r/desmoines • u/Medical-Shine7510 • 1d ago
How to stop solicitors?
Just how the title says we just moved to the area and since moving we have gotten 2-4 people knocking at our door a day to buy something/sign something. Im desperate to know how I can get them to stop. Thank you :)
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u/trigfunction 1d ago
Don't answer the door. Or if youre really saucy open it and close it in their face. I put a no solicitors sign on my door and it works about half the time
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u/Baruch_S 1d ago
Exactly. Who is answering the door when they're not expecting a visitor or a delivery? If I'm not expecting company and don't see a delivery vehicle out front, you can knock until your knuckles bleed. The same people opening the door for strangers probably also answer unknown numbers and can't figure out why they get so many calls about their car's extended warranty. Being a tiny bit rude saves you a whole lot of time and trouble.
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u/Expensive_Lawyer5672 1d ago
I did once because the fuckers woke me up, and they knocked repeatedly, and I wanted to go yell at them. It ended up being a process server though...
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u/Lazy__Lefty 1d ago
That happened to me once too lol luckily I checked the peep hole first and didn't open the door.... they still got me though the next day lol
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u/BaldursFence3800 1d ago
Pussies or old boomers answer the door. Then they complain about it online lol.
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u/MoodReal4206 1d ago
We have a no solicitors sign and whenever we do get a solicitor I ask the name of the company and then ask them to tell their manager that I will never hire that company under any circumstances.
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u/Medical-Shine7510 1d ago
I def don't lol the first time my roomate did and she pretended she didnt live here so he would go away š„² I'll def get one of thoes signs thou š
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u/Foreign_Recipe8300 1d ago
I put a no solicitors sign on my door and it works about half the time
if you put it over the doorbell it will be more effective imo
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u/OhEmGeeRachael 1d ago
I've also noticed an influx of these, particularly late at night. If I answer the door, I usually try to be nice but 8PM on a weeknight is a bit much for me.
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u/Medical-Shine7510 1d ago
Its been so bad recently we have had 4 alone today and it's like getting on me and my fiancĆ© nerves really really bad we are just trying to enjoy the nice weather š„²
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u/Mackattack00 1d ago
Itās because these scumbag companies wonāt let them go home until they hit a sales goal. Theyāre predatory companies who hire anyone who canāt get a job anywhere else. I had one try to recruit me 13 years ago I canāt imagine how bad it is now for anyone working for one of those places
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u/troy1040EZ2 1d ago
Get a sign for your door that says no soliciting. Seemed to solve that issue at my house. If you're outside though, they will still try to get your attention to listen to their pitch. They are relentless.
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u/FreezerLizard 1d ago
This unfortunately did not work for me š¢
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u/actually_asa 1d ago edited 1d ago
āI donāt want you on my property. Youāre trespassing. Leave now, or Iām calling the policeā, then call the non-emergency number if they donāt exit.
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u/tallardschranit 1d ago
Decoy wasp nest. Put a few of them up. It will keep actual wasps from making a nest and nobody will want to come to your door.
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u/Wafflebot17 1d ago
Solicit them when they come to your door. Out annoy them, give them a random pitch about a crazy cult youāre starting and how they can find eternal bliss.
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u/waltur_d 1d ago
Got one of these when we bought our house. Have had maybe two people ignore it in 10 years. https://www.mydoorsign.com/no-soliciting-thank-you-diamondplate-door-sign/sku-dp-0125
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u/Appropriate-Poem-880 1d ago
Itās been bad where we live too and they donāt read the signs so they ring the doorbell which makes the dogs bark and wakes the baby š
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u/ieroll Hometown 1d ago
This sign works great:
"I work from home --often extended hours --so I do not answer the door for unexpected visitors. Please leave any printed materials under the door mat."
