An elderly Richmond Beach resident recently reported an aggressive vacuum salesman came to her door and “barged in” to demonstrate a Kirby vacuum.
Ruth Heineman, 89, said the white male in his 50s, well-dressed and well-mannered, did his demo and then wanted her to buy the vacuum for $1,100. She said, “Not today,” and the salesman said he’d come back, which he did several days later.
“He wasn’t threatening, and I did get my rug fairly well cleaned,” Heineman said.
Heineman is a regular customer of all-city vacuum on Aurora and was told the door-to-door sales pitch is a scam.
To handle such situations, police officials suggest a number of safety precautions:
• Always ask for identification to verify what company the sales person is working for — if he or she is unable to provide identification, ask them to leave.
• Never invite a solicitor inside.
• Be cautious about giving solicitors personal checks and do not give them a credit card number or Social Security Number.
• Orders are required to be in writing, in duplicate so customers get a copy, stating the name of the solicitor as it appears on their license, the solicitor’s permit number, the address of the solicitor and their employer, terms of the agreement and the amount of money or checks paid to the solicitor.
• If a solicitor becomes aggressive or won’t take “no” for an answer, ask them to leave, shut the door and call 911.
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