Door to Door Sales

Warm weather brings con artists who prey on homeowners, especially senior citizens. These con artists show up at your door offering a variety of products and services from household cleaners to magazines, from tree trimming to roof repair. Some may offer to pave your driveway with leftover materials from a previous job, mow your lawn, or remodel your home for a very low price. Oftentimes, these fly-by-night operators may drive vehicles with out of state license plates, or set up temporary offices from which they can move quickly once authorities start looking for them.

Before you pay money to anyone who uses this type of approach, and especially before you allow any unknown individual into your home, the Better Business Bureau suggests that you do the following:

• Obtain the name and address of the company that person allegedly represents. If the person does not represent a known business and the circumstances suggest an itinerant contractor or sales representative, ask for references and contact each one.
• Get all details of the offer in writing and carefully review it. Make sure you understand everything in the contract. Any verbal promises should be included in the contract.
• Make sure the salesperson has provided you with the proper "notice of cancellation" form as required under the Federal Trade Commission's "Three Day Cooling Off Rule" for contracts signed in the home.
• Verify that the contractor is properly licensed, bonded and insured.
• Determine how long the company has been in business and contact your Better Business Bureau to determine the firm's customer experience record.
• If you have checked references and the company's reputation, and you decide to hire the company, make the check payable to the company and not to the salesperson or other individual's name. Do not pay in cash.

Saying "No" To Strangers

Do not feel pressured to respond to salespeople who arrive unannounced on your doorstep. Close the door to strangers, no matter how tempting the offer, if they exhibit any of the following red flags:

• Workers that drive unmarked trucks with out-of-state license plates, who offer special deals on driveway paving, roof repairs, replacement windows, pest control, etc.
• Requests for cash payment up front, with no written information that spells out the product or service to be delivered.
• Lack of references, or vague claims of satisfied customers in your "neighborhood."
• High-pressure tactics.
• Salespeople who offer medical alert devices or medical equipment and discourage you from consulting with other health experts.

In general, it is probably a good idea to refuse to respond to any offer that arrives unannounced - whether by phone, mailbox, or front door. Tell the salesperson that you want to check it out and ask the full name, address, and phone number of the business. If he or she refuses to provide the information, or insists on an immediate decision, close the door, hang up the phone, or discard the offer.

Remember, any legitimate company that wants your business will be more than willing to allow you the time to "check them out." Don't fall prey to high-pressure tactics such as "this is the only chance you have" or "by tomorrow the extra materials will be gone." If you have an expensive repair, be especially cautious of these offers. Obtain bids from several companies. Don't always go for the lowest bid - in many cases, you will get exactly what you pay for.

This report is general in nature and not intended as a reliability report on any company, service or product.