don’t recognize, wearing logos on their clothing and carrying a clip board- to assume they are a sales person so the obvious answer is just don’t answer the door or the more aggressive approach is quickly opening the door, saying “Go away!” or “I’m not interested!” or just plain “NO!” or all of the above and slamming the door again. Some tips for those that are curious or want to find out more about the person in order to report them to your town or just plain caught off guard… Here are some tips on how to handle them and queues to look for:
- First of all, don’t let the person inside-trust no one!
- Ask for ID and make sure it has a picture of them and company information– nothing else is acceptable and if they have a real ID, don’t trust it.
- It’s ok to not use your manners with them– cut them off and just say no.
- Stand your ground– don’t let them use fear tactics to persuade you.
- Don’t give them any information– give a fake name and/or fake phone number or a disconnected number is a good back-up too.
- If they start to become edgy, nervous, suspiciously looking around a lot, shaking, other body language that is not normal strange … SHUT THE DOOR, LOCK IT, AND CALL THE COPS!
Most importantly is to do your homework and avoid making hasty decisions. Use your common online search engine to look at reviews or popular social media review sites. Ask friends and family on social media if they have heard or use the services offered. It’s important to make sure you have all the facts about what is being offered to you and to question things that don’t sound good to you! In this digital age it’s easier than one may think to create a scam. If sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true.
