Persistent Salesman
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Posted by C.Kee (+380) 12 years ago
My kind husband (who has a hard time hanging up on telemarketing calls)answered the door at nine this morning (Sunday) to a man holding a box of baking soda and asked if we used it. Before he knew it, the guy was in the door with a box behind him, followed by another box. Awww, a Kirby salesman. I did not watch the demonstrations but did hear my husband repeatedly tell him he was not interested, was not going to buy one. The guy was persistent; I'll say that. He went from $2695 all the way to $1400 trying to get him to buy it. Finally, at 10:45, when the guy would NOT take NO, my husband told him he was calling the police to have him removed. I've had three Kirbys, just didn't want or need another one; certainly would not buy from this guy!
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Posted by Joe Smity (+106) 12 years ago
They're making the rounds. I wouldn't let him or his partner in the door, been there before.
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Posted by Jeri Dalbec (+3264) 12 years ago
Thank you for the "heads up".
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Posted by Gunnar Emilsson (+18372) 12 years ago
But they will vacuum your house for free. Why wouldn't you let them in, if not for a free vacuuming?

P.S. Dyson is the only way to fly.
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Posted by C.Kee (+380) 12 years ago
We have all new ceramic tile....I was wondering why my husband let him in, LOL Have to agree about the Dyson!
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Posted by Carol S (+239) 12 years ago
From what I understand, these guys do not have a license to sell in Miles City. They tried this same thing with my grand daughter and she had to call the police. They barged in to her house and even tried to get to her down stairs. She was not to sure if they weren't casing the place and that's when she called the police BEWARE!
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Posted by luvlife (+289) 12 years ago
Same thing happened to me...walked right in the house! Said they thought it was a patio area??? I was shocked...asked if I used this soda product? I was appauled...he just went about his business as usual...like nothing was strange that he came right in my home.

I usually lock my doors...everyone makes fun of me...now, I WILL forsure keep them locked!!! I was in my robe!!! He would not take NO for a answer. I said to him...please leave my home or I will call the police...he left.

I looked out my window and saw about 3 other guys with him...never have seen any of them before? That was very scary and weird!

Keep those doors locked! Even in Miles City!!!! You just never know and it scared the crap out of me!
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Posted by Sheri Cain (+35) 12 years ago
They came to our house last week. They gave us Kleenexes then went back out to their car to get the Kirby. My husband went out and told them no that we were not interested and they left.

It wasnt until my father in law told us that they did this before and were run out of town by the police.

If they come to your door just call the police immediately.
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Posted by K.Duffy (+1824) 12 years ago
Oh boy! Looking forward to testing out my Red Heeler's tough guy act! Thanks for the warning, btw.
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Posted by Jody K (+116) 12 years ago
They have came to our door twice in the last week. You would think they would know where they have already been. When I told him that we already have one he tried to convince me to get one for the basement. Luckily we don't have a basement. I would not have answered the door, but I was expecting my sister to stop by.
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Posted by RB (+440) 12 years ago
They first came to my house 2 weeks ago when i was very sick. My daughter had just gone down for a nap and I was trying to nap also. I was awoken moments later by someone knocking at my door, but since I was not expecting anyone and I was so sick I decided not to answer it. He must have knocked for 2 minutes, and also tried my door knob to see if it would open but luckily it was locked. He then began to ring the doorbell for another 2 or so minutes. I had looked out my window to see a man holding some Kleenex and a large box, so I knew who it was. After successfully waking my daughter and scaring her with all the noise, he got into a white mini van with 3 other guys and left.

They came back that Thursday offering Kleenex(this time a guy and girl together who insisted they were good people and told me not to worry), only to have me shut the door in their face.

They came back again last Saturday, and my mom, who was visiting, answered the door. He offered her some baking soda to which she declined, and he asked to demonstrate a vaccuum, to which she replied that the baby was sleeping. He was reluctant to leave but she was firm, and he surprisingly left. This was the only time that someone showed up without a van full of guys behind them.

What certainly made me angry was the first guy who knocked and rang and tried my door for 4 or 5 minutes. The last 2 only knocked/rang once. Yeah I totally agree that we need to keep our doors locked, that first guy would have come right in!
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Posted by susan a. (+69) 12 years ago
After having them visit my house a couple times, I posted a 'no soliciting' sign. So far, no knockers!
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Posted by Toni Rentschler (+1509) 12 years ago
These are the kind of people that are making it hard for the ones taht are going door to dor doing it all right. GRRRR sometimes!!
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Posted by Dan Mowry (+1429) 12 years ago
After having them visit my house a couple times, I posted a 'no soliciting' sign. So far, no knockers!


Around here they have a preplanned response to that... "Ohh, I thought that was Spanish for 'No Smoking.'"

I've spoken to one of our police detectives about people like this. We've had the assortment of teen/college aged kids selling "subscriptions" or just boxes of totally random stuff you could buy at the store yourself. This bunch, as described to me by the detective, is usually what amounts to indentured servitude. The hit the streets in the van and get dumped off and told that in eight hours they will be picked up at such-and-such a location. Their meals and motel room for the night depend on them selling. The guy that drops them off via the van is basically using hard-luck kids or runaways, etc. and barely leaves them with anything from what little they may sell.

