"Hello, I'm here to look at your energy bill...

[Deleted]

It does not. I actually gained from a salesman knocking on my door.

It depends from salesman to salesman though, you have those who just want to sell you something you could use and you have those who try to sell you whatever most benefit is to their own pockets.

I good salesman can sell you something you need and not just the most expensive...you also trust the company more if you feel they aren't emptying your pockets.

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In most of Europe discussing finances and money is considered vulgar, I certainly won't volunteer that information to a door to door salesman, the only people that know my financial state are my partner and my bank manager.

How much you earn maybe, it's a first I hear of people thinking how much their electric bills are considered private information. How can someone offer you a better price and service if you aren't willing to give information they need to calculate it.

Not all door salesman are scammers. If you notice they are they fly out the door though. :P

[Pitkanen]

Mama said, "Don't talk to strangers who want to look at your financial documents."

If they can offer me a better rate, they can leave me their rate and I"ll compare the numbers on my own.

[Masark]

There are better ways to make a sale than to ask for very personal information.

Why bother to make a sale when you can just sign them up for it fraudulently? The former is so much more efficient.

They will then try and switch you to the price protection plan whether you have agreed to it or not - they now have your account number;

[Deleted]

It depends from salesman to salesman though, you have those who just want to sell you something you could use and you have those who try to sell you whatever most benefit is to their own pockets.

I good salesman can sell you something you need and not just the most expensive...you also trust the company more if you feel they aren't emptying your pockets.

Well, people who try to sell me art or such things just gets the door slammed in their faces. They have 10 seconds to say something that catches my interest, such as the guy from the energy company, when I opened the door he introduced himself and then asked how much I pay for my electricity, responded to him and he told me he can offer me a deal cheaper for me. Listened to him and he calculated how much I'd pay with the company he represented, my electricity bill went down by $30 from just a what... 10 minute conversation with him?

[Deleted]

Well, people who try to sell me art or such things just gets the door slammed in their faces. They have 10 seconds to say something that catches my interest, such as the guy from the energy company, when I opened the door he introduced himself and then asked how much I pay for my electricity, responded to him and he told me he can offer me a deal cheaper for me. Listened to him and he calculated how much I'd pay with the company he represented, my electricity bill went down by $30 from just a what... 10 minute conversation with him?

Well of course, but at least I give them a chance to say what they are trying to sell. If I'm not interested I'm polite and say so...I've yet to meet a person who was pushy if I acted like a sane person. Those people for charity are crazy motherfuckers though...they attempt to guilt trip ya the second the door goes open.

[Deleted]

Well of course, but at least I give them a chance to say what they are trying to sell. If I'm not interested I'm polite and say so...I've yet to meet a person who was pushy if I acted like a sane person. Those people for charity are crazy motherfuckers though...they attempt to guilt trip ya the second the door goes open.

I've had someone ask me to buy their drawings because they have a daughter that's ill in cancer. I closed the door on him as soon as he mentioned cancer, I don't think he expected that. If I had the money I'd donate to organizations aimed at helping cancer patients instead of helping a single person, if his daughter was even ill. If he even had a daughter.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

How sure are you that it was a bill scam and not somebody attempting to case your house for burglary?

[RaenavenBlacksun]

NYSEG actually told us to expect the different gas companies to come to us, and for us as consumers to pick what worked best to insure the best rate. Only one person showed up ever, and I think we saved all of $10/mo on our bill, because we didn't have to cover the fees charged by NYSEG for them purchasing power from that company.

So in few instances it would be legit, but always call your utility provider to make sure the person at the door is genuine.

[Marine1]

I once had a guy knock on my door at 9:00 PM. He asked if I was interested in buying any steaks. I looked down behind him and sure enough, there was a radio flyer wagon full of steaks. I couldn't shut the door fast enough.

[Yunru]

Ah..the door salesman. The perfect cure is to have a dog. 95% less of them at your door.

