Door to door peddlers and solicitors are growing exponentially and are proving to be a menace to an otherwise relaxed home living. They have this uncanny ability to bother you just when you are about to sit for dinner or catching up on your piled up chores. Here are some tips on how to deal with unwanted solicitors.
Check credentials before opening the door
When someone knocks at the door, respond immediately by looking through a peephole or through a glass window. If you pretend you are not around, it may lead to burglary attempts. So, it is better to acknowledge the person outside and check his or her credentials. A genuine solicitor should carry his or her credentials and furnish a residential sales identification. This ID card usually has an accompanying photograph of the solicitor to prove that he or she is a genuine sales person. The solicitor is also provided with a license from the company whose products he or she is endorsing. If you still need to clarify more, you can call the Revenue and Consumer Affairs office in your city and confirm their identity.
Ask for immediate disclosure of identity
As soon as a door to door solicitor approaches you, see whether he immediately discloses his or her name, product and the company for which he is endorsing. If they cannot furnish these even after your request, ask them to leave your premises with immediate effect. Some may ask you to provide them a glass of water or ask you to help them relieve themselves by using your bathrooms. These are plain gimmicks to gain entry into your house and refuse them with a firm âNoâ. If they still pester you, call 911 and you will get help. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
Check whether products are genuine
Most of the solicitors ask you to pay in cash and promise to deliver the goods later. This may be a ploy to get the dough and give you the slip. Your product may never reach you later. Hence, it is best to check whether the product is being carried by the sales person, is of genuine quality and carries the company logo. The solicitor may ensnare you by playing the sympathy card that he or she will lose their commission. Do not melt and give in to such tricks by spurious solicitors.
Do not yield to pressure
The solicitors are all well trained in sales to market their products. Most of them have a gift of the gab and can convincingly highlight the goodness of the products. Some of them may even offer discounts which they portray will be available only for the next two days. If you still do not agree to buy their product they may begin to pressurize you up to the point of desperation. These are not good signs and make sure you do not give in to such pressure tactics. Buy the product only if you are convinced that it is good for you. Do not hesitate to turn the solicitor away if you do not want the product.
Check for the right to cancellation
You need to be well aware of the fact that once you make a purchase from a solicitor, you have the right to cancel the order if you are not satisfied. Any product costing more than ten dollars should come with a dated receipt and terms of transaction. It should also contain the name and address of the seller and the amount you have been charged. It must also be accompanied by a notice that the buyer has a right to cancel the order within a certain period. The duplicate should be provided to you while the seller retains the originals. If he or she is a genuine solicitor, he or she will be able to provide this easily since all companies have prinyed documents for this purpose. If the solicitor says he or she has forgotten the receipt book at home, then simply cancel the order without hesitation. After all, customer is the king and you have very right to ask for the basic documents.
Buy the product only if you want it
There is no need to buy a product just because you sympathize with the residential seller. There may be some products which you really wanted and the solicitor comes as a boon in disguise. However, there are times when you are not interested in the product and yet you buy it simply because you feel obliged to. You may even feel sympathetic towards the seller and buy the product. Most of the companies conduct extensive surveys on how to be effective in door to door selling. They know how to exploit your soft corner and you may land up with some products you really did not want and are now lying unused in the attic.
Place a placard
If you have no time to entertain a solicitor, simply place a placard in front of the door mentioning that “No solicitors are entertained”. This will nip your problem in the bud and you may never get pestered by solicitors. You can adopt yet another tactic saying that you already have the product and you just got it fifteen days ago. This will save immense time and you may not have to listen to boring endorsement presentations by unwanted solicitors.