Then we have the other category - selling things that must be demonstrated in the home. Yup, the detective said one demos while the partner cases the place or may even disable the lock on the door (eg. finding tape across the bolt, etc.).

"They're like cockroaches when the weather is nice" (Detective's words, not mine). Either way, in our house, I'm the one that answers the door when we're not expecting and I'm just enough of an a-hole as I stand by my NRA stickered screen door I'm hoping they catch a clue it's not worth the trouble.

Be on your toes, folks.
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founder
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Posted by Amorette Allison (+12523) 12 years ago
I usually feel sorry for those poor kids who answered an ad for a great job. Don't buy stuff, just feel sorry for them. As for the pushy guys, the advantage to having a fixer upper for a house seems to be that they pass me by. Sad, ain't it?
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Posted by Markw (+21) 12 years ago
Reputable Vacuum Cleaner stores will sell a Kirby for under $600. I have a Riccar that I bought from Sandhill's Sewing Center 15 years ago and it still works like new. It's tough to beat a deal like that. The only Kirby I ever had caught on fire while vacuuming one day and I was afraid to use it after that.
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Posted by Vicki Annalora (+13) 12 years ago
I heard our doorbell, and then loud knocking, last Sunday morning about 9:15. I looked out the window and saw one guy still knocking on our (locked) door and another waiting at the end of the sidewalk. I didn't recognize either one so didn't answer, and he finally gave up. I was a little suspicious because a few years ago my cousin had his wallet stolen from their house, just a couple blocks from us, after letting in a two "home security" salesmen. They even had several flyers from a reputable security company, which we found out later they had helped themselves to at a Billings Home Show. I guess you just have to be extremely cautious no matter where you live anymore.
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Posted by StacieE (+386) 12 years ago
my husband opened the door so of course that meant he was in, this guy seemed nice enough but we kept telling him we don't have that kind of money if we had and extra 2695 just sitting around probably have better uses then for a kirby. By the end though he had vacuumed and shampooed our floor and the price was all the way down to $795 sadly though after about 2 hours he had to leave with his kirby in hand
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Posted by howdy (+4947) 12 years ago
surprised the cops haven't escorted this dude out of town...How rude...
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Posted by dudemeister (+89) 12 years ago
They came to my house yesterday. They came to my house last year with dishsoap & kept asking the kid why do you want me to take this soap so badly & all he would say I just want you to have it. I reported it to Miles CIty's finest(MCPD) then but never let them in. yesterday when he asked if I needed baking soda I said no & shut my door. what a dousche
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Posted by sdrew (+232) 12 years ago
I was talking on the phone Sunday night when someone knocked at my front door. I answered without turning on the porch light and was still talking on the phone. The guy started to say something to me, but I just frowned, shook my head at him and shut the door.
Tonight a friend was telling me about this thread and I remembered with a shock the guy WAS a bit scruffy and DID have a box of baking soda in his hand. Guess I had totally forgotten about it since I was still involved in my phone conversation when it happened-I just looked and saw someone I did not know and shut the door.
Makes me wonder how bad of a time he would have given me if he had been given the chance to start his pitch!
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Posted by dudemeister (+89) 12 years ago
Another funny thng about this guy was he told me he just came to the area today but he was driving around in a white mini van with Miles City plates. Don't people realize that if we need baking soda or even a vacuum, we'll go by it ourselves?
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Posted by mtgman (+86) 12 years ago
I'm guessing this guy uses the baking soda to demonstrate the vacume.Errr..
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founder
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Posted by Amorette Allison (+12523) 12 years ago
They sprinkle the baking soda on your carpet and demonstrate how well the overpriced vacuum picks it up. I don't have carpet so I guess they would have to make biscuits at my house.
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Posted by Wendy Wilson (+6169) 12 years ago
Amorette, never turn down freshly made biscuits!
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Posted by Nancy Drew (+292) 12 years ago
Wow those are some hardworking guys that get around. They are persistent so they must be making sales or they wouldn't keep trying. They must be purchasing cases of baking soda!
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Posted by whitneyann (+269) 12 years ago
yuck, these guys creeped me out. they came to our house on saturday the 27th, they did the baking soda trick and were in our living room in seconds. they are amazingly quick at putting together those vacuums. i told him right off the bat that we could not afford one of those and he said to just let him show us some stuff. we have all hardwood upstairs and was wanting to go downstairs to carpet. i said no, he continued to be pushy. then he would talk to his "big boss man" on the phone and ask us all these silly questions "what do you like about it, what do you dislike about it, what price would it have to be to buy it" i told him is we had an extra 2600 we would spend it on other things.
finally he gave up but had to pretend he was still trying as he waited for his "big boss" to come get him. saying that he couln't get a job in his town in colorado...makes me wonder about his reputation. and that his boss would kill him if he knew he was sitting down. he told us that he would sell the vacuum to us if we would buy it for 800. crazy how those things are marked up.
this guy was very nervous and antsy. really creepy, it took us 2 hours to get rid of him. i now know the trick that they use to get in the door and this will NEVER happen to my family again!
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Posted by Amorette Allison (+12523) 12 years ago
After 10 minutes, threaten to call the police. After 11 minutes, call the police.
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Posted by Wendy Wilson (+6169) 12 years ago
Two hours?! Good God, woman, get some balls.
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Posted by Cheryl E (+46) 12 years ago
Get a dog, big or little, these guys don't like dogs, I know this first hand, our dog is the only thing that kept them from forcing their way in my home...while my husband was out of town. They are quite persistent and creepy is an understatment.
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Posted by Wendy Wilson (+6169) 12 years ago
Why hasn't anyone called the cops on these guys? If they don't have a business license they are breaking the law.
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Posted by Amorette Allison (+12523) 12 years ago
Sadly, that is the not the case here in Miles City. The business license law has gone unenforced since the Reagan years. I don't know if you are required to have a peddler's license any more.
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Posted by Dan Mowry (+1429) 12 years ago
How does the word "persistent" not translate to calling the police for what some of you basically describe as unlawful entry or trespassing?

