Share your pushy salesman stories

I was a regular blood donor for many years, apart from a 12 month hiatus after a visit to the jungles of South America, where I could conceivably have contracted malaria (I didn't). Then, some time around 2000, the CJD scare led to a new rule that if you had lived in Western Europe in the 1980s (and presumably were not a vegetarian) you could no longer donate blood. I met those criteria at my next visit and my donation was refused. I then began to receive calls requesting that I make an appointment to donate! :facepalm: After several requests, these calls stopped coming.
 
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Wow Sue J and Meadbh!

I'm a bit cranky about my blood donor experience. I really did not like this "sales call". I'm really thinking of going to the other donation pool in my area and trying them out. Rumor has it that they have better perks. I don't care about cookies. I just don't want people shaking me down to donate.
 
1) Similar experience to OP's - responded to an ADT Security ad for some big discount. Salesman shows up and Mr. A. lets him in. Turns out the "discount" is just to get the price down to what a contract costs anyway; they quote you an inflated "original price" to start with. Mr. A. says we'll have to think about that, thank you. I walk away, expecting Mr. A. to escort the salesman out the door. Instead, as I lurk in an adjacent room, I overhear the salesman demanding that we make a decision NOW. I reappear to see Mr. A., looking confused, with this big, tall [body part] half his age standing over him like he's going to MAKE him sign the contract. "Is there a problem here?" I say in deadly tones. "No Ma'am, I was just trying to explain to your husband..." "Please leave our home."

2) Constantly getting on-line and mail ads, "Are you ready for a walk-in bathtub?" Actually I wish there would be a human sales person, so I could ask them: What do you mean, ready...What is this...something you have to work your way up to? And wouldn't you have to sit there, stark naked, while all the water drains out? And if it's meant for invalids, then who cleans the tub?

Amethyst
 
Amethyst said:
2) Constantly getting on-line and mail ads, "Are you ready for a walk-in bathtub?" Actually I wish there would be a human sales person, so I could ask them: What do you mean, ready...What is this...something you have to work your way up to? And wouldn't you have to sit there, stark naked, while all the water drains out? And if it's meant for invalids, then who cleans the tub?

Amethyst
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It turns out a that a few years ago I signed up on the DMA site to stop junk mail. It hasn't stopped it, but it clearly slowed down.

For example, AARP never gave me a request to join. Hence, I then don't get all the other weird stuff like walk in tubs.

Now my dad gets them all. Thankfully I now have control over his phone and screen everything. Some of the calls are just plain disgusting. They are very clearly targeted to dupe a 90 year old. They are sharks and they smell blood in the water.

And Dad is vulnerable to a degree. He once bought a cemetery plot he didn't want. (Got out of that via "cool down" rules.) He also invited a security system guy into the house. This was in the 70s. Dad was impressed until the guy quoted the price. My dad blew up and chased the guy out of the house. I never saw him act like that before. It made an impression on me.
 
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The worst offenders I run into periodically are the door-to-door salespeople for Jesus. Talk about won't take no for an answer. Guess with God on their side, the Beware of Dogs sign wasn't enough of a deterrent. One time a pair of orthodox evangelicals got past my usually locked gate, made it all the way to the door, before my 4 Rottweilers figured it out. I mentioned that the dogs out back would be coming around any moment. Problem solved.
 
ronin said:
The worst offenders I run into periodically are the door-to-door salespeople for Jesus. Talk about won't take no for an answer.
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I've often wondered if answering the door naked would end that conversation before it even started?

Most of these ultra-religious people I've met seem to be prudes, and I bet the shock of somebody answering the door in their birthday suit would be enough to run them off.
 
I try not to get my undies in a twist over pushy salescritters. Maybe because I worked in sales at one time, also managed sales people. Whatever the reason, I view them like a commercial or bad show on TV - time to change the channel or turn the set off.
 
I have a large card that I keep near the front door that says, "NO RELIGION SOLICITORS, PLEASE".

If I see them in the neighborhood, I put the card in the window on the storm door and they turn around as soon as they see it.

A new twist is now they approach you out in the shopping areas. I was at my corner where I'm a crossing guard and I saw a car park a few stores away. The guy got out and approached a few people before he got to me. I saw him coming so I already knew what he was doing.

Our worst in-home salesman was from a replacement window company. We called to have an estimate for the whole house and the guy was very nice but after 2 hours I told him I needed a number already. After 3 hours I told him just give me an estimate for this one window and I'd know if he was in the range of our other estimate. After 4 hours he finally gave us a number but I wanted specifics per room in case we didn't do the whole house all at once. He couldn't do that, but if we signed TODAY there was a discount and free yada yada, whatever.

We told him he was much higher than we expected and that it was time for him to go, helped him pack up his demo and his samples and helped him leave. He acted like he was so surprised that we didn't jump on his estimate and sign right then!
 
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Sue J said:
I wanted specifics per room in case we didn't do the whole house all at once. He couldn't do that, but if we signed TODAY there was a discount and free yada yada, whatever.
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That's what annoys me about places like that (Champion Windows is typical). They deluge you with coupons and special offers of XX PERCENT OFF but you can never get their list prices to see what it's a percentage off of. They simply won't give you the price of anything, since "it's all custom."
 
For those who have ever been bothered by telemarketers.

 
ronin said:
The worst offenders I run into periodically are the door-to-door salespeople for Jesus. Talk about won't take no for an answer.
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True story: Back in the 70s the worst offenders were the Jehovah's witnesses. One of my high school friends had really cool atheist or agnostic parents (not sure which). Mom was ethnic and raised Jewish and dad was Sicilian. Needless to say they were loud and outspoken household. Well, the JW folks were at the door doing their thing. His mom listened to them and then invited to come back that evening when their Satanic Church group would be meeting at their home (which was completely made up.) they never came back.



Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
 
Sue J said:
A new twist is now they approach you out in the shopping areas. I was at my corner where I'm a crossing guard and I saw a car park a few stores away. The guy got out and approached a few people before he got to me. I saw him coming so I already knew what he was doing.
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Just today I was loading my groceries into my car when I saw a woman talking tosome other shoppers in a car a few spots away from mine. It seemed a little odd but I just kept loading my groceries, as I had a lot of them.

I got into my car and that woman came over to my window and started her shtick about Jesus and God. I quickly told her I'm an atheist (which I am) and that ended her shtick very quickly. She politely told me to have a nice day and continued moving through the parking lot. As I was leaving the lot, I saw her doing her shtick with the store's security guard (who, I thought would have evicted her already because it is private property) who was outside.
 
scrabbler1 said:
.............I got into my car and that woman came over to my window and started her shtick about Jesus and God. I quickly told her I'm an atheist (which I am) and that ended her shtick very quickly. She politely told me to have a nice day and continued moving through the parking lot. As I was leaving the lot, I saw her doing her shtick with the store's security guard (who, I thought would have evicted her already because it is private property) who was outside.
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I can sympathize with her. I'm always trying to move people over to Vanguard.
 
We get a normal amount of proselytizers at the door. Without fail they leave when I explain I'm not interested and wish them good luck in their next contact. No confrontation, no stress, I'm polite and give them the normal respect due a human.

Read that when asked for a phone number to use as a store member that a local area code and Jenny's number is a safe bet, as someone usually uses it when signing up. (xxx-867-54 oh nieeine). The one time I tried it at Harbor Freight it didn't work, but give it a shot for entertainment!
 
While walking with my child and grandchild at a BigBox store one of the ladies demoing various cleaning wipes spotted us and tried to sell us a huge box of the wipes. I explained to her they were returning home on an airplane and did not have room to bring the box. She would not give up and actually followed us for about 30 feet trying to get us to buy the wipes. Finally, my child took a box and put it into the cart just to shut her up. We ended up ditching the box of wipes near the canned peaches.
 
calmloki said:
Read that when asked for a phone number to use as a store member that a local area code and Jenny's number is a safe bet, as someone usually uses it when signing up. (xxx-867-54 oh nieeine). The one time I tried it at Harbor Freight it didn't work, but give it a shot for entertainment!
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It's 867-5309! I use that a lot, especially on Web sites where a phone number is required so that you can proceed. They always have my valid e-mail address (the spamcatcher one) so they can contact me if there's a genuine need.

Another thought on pushy salespeople: I used to get cold calls at the office from stock boiler room types; I'm an actuary and directories were available for purchase. I was doing just fine investing on my own, thank you, but what really got rid of them was my sob story that my husband had been unemployed the last 3,4,5 years and we had a small child and, later, that I was a divorced mother trying to take care of my son with no child support. All of it was true, of course. :D If they concluded that that meant I had no money, it was OK with me.
 
athena53 said:
It's 867-5309! I use that a lot, especially on Web sites where a phone number is required so that you can proceed. ....
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'splains things - thanks! my mind gets ... close on some stuff.
 
ronin said:
The worst offenders I run into periodically are the door-to-door salespeople for Jesus. Talk about won't take no for an answer. Guess with God on their side, the Beware of Dogs sign wasn't enough of a deterrent. One time a pair of orthodox evangelicals got past my usually locked gate, made it all the way to the door, before my 4 Rottweilers figured it out. I mentioned that the dogs out back would be coming around any moment. Problem solved.
Click to expand...

I live in a non-solicitation state and when I get people at the door I ask them if they have a permit from the county and if the answer is no, simply tell them to hold on, and then call in to the county sheriff non-emergency number and report them all the while they stand there and listen. Most are apologetic and say they were unaware and I tell them to save it for the deputy.
 
One thing about pushy salespeople is that they are self supporting, not on welfare which means not on the taxpayer's dime. A non-pushy salesperson is a former salesperson. So I'm fine with pushy salespeople, or anyone else who is not on my dime and is not going to violently accost me.

Ha
 
Timeshare. 2006, learned something new that day. The titanic exhibit did seem to be a bit better knowing I had to endure an hour of high pressure pitches...oh wait, no it wasn't. Too bad groupon didn't exist back then.

Step 1, decline and state you are there for the free show tix.
Step 2. decline salespersons boss who is bigger, dressed nicer and has some jewelry
Step 3. decline third and final bosses boss salesman after hearing "Spiels".
Steo 4. Finally got those darn free tix.
 
I selected a VCR to purchase back in the 80s. The salesperson wrote up the receipt and told me it would be X amount plus Y amount for the extended warranty. I told him I didn't want an extended warranty and he said, "but I've already included it." I told him to rewrite the receipt or I was leaving the store. I should have just walked out.

When I was buying my first car the salesperson told me he needed my car keys (I had a rental car) before they would let me test drive a car. Upon returning from the test drive I told him I wasn't interested in buying the car and wanted my keys back. He told me he had to get them from his manager who wouldn't give them to him unless I met with them both. I told him (while giving my best Charlie Manson stare) to give me the keys or I was walking to a pay phone and reporting the car as stolen. He promptly returned my car keys.
 
Helen said:
...wasn't interested in buying the car and wanted my keys back. He told me he had to get them from his manager who wouldn't give them to him unless I met with them both. I told him (while giving my best Charlie Manson stare) to give me the keys or I was walking to a pay phone and reporting the car as stolen. He promptly returned my car keys.
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I kept hearing stories about a dealership in another district (I was a police officer) that pulled that stunt. Inevitably the officer told the salesman that if he didn't get those keys right now they would be arrested. Inevitably they always managed to find the keys quickly.
 
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