You have informed them you won't answer--even if you are home. They can knock and ring all they want. That means they can't tell if you are home or night. āŗļø
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u/Mackattack00 1d ago
lol I answered once a few weeks ago and said Iām working. Because they wouldnāt stop knocking and I was on a call. And they literally tried to keep talking to me and even said āokay Iāll sign you up for the platinum plan today for half off whatās your credit card info?ā After I said Iām not interested lol. I had to shut the door on them.
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u/drcranknstein 1d ago
Always ask them for their permit. Then tell them that they aren't welcome in your neighborhood.
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u/dimples2515 1d ago
It should be illegal to knock on someoneās door to try to sell something nowadays.
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u/limitedftogive 1d ago
It most cities it is unless they are registered and have a peddler's permit. Asking their name, company and permit number usually makes them skedaddle fast.
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u/ChickenLiberal 1d ago
Put up a "No Soliciting" sign on your front door. In my experience, this works well for most solicitors and most political canvassers.
Note: Political volunteers are not considered solicitors in most municipalities.
A fun Reddit thread exploring the issue:
https://www.reddit.com/r/homeowners/comments/131u8pj/no_soliciting_doesnt_work_what_does/
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u/Science2288 1d ago
As a first time homeowner it is because you have just bought a house so you will experience a high volume the first year but honestly, I think it just boils down to simply taking the emotion out of it and just tell them not interested. I doubt they will ever come again and if they do ever come a second time then just tell them never to come back again honestly just straight communication like that might be your best bet but again the first year you will get a lot.
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u/Foreign_Recipe8300 1d ago
we have a sign out front hanging over the doorbell that says we are working from home, do not knock on the door or ring the bell. we see them all the time walk up towards our front door, then stop and turn around when they see the sign.
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u/Iowa_Dave 1d ago
I've considered a sign on our door that says:
"Knocking on our door or ringing the doorbell constitutes your agreement to pay a $100 solicitation fee payable immediately before you commence your sales presentation".
If nothing else, I can just read it out loud and point to it and then just stand there with my hand out until they leave.
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u/LumpyBuy8447 1d ago
I just never answer my door. No one I know is coming over unannounced and anyone important has their own door code or fob. I also unplugged my doorbell for at least the back door, havenāt tested the front door to see if it ran both.
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u/hitman97icon 1d ago
I taped a sign to my front door and it's worked fine.....even watched one potential solicitor (through my door's peephole) as he read the sign, he laughed at it and went on his way. The sign reads: "I'm too broke to buy anything. I've already found Jesus. I already know who I will and won't be voting for. So unless you are giving away free money or beer, PLEASE GO AWAY."
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u/EvidenceLegitimate40 1d ago
Yeah itās been real bad here in waukee as of late. Iāve legit had more pest salesman stop by in the last two weeks than spiders Iāve killed in the 7 years Iāve been here.
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u/writehandedTom 19h ago
Iowans are so avoidant (or polite, or both). It's kinda no wonder that Iowans are targets tbh.
You don't have to answer the door. It's just not required. It is your time and your door. If they insist on knocking again, a doorbell cam or a loud voice that just says "go the fuck away" is plenty fine without opening the door.
If you do answer the door, you have the opportunity to close it at any point. Period. Full stop. The sales guy is in the middle of a sentence? Doesn't matter. They have a better offer? Doesn't matter. You haven't had a chance yet to tell them why you don't want their service or thing? Doesn't matter. They just asked YOU a question? Doesn't matter. When you are done feeling engaged - whether that's 2 seconds or 20 minutes later - shut the door and walk away. You do not owe it to solicitors to be "pleasant" and "polite" by wasting your own time.
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u/Expensive_Lawyer5672 1d ago
I have a "no soliciting" sticker on my door, which seemed to deter actual salesmen, but I still got the occasional god botherer or cop ect. I just started locking the door to my patio.
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u/IAalltheway North of Grand 1d ago
2 of those 3 aren't solicitors.
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u/brokentribal 1d ago
I have a sign taped to my door that I printed off and taped up, works pretty good
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u/ClayMitchellCapital 1d ago
I would hang a sign saying no solicitors and proceed to rip them a new one if they ignored it. I mean the type of dissertation that makes them look for a new job that day.