If someone tried to walk through my door past me without my saying "come on in" - they'd be flat on the porch waking up to their own gurgling sounds and the cop asking "What did you do AFTER you knocked him into last Tuesday, sir?"

Some of these stories... you KNOW you have no intention of buying, you didn't really want them in the house let alone be disturbed, you didn't like the opening sales pitch, yet they still made it in your house??

Folks, MC isn't immune from being a story on CNN for something tragic.
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newbie
Posted by Lillian Grube (+12) 12 years ago
Check out the Hot new future...
craiglist posting
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founder
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Posted by Amorette Allison (+12523) 12 years ago
=http://hothelpsyousell.c...st posting

Nope. Still doesn't work.

[This message has been edited by Amorette Allison (4/4/2011)]
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Posted by Buck Showalter (+4452) 12 years ago
Pretty sure her spam link was supposed to end after the last "]"
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Posted by Dark Beer (+257) 12 years ago
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Posted by dessa (+122) 11 years ago
glad I have my pitbull
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Posted by Kelly (+2841) 11 years ago
They are back and just stopped at our house.
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Posted by Michael LaFayette (+81) 11 years ago
seriously if u tell them to leave, and they don't that is trespassing.. or if they barge their way in to your house, or open the door without permission. I have no idea why they can not be arrested..
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Posted by Jody K (+116) 11 years ago
Guess what...they are back! I was just sitting here 8:54 p.m. there is a knock at the door. I open the door and there is a guy with a box of baking soda. He tells me what ever the company name is and then says the baking soda is for my time. WTH I say, "Is this for the vaccuum?" he says, "yeah." I told him I already have a vaccuum. Then he left. Seriously people almost 9:00 at night. My son is younger than school age but it is also a school night. I think once again they have crossed the line. It seems like they are totally unprofessional. I just wanted to warn everyone that they are at it again. I guess if the lights are still on in your house you are fair game. I am glad I was not in my Pj's.
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Posted by Mary1 (+150) 11 years ago
There are in Butte now too. So annoying makes me wish for the Church of Latter Day Saints to come over and teach about God some more.
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Posted by Dan Mowry (+1429) 11 years ago
The OP mentioned Kirby.

Does this routine sound like what all of you are dealing with?
http://www.consumeraffair.../kirby.htm

It sounds miserable all around.

[This message has been edited by Dan Mowry (9/8/2011)]
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Posted by Nancy Okerman (+227) 11 years ago
One of the Kirby guys came to my daughter's house last night at 9:00 p.m. He started out by saying he was doing a "survey for Big Sky Cleaning Services". He asked if we used Kleenex and I said, "No. I use toilet paper instead. Kleenex is too expensive." He should have known right there that we could not afford a Kirby. Her German Shepherd dog had fun dragging all the little white filter thingies around. Finally, I just told him that he had to go and he packed it all back up and graciously left.
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Posted by B&M (+214) 11 years ago
The salesman are here again. They came to our house last night.
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Posted by howdy (+4947) 11 years ago
Dearly loveeeeeeeeeeeeeee my Dyson...
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Posted by Barb Highsmith(Martin) (+27) 11 years ago
I second that Howdy. Wouldn't trade my Dyson in for a Kirby in a million years
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Posted by boxdmc (+93) 11 years ago
A guy came to my door the other night and handed me a box of arm and hammer baking soda. He said he had something else for me and ran back to his grey minivan and grabbed a KIRBY. He wanted to pour the baking soda on the floor and clean it up. I told him to leave and he started saying something about his boss in the car. Again I told him to leave and he did. I feel sorry for anyone who is somewhat timid at the door! My advice is don't let them in the house. It's much harder for you to say no once they are in.
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