Photo of actual solicitor in Lamorinda neighborhood
Dear Creekville,
Recently a door-to-door salesperson came by my house trying to sell an alarm system. They sounded so convincing that I gave my name, number, address and told them to check with my husband. Is this legitimate or should I have told them to go away?
You’re not the only one getting these solicitors going door to door trying to sell things. Driving by the other day I found a swarm of solicitors walking around one neighborhood with clipboards and blue shirts (see above photo). Personally, when it comes to alarm systems I would tread very carefully because they may be casing your home trying to find out what kind of security you have. What I would say is that you already have an alarm system (even if you don’t), and “no thank you”. Even if they are legitimate, how would you know? Better to get recommendations from friends or go with a larger, more reputable company that doesn’t need to go door-to-door. The Walnut Creek Police Department recently put out a press release about what you can do:
As summer starts we historically see an increase in solicitors in our community. The police department consistently receives calls regarding solictors from the public. It is legal for a person to solicit others at their homes as long as they obey the Walnut Creek Municipal Code’s rules and regulations governing solicitors (http://www.codepublishing.com/ca/walnutcreek/).
The common violations of solicitors are failing to obtain a permit from the City, disobeying a no solicitor sign, soliciting outside of the hours allowed and being too agressive with citizens.
A common misconception is to believe a solicitor with a permit from the City has gone through a criminal background check or some other means have been done to ensure this person is a “safe” person to be soliciting. This is not true. Our current Municipal Code does not allow for a denial of a permit based on prior criminal history or failure to disclose criminal history.
Check out suggestions on what to do after the jump…