Earlier today, some people came to my door about fiber optic internet. I told them to come back when my mom is home (I’m 16). They came back later, then again around 6pm. My aunt answered the door and eventually shut it on them after they tried to keep the conversation going. Then, they came back at 8pm, and I opened the door and told them, ‘We don’t want whatever you’re selling, please stop coming.’ Should I be worried about this? They weren’t dressed in uniforms, just normal clothes and seemed to be in their 20s. It feels kind of odd, and now my family is making me worry about it…
You don’t have to open the door for anyone.
I’d suggest reporting it to your local police department if they show up again.
SecuritySam said:
I’d suggest reporting it to your local police department if they show up again.
I plan to if they come back. I’m just not sure what they could do if they’re not here, you know?
@Milo
It’s mainly to keep track of them, just in case they are a scam or possibly casing the area for a robbery. If it wasn’t the same person each time, it could be a group of solicitors working together. I’ve seen this happen with people around my grandmother’s house in TX. A bunch of 20-somethings came asking if she wanted this service. It was annoying but harmless. Still, it’s better to be safe.
@SecuritySam
Oh, my bad, it definitely was the same people. That’s why I thought it was a bit sketchy. I appreciate your response, and I’ll definitely call if anything else happens. Thanks a lot!
I just say, ‘No thanks’ or ‘Not interested’ and close the door. Don’t worry about what they’re saying or if they’re still talking. They’re used to it. If it’s someone casing your house, it doesn’t really give them any extra info since they probably already know you’re home.
What you might not be saying is that these fiber optic people weren’t all the same people—it could be a series of different solicitors during the day. They’re working on commission, so they can be persistent. The communication between them is likely poor. But that 8pm thing—knocking on people’s doors in the dark—could be against local codes. Really dumb move these days.
@Jace
I try to be polite when I turn them down. My wife reminds me to be nice, too. Last summer, someone rang my doorbell at 9:30 pm. I opened the door and said, ‘What the hell are you doing ringing my doorbell at this time?’ They said, ‘We’re putting fiber in the neighborhood.’ I told them, ‘Even if I wanted your internet, I won’t now because you woke my kids up. Get off my property.’
My local fiber company has changed names a few times over the years—Verizon, Frontier, Ziply. Any technician that came had a marked van and ID, so you knew they were legit. They only came for scheduled appointments. The only salespeople I had were from Comcast after I cancelled them. The guy came in his personal car, but he had a logo, business card, and ID. Be careful and suspicious, and just don’t open the door. You can always speak loudly through it.
I’d love to have fiber optic internet in my area so I could actually get sold fiber optic internet.
Paul said:
I’d love to have fiber optic internet in my area so I could actually get sold fiber optic internet.
Yeah, I got it from a door-to-door salesperson. It was cheaper than Spectrum and faster. Upload speed is insane.
Paul said:
I’d love to have fiber optic internet in my area so I could actually get sold fiber optic internet.
I want it too, but they seem really sketchy, and my mom is suspicious of them. I don’t really play online or anything, so I’m good for now, but still, it’s frustrating.
It depends on what they were trying to do. Were they just selling you internet, or were they asking for permission to run the cable to your house? For example, in my city, the main Telco ran fiber optic cables everywhere, and they needed me to give them permission to bring the cable from the right of way to my house. I didn’t need to subscribe, but if I wanted to later, I’d have to pay extra. If you already have fiber to your house, they were probably just trying to sell you internet service. Let me know if you need more info.
@Deepika
They might have been trying to figure out where the utilities are so they don’t hit them while running the cable.
We had fiber buried last year, and AT&T sent reps around to tell us when it was available. It was pretty obvious when they buried the fiber, though. If they didn’t have any brochures or something to give you, it’s a bit strange.