Pretty much because dogs bark so loud that salesman cant talk to you.

[icausewipes]

Other energy companies have to able to compete and that's why ppl get door-to-door sales reps. Some are legit and some are:


http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/201...ing-customers/

[oxymoronic]

It's illegal to do door-to-door sales where I live...

even for kids?

[Realsykes]

There are better ways to make a sale than to ask for very personal information.

I never said what he did was right. I'm just saying he was more than likely legit, however his way of going about the sales pitch was retarded and noob status. I'll bet my left nut he wanted to see them because he wanted to see the remainder fo the time left on your contract, to judge if he should follow through with the sale or not. It sucks going through it all and finding out you can't even sell it to the person, because to buy out their contract you'd be making very little of not in the negative.

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Why bother to make a sale when you can just sign them up for it fraudulently? The former is so much more efficient.

What you linked is to, that idea, is bullshit. That can't happen, they'd have to buy out the contract.

[Reeve]

Yeah if someone was asking to see my bills I would tell them to leave. If that wasn't enough we'd escalate from there.

Yeah, anyone asking to see my personal documents unsolicited is going to get a door swung shut in their face.

[brimdog]

How sure are you that it was a bill scam and not somebody attempting to case your house for burglary?

Intriguing. Thinking now, I would say 90% sure it was a scam.

[Charge me Doctor]

Wow, i haven't seen people do this thing since like, 1990s. I would say them to fuck off, and if they wouldn't, i would call police

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In most of Europe discussing finances and money is considered vulgar, I certainly won't volunteer that information to a door to door salesman, the only people that know my financial state are my partner and my bank manager.

It is in England, but i doubt that it is anywhere else

[Radio]

Have a screen door + wooden door combo, open the wooden door and maintain a physical barrier and lock between you and the salesman!

Or just live in an apartment building where you need FOB access to get into the hallways.

I've always just maintained a 'not interested' rule though, I get plenty of practice in the CBD with the charity workers and such.

[Barnabas]

Yeah the deal lasts for maybe 2 months and then you end up paying a dollar more for gas. It's not worth it. Not showing your bills and personal information to random strangers should just be common sense.

[Deleted]

Yeah the deal lasts for maybe 2 months and then you end up paying a dollar more for gas. It's not worth it. Not showing your bills and personal information to random strangers should just be common sense.

You are going to waste a lot of money with such a closed mind. Be it your electrical or gas company, keep checking prices at least on a 6month base, theres a shitload of money to be spared by doing this.

[Noomz]

and make sure that you are locked into our price protection program."

Guy knocked on my door the other day asking to see my PG and E bill (local gas and electricity provider). He was from one of the companies that sells gas to PG and E. These companies have been trying to get customers to buy directly from them, as opposed to thru PG and E - who are able to sell the utilities to their customers, such as me, at low prices due to their own bulk purchasing discounted price. So, the companies that sell their utilities to PG and E go door to door and ask to see a copy of your utility bill.

They will try and tell you that since you do not have the "price protection plan" service in place on your bill that you are paying too much for gas. They will try and explain that PG and E, or whoever you buy from, are not giving you the best prices as this provider currently sells the gas to PG and E for less than what you pay. They will then try and switch you to the price protection plan whether you have agreed to it or not - they now have your account number; you may not even know this has happened for a few months.

It is defiantly shady business practices yet the companies are legit, and are only trying to get customers to buy directly from them. To some people the protection plans may even seem like a savings, which is all part of the scheme. You may be told that you will receive any number of discounts or rebates or anything else that may sound too good to be true (like prepaid credit cards). The reality is that you get locked into a contract with this new company.

In short: don't be like most of my neighbors and get scammed because someone you don't know knocked on your door and asked to look at your personal bills / statements.

THey have absolutely no right to do that. It's a severe breach of privacy. They have no legal right to do that.
I'd tell them to fuck off, like all other scammers.