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Published on November 4, 2005 By lifehappens In Blogging
How many of you have been accosted in your own homes by an earnest teen (or adult even!) who lies to you?

I get them all the time. Today for example.

Young 18ish kid comes to my door. "Hi M'am, how are you doing this fine day?" Holds out hand to indicate I should open the door and shake his hand.

I leave the door shut. "Are you selling something?"

"No, no M'am not at all! Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?"

(What? Give you my name AND address? do you think I'm crazy?) "What are you doing then?" *Note, I'm still polite)

BIG SMILE "I um, work, well, um I want to work in this program that um, takes troubled youth ages 18-34 out of troubled situations and um, puts them in a um, classroom. YOU wouldn't have a problem with me doin' that now would ya?"

"nope."

"So I need to get 2000 certification points to get into the program and then I can talk to these, um, youth and um, help them." As he speaking, he flips open a little holder to show signatures.

At this point i"m thinking he needs practice with public speaking and maybe he just needs me to sign to verify the spoke to me....if so I'd tell him to stand straight and quit uming at me. "so what do you need me to do?"

But no, he flips the page and starts showing me a list of magazines....I stop him after only a few words. "Do I have to buy a magazine to help you get your points? Yes? Well, then you are selling something and you LIED to me."

"No, no m'am, I have Bibles avalible if you like that."

"No, YOU LIED to me. I am not going to buy anything from you because you LIED. If you had been upfront from the begining, you may have gotten me to at least look at the list of magazines, but now...sorry kid. I am not buying because you LIED. Do you understand that?"

Apparently not because he is standing there with a hurt look of confusion on his face. "But I'm not doing this to SELL the magazines, it's just so I can teach other...."

I cut him off, he just doesn't get it. "I'm sorry, but I am not buying anything. Goodbye."


Now, you may think I'm harsh, but I have solicitors at my door at least once a week. I'm not going to listen to a 15 min shpeel from someone who starts off with a lie. Sorry, but that just bugs me.

And lets just look at this program. It sounds good, right? Take underprivledge kids and get them in a classroom. But wait! He said 18-34 years old. That's not kids anymore. Strike one. (lie) He wants to be in this program as a mentor and to do that he has to go door to door selling stuff? How does that prepare him to mentor others? What will he teach them? How to lie and use phony techniques to gain someones trust and sympathy and ultimately, money?

Who mentored him? Who taught him the obviously memorized tricks? THe only parts he didnt' "um" on were the phoney wanna-be carsalesman techniques! Hand out to gain physical contact (build intimacy and trust) Learn my name so he could act like my buddy. Play the sympathy, "kids in need" "you don't have a problem with THAT now do you?" lines.

So yeah, I have a problem with people who run programs to teach kids to lie and act like shady car salesmen. i have my suspicions about this "program" and I only wish I remembered the name he mentioned.

Sigh. Don't they know they won't get anywhere doing this?


"

Comments
on Nov 04, 2005
Got caught with that one in College!  No more, I just tell them I dont need no steekin mags!  I have the internet!
on Nov 04, 2005
Now that I have a big dog (he is a big softie, but he'll seems to frighten the people who show up on my door step ... except the pizza man) I always bring him to the door.

I also have a pile of old newspapers sitting behind the flower pot on my front porch and a stack of magazines behind my front door. "If you're selling papers, look over there and see where the daily paper ends up. If you're selling magazines and you can find one I don't already get for free that I want to read, you have a deal. Would you like to look through the stack? I'll bring them outside."

They always seem to ask, "Can't you just help me out, I only need one more susbscription and I get..." My standard answer is simple and to the point "No and you will simply be waisting your time to speak to me any longer because after five minutes of you begging the answer will still be no."

If that doesn't work... my dogs never stop barking so I excuse myself to handle the situation, close my front door and go sit back down.
on Nov 04, 2005
I hate those people too. It seems like you have to be rude to get rid of them. We have a no solicitation policy in our town but that doesn't stop them. Luckily I have lots of cops in my neighborhood so they might shut a lot of them down before they get to my house.

You may think about posting a no soliciting sign at your door.
on Nov 04, 2005
My brother was sucked up into this magazine selling cult for a few years. He worked for room and board and $50 a week! The guy who runs all these "Groups" who travel in a VAN all over the U.S. is out of California. He used to have a big share in JB Hunt trucking. Anyway, as an "incentive" he'd bring these losers (because that is who they recruit, hs drop outs with no prospects) to his mansion for the weekend.

I can't remember his name for the life of me.

He would tell them all they could have that mansion, or one just like it, if they moved up in the organization. And if they basically didn't pay attention to the no soliciting ordinances in some better communities.

Yeck. And you are right to never buy from a door to door magazine kid, even when you know they need it. At the core of my brother's group were some real criminal types, and I wouldn't want them to have my credit card #.

on Nov 04, 2005
They always seem to ask, "Can't you just help me out, I only need one more susbscription and I get..."

"Gee, maybe if you gave me $20 I would..."

I hate those people too. It seems like you have to be rude to get rid of them.

At least JW and LDS guys are polite and honest...."Hi, we're here to sell you God. We love Him and we think you will too!" Very up front about what they want. And they usually go away if you say no thanks. Although the JWs visit my house fairly often because I was nice to them once. sigh. I feel bad if I am mean now.

I wouldn't want them to have my credit card #.

Whoo Hoo! EXACTLY!

You may think about posting a no soliciting sign at your door

Good idea, but I'm not saying that I would never buy something from a door to door guy, in fact I bought a spot cleaner from a College kid a few years back (It worked great BTW). My BIGGEST irritation was that they are taught to LIE and misdirect. I'd be more likely to look at something that someone is selling if they would 1-be honest 2-get to the point and 3-quit the sleazy tactics.

Hey, I admit I buy cookies, cookie dough and wrapping paper from the kids in my neighborhood occasionally.....but at least they are honest.
"Hey lady, would you buy some cookies so I can get this cool glow in the dark watch?" you never hear "I'm involved in a fundraiser to help our failing schools pretend to get more money to educate us and if you support me, you will save the youth of America, blah blah blah....(whisper)oh and you have to buy overpriced chocolote too."