Earlier this month, the Alamance County Sheriff's Office posted about a door-to-door book salesperson, saying the person was acting suspicious, but not necessarily breaking any laws.
The post went on to say the salesperson was being pushy and belligerent. The Sheriff's Office later posted an update saying they'd talked to the salesperson's manager who would handle the situation.
Regardless of a salesperson's intentions, the situation usually boils down to being a stranger at your door.
Kevin Hinterberger, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau Serving Central Carolina, says you should always be cautious.
"Be very skeptical," he says. "If the deal sounds too good to be true it probably is."
Hinterberger says you shouldn't feel compelled to make a decision or buy something on the spot.
"Tell the person you need to consult with somebody in your family," he explains. "You need to speak to your spouse. You need to speak with some other decision maker in the home. The decision is too big for you to make alone."
He says there are a lot of legitimate businesses that use the door-to-door method, but there can also be a lot of scammers, especially people offering home improvements.
"Know who you’re dealing with," Hinterberger explains. "Get several bids. Don’t make a decision at the door. Take your time and make an informed decision before you have somebody do work on your home or any type of work."
Hinterberger says you should ask for credentials or some form of identification. Check out their license plate if they have a vehicle to see if they might be from another state. Get as much information as you can so you can properly vet the person and the company.
Before you sign anything, make sure it's all written out in a contract. Hinterberger also says if a salesperson is coming to you (meaning they come to your home and you're not going to their place of business) and the purchase or work is more than $25, there is a 3-day cooling off period if you enter into a contract. That means you are allowed to cancel the work or break the contract within 72-hours of signing it. A way to get out of the contract should be clearly spelled out in the contract.
As for the situation in Alamance County, the company the salesperson was working for is called Southwestern Advantage. It has a program for college students to travel and sell educational textbooks as a way to learn sales skills, people skills and gain other experience they can apply to their careers. They are a legitimate company and going door-to-door is part of the sales process.
Over the phone, the salesperson's manager says she talked with the salesperson about the reports and told us he'd been removed from the county for work. She went on to say they want their students to learn from the experiences they face while out in the field.
Southwestern Advantage has an A+ rating with the BBB. For more information on the company, click here.