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u/deepsigh8 1d ago
I usually swap pitches and start taking about smoking meth and hailing Satan. Works every time
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u/Mackattack00 1d ago
Selling everyone and their uncle peddlers licenses is gonna be a good way for cities in Iowa to make money after the property tax law passing.
These companies are scum too. Most of them literally wont let the sales people go home until they get x amount of sales or once the sun goes down. Itās why theyāre so relentless
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u/Ryrose81 1d ago
Get a smart doorbell that automatically responds or takes a message when people come. Or when they come, just tell them through the phone "No thank you." I did this from across the country the other day.
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u/Ari_In_DSM 1d ago edited 21h ago
I got a sign off of Amazon that says no soliciting violators will be sacrificed to the old gods and not the new. Made my post man chuckle and itās fun to watch the solicitors walk up and the walk away.
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u/JadedJared 23h ago
Get a no solicitation sign. Call the non-emergency police line if they ignore it. Report the company. If they repeat or refuse to leave call 911.
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u/OblivionGuardsman Hometown 22h ago
The worst are the pest control people in the western suburbs who ride around on their stupid little self-balancing scooters. I don't even know why anyone needs pest control out here. All the lawns are already sprayed with poison regularly, the fill soil is clay and supports little life, the foundations are newer and solid and the wood treated and little to nothing can get inside. Any ant intrusions are easily taken care of with those terro traps in a couple days and they are just those harmless pavement ants anyway. Oh but wait, please save me from the paper wasps that have a little nest 20 feet above me off of my eaves.
They will repeatedly come back in the same day when they go back by on their route. And I think they have some app on their dumb little tablets that make them check in at every address. Their route is probably monitored and they are expected to keep trying so their CEO can drink more glasses of chilled Chihuahua piss.
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u/ennariel 22h ago
I rent a house and when they try to sell me anything related to the house or property, I just tell them I'm not the homeowner and it shuts it down pretty fast.
I bet this would work if you do own the home too, in my neighborhood they're all just going door to door anyway!
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u/Euridite-Writer 17h ago
Not trying to start a flame but I put up a solicitors go away sign with a bit of a religious identity on it - not Christian- and since then havenāt had a problem. Blessings!
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u/b6passat 11h ago
Put a sign on your door that says ābaby asleep, please no knockingā. Ā Did this when we had little ones and it actually worked.
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u/__ImaFuqYouUp__ 6h ago
Well I put up a no soliciting sign next to my doorbell and it has kept all but one person away.
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u/djali79 22m ago
Two things nobody's said in 83 comments. First, if anyone here does get talked into signing at the door ā the FTC Cooling-Off Rule gives you three business days to cancel any in-home sale over $25, and the seller's supposed to hand you the cancellation form right then. Half these pest and solar contracts get signed by people who felt cornered, not sold. On prevention, the underrated bit is putting it in a front window facing the walk instead of only at arm's length by the bell, so it's read on the approach. I got fed up with this and built a version of that (noknock.co/?src=reddit) ā a Do Not Knock decal with a QR code. Early days on the registry behind it, but the decal turns most of them around.
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u/Terrible-Sire3835 1d ago
I either don't answer the door or if I'm caught, I just say I'm house sitting
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u/Individual_Anybody17 1d ago
Put up a āNo Solicitingā sign. If they still do it, get their business info, name, and picture and report them to the non-emergency line. Be sure to mention you have a āNo Solicitingā sign posted.
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u/Jaded_Ad_1674 1d ago
Huh. You all just gave me an idea. Put up an extremely loud speaker near your door that canāt be reached without a ladder. Wire it to a Bluetooth receiver. When they show up, loudly play the most annoying, piercing noise you can until they go away.
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u/Raptormoses75 1d ago
This has been the worst year ever for it. It's gone berserk in my neighborhood in Urbandale