Safety Precautions When Dealing With Solicitors
Posted by Grissett Alan (agrissett) on Jul 20 2010
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It was reported this evening that a person claiming to be from Reliant Energy knocked on a resident's door and tried to get information from her. The resident did not believe that the person was who he claimed he was, and she called the police.

Here are some tips to help you stay safe when dealing with door-to-door solicitors:

1.  If you are unsure if a solicitor is legitimate, ask for identification verifying that they are employed by the company they claim to work for.  If they don’t have any I.D., don’t give them any money and tell them to leave.

2.  If a solicitor refuses to leave after being asked to, or becomes irate, shut the door.  If they still don’t leave, call 911.

3.  If you don’t feel comfortable giving the solicitor any money, don't.  Do not let anyone “guilt” you into giving them money or buying their product.

4.  If you’ve already purchased something from a solicitor, and have paid by check and no longer feel comfortable with the transaction, cancel the check as soon as possible.

5.  Do not believe stories such as “I live in your neighborhood,” or “My car is broken down just around the corner," etc.  If you don’t recognize this person as one of your neighbors, they’re probably not.  If their car is truly broken down, offer to call them a tow truck.

6.  At no time should you let any of these people in your house - not even to use the phone.

7.  Do not hire anyone who comes to your door offering to clean your house, do home improvements, etc. and definitely do not give them any money before they do any work.

Alan Grissett
Project Coordinator
Publicity Committee Chairperson
Spring Oaks Civic Association

Last changed: Jul 21 2010 at 2:27 PM

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