Unwanted solicitors

[Medusa]

Do what Seinfeld did, Ellie. Tell the caller "I can't talk right now but give me your home phone number and I'll call you back. Oh, you don't want me to call you at home? Well, now you know how I feel!"

[Taz_Zoee]

Do what Seinfeld did, Ellie. Tell the caller "I can't talk right now but give me your home phone number and I'll call you back. Oh, you don't want me to call you at home? Well, now you know how I feel!"

That's a great one!!!

I do not get calls, except from our local newspaper and survey things.
We do get people at the door, and if I see them coming (I live in a court, so I can sometimes catch them going to the neighbors houses) I'll shut the door and just not answer it. However, the dogs barking their heads off gives me away. But if I do answer it I'll leave the storm door closed and talk through the screen. I just stick to my guns and say no thanks, and that I don't own the house and my boyfriend isn't home. Or that I have family in the field of whatever they are trying to sell. We don't get an annoying amount of door knockers though, luckily.
The sign should work though. They aren't "supposed" to approach houses with a sign. At least that's what I've heard.

[Medusa]

Actually, I hardly get any solicitors, no phone calls and occasionally a kid will come to sell something for school. I just tell them 'no thanx' and that's it. You might do as you mentioned; put up a No Solicitors sign.

[K9karen]

Ellie, I was just thinking of putting up a No Solicitation sign on my door. If one more person rings my bell selling windows ("we're working in your neighborhood") or religious advise, roofing blah, blah, blah I'm going to scream. This morning I didn't answer the bell and let Mz Logan bark them away. Ugh.

If I get a solicitaion on my land line, I let it go to my cell, then delete it. I have an ages old land line which I've been meaning to disconnect but hang on to it "just in case" (of what I don't know )

That's it. The sign will go up this week. It's annoying and I'm losing my cool.

[Karen]

Karen, Ellie, don't let go of your land line. 911 depends on them. If you have an emergency where you cannot speak, like a heart attack, stroke, or some falls, a cell phone cannot instantly give them an address where you can be found. A land line does. All you need to be able to do is knock it off the hook and hit 911 - and they can find you. With a cell phone a) reception depends on where in the house you are at time, b) if you cannot speak clearly enough for them to understand your address, they have no idea where you are. Yes, eventually they can triangulate the signal using cell towers, but while they are getting that coordinated, and all the companies on board with it, irreparable harm may be happening to your heart, brain or both.

Be safe. Keep the land line, okay?

[Moesha]

A "No Trespassing" sign might work better than the "No Solicitation" one. Also, just like with the phone calls you could politely ask that the people that come to your door make a notation that you don't wish for them to come to your home. I know that is an option for some of the religious people that stop. Or you might try just listening to them once. They aren't coming because they want to bother you but because they care, even though you may not see it that way. Just think of it from their point of view for a minute. They aren't getting paid and are actually expending time, effort and money themselves. Why would they be willing to do that? Perhaps you could ask the next one that comes and listen to the answer they give. Or just go with one of the other options listed.

[pomtzu]

Karen, Ellie, don't let go of your land line. 911 depends on them. If you have an emergency where you cannot speak, like a heart attack, stroke, or some falls, a cell phone cannot instantly give them an address where you can be found. A land line does. All you need to be able to do is knock it off the hook and hit 911 - and they can find you. With a cell phone a) reception depends on where in the house you are at time, b) if you cannot speak clearly enough for them to understand your address, they have no idea where you are. Yes, eventually they can triangulate the signal using cell towers, but while they are getting that coordinated, and all the companies on board with it, irreparable harm may be happening to your heart, brain or both.

Be safe. Keep the land line, okay?

Karen - this is what a rescue alert system does, and you don't even have to get to a phone to call 911. You remember the commercial "I've fallen and I can't get up"??? All you have to do is push the panic button that you wear and it rings the response center. They in turn place a call back to you and you can tell them what you need, or if they can't reach you, they notify the contacts you have on file with them and also call 911. You don't have to be able to reach the phone to talk to them either since the call they make back goes to a monitor that is hooked into the phone, and it has a speaker. I could fall in my bedroom, and I could talk to them even tho the monitor is hooked to the phone in the kitchen. It has a 600' range, so I could even activate it if something happened outside in the yard, tho I wouldn't be able to hear a call back from them. In about 5 minutes I'd hear the paramedics siren tho!!!
Unfortunately I didn't have this system when I fell outside 3 years ago and broke my hip. It's because of that, that I got it in the first place, so I probably will keep it. Like I said - with my luck............


ETA:
Moe - the reason I don't want to deal with the religious callers, is that I know what sect they are, and their beliefs are just not in line with mine. I know they mean well, but I'm just not a believer that one has to peddle religion. My departed father-in-law made the mistake of listening to a group of them one time that came to his house, and then they were forever perusing him. Once they get that proverbial "foot in the door", then you had better be prepared for frequent visits.

[Pinot's Mom]

Ellie, we still have a land line as well and I'm quite sure we always will, but we went with a bundle package a while back that included caller ID - BEST thing!! We were always the type that didn't answer the phone during dinner, but now we can glance at the phone and know whether to answer. We don't get many solicitations over the phone, I believe because since day 1 our phone has been unpublished, but some still slip through. Caller ID handles it, though!!

As far as the ones that show up at your door? One I'll never forget. It was two houses ago; we were digging out a VERY stubborn bush with roots to China, we were sweaty and filthy. Jehovah's Witness reps walked up and asked if they could talk to us - DO YOU THINK WE WERE A LITTLE BUSY???

By the way, Coop's stock answer to religious groups that ask if you would come to their church? "I'll visit your church if you'll visit mine." They will NEVER take that invite.

[sparks19]

I don't

I dont answer the phone if i dont know the number... They can leave a message if its important and i dont answer the door if i dont know who it is

I am seriously just too nice. The reason i dont amswer the phone or the door if i dont know who it is is because i just cant be mean. I know they are just average people trying to earn a living and i just cant be like "screw you dont bother me"

Jehovas witnesses love me because i just cant turn people away lol i always listen to their schpeel

[pomtzu]

Do what Seinfeld did, Ellie. Tell the caller "I can't talk right now but give me your home phone number and I'll call you back. Oh, you don't want me to call you at home? Well, now you know how I feel!"

That's a good one, Mary. Love it - maybe I'll try it if I don't go the answering machine route.