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Keep Those Pesky Jacksonville Solic­itors off Your Doorstep!

home with text on keep pesky solicitors off your doorstep!

Has a door to door solicitor ever robbed you of your time before? Plenty of Jacksonville home owners have experi­enced the irritating feeling of sitting down after a long day of work, only to hear their doorbell ring and find a salesman on the other side of it. Once you have engaged solic­itors, getting rid of them can often be a nightmare, and your time isn’t the only thing they are after! 

Most door to door salesmen are trained to hoodwink” unassuming homeowners. They can subtly manip­ulate or guilt you into making purchases that you both don’t need AND don’t want. If you know how to effec­tively deal with these irritating invaders, you can shut your door on them for good!

How to engage with solicitors

image of a home with 3 outlines of people

The simplest way to ward off these pests is to clearly and firmly state no” upon their pitch or request for your time. Of course, it is rarely that easy. Most of these salesmen will have been trained and condi­tioned not to take no for an answer. They will likely try to continue their pitch, or hook you back into the conver­sation despite clearly being dismissed. 

A good rule of thumb is to tell a repre­sen­tative no” or not inter­ested” one time and if he or she continues after that, simply shut the door.

What if they use a guilt angle? It can be pretty hard to say no to a young man or woman requesting donations for a supposedly good cause. If this is the method they use on you, the first question you need to ask yourself is how much do I know about this organi­zation?”. If it’s a local Jacksonville charity that you are familiar with, and a charity you would honestly like to donate to, explain that you would like to donate via mail or at their local office/​headquarters.

There are plenty of scammers who will use local charities and good will to squeeze money out of unsus­pecting victims. If the charity they represent is one you’ve never heard of, explain that you would like to do your own research into the charity before committing to a donation.

Preventing Unwanted Solicitors

private property sign

Knowing how to deal with solic­itors is important, sure, but it’s obviously more ideal to keep them off your doorstep entirely. If you hang a no solic­iting” sign somewhere in your yard is likely enough to deter most of them. If you happen to have a large dog, or simply place a beware of dog” sign in your yard, you will likely keep most from setting foot on your property.

Keep in mind that some will knock regardless, in which case you may desire video monitoring. Video monitoring will allow you to see who is at your door before you open it, and can even be used to record activity when you are not at home. That might seem like overkill, but it’s important to know that many burglars will pose as solic­itors. It provides a good cover-identity for them, offers oppor­tunity to inspect property and targets, and allows them to determine whether you are at home.

If you decide to engage with a solicitor, it is important that you remain outside of your home while you do so. That is because some of them might actually be casing your home while pretending to peddle merchandise. If you allow a profes­sional criminal into your home, they can easily assess the layout and identify where your valuables are located.

Truth­fully, most solic­itors are simply irritating to deal with and not a danger to your home. It is still best to avoid taking a risk with the security and well-being of your home and family. Contact Bates Security and arm your home with the enhanced security your home deserves. Keep your home safe, secure, and solicitor free!