Warning Signs the Door-to-Door Salesman May Be Hiding Something (Part 2)

If you tuned in last week, you'll know we started talking about door-to-door salesman. Specifically, how to identify warning signs that the guy on your door step wanting to stain your deck or paint your house may be hiding something.

It all started on the Fourth of July weekend. A suspicious looking white van was driving around my neighborhood. There were no markings on the vehicle except for a small magnetic sign on the driver side door. I assumed the sign was an ad for the company, but the lettering was too small for me to identify the company. But I would find out soon enough who it was… More on that in a minute, but first...

Remember the door-to-door salesmen of the ’50s and ‘60s? Those men in suits carrying briefcases wanting to sell you everything from Tupperware to bibles? Technology has all but made the door-to-door salesman go the way of the do-do, but believe it or not, they’re still out there, pounding the pavement, inspecting your home and then knocking on your door claiming to have what you need to fix your maintenance woes. Some of these salesman may be legit—local guys who are just trying to get the word out to the community that they’re there to help and want to give back. And then there are those who seem shady, like the guy in the white van who showed up on my doorstep over the fourth of July weekend.

He introduced himself and produced a business card. Fair enough, I thought. At least he had a business card and seemed nice. But they all seem nice, don’t they? He said he worked for a paving and coatings company, and noticed that our driveway looked like it was in need of seal coating. “As you know,” he said, “seal coating is important to keeping your driveway in tip-top shape. I noticed a lot of your neighbors need to have their driveways coated.”

I glanced at his business card and noticed that his services were pretty extensive, including driveway seal coating, pressure washing, deck coating, and exterior painting. How on earth could he fit all the tools and supplies needed for all that into one small van? And then I noticed something else. Although he looked sweaty and was dressed pretty shabbily (giving the appearance that he’d been working hard helping all my neighbors), his short sleeved shirt was unbuttoned unnecessarily low--far enough that I could see most of his chest, along with the large, shiny cross necklace hanging around his neck. Seriously, this thing looked like it had been polished and spit-shined so that it glowed like a beacon. The necklace looked out of place. It appeared intentional. And it seemed shady.

Now, the necklace wasn’t the first red flag. It was, in fact, the last--the nail in the coffin that sealed the deal for me. So, I sent him packing with a courteous no-thank-you.

But not all of my neighbors did the same. Tune in to the next post when I discuss some of my willing neighbors, and I'll also reveal some of the red flags to look out for when face-to-face with a door-to-door salesman.  

Read Part Three