Pardon the bit of a rant here, but I HATE, yes as in intensely *dislike* solicitation calls and door to door salesman.  I am on all of the do not call lists yet every day is riddled with unwanted calls.  I have taken to blocking them one call at a time, but I am so over it already.

Lately, I have felt I was in telemarketer hell.

Forget about being inundated with robo-calls of all imaginings, especially politics, there are also the people calling about energy choice, alarm systems, phone service, internet service, healthcare, bogus breast cancer charities, insurance, finance, dog poo, you name it. (And even more irritating the majority are incapable of speaking standard English and it is like they are speaking with a mouth full of mashed potatoes.)

For the faux non-profits, I know they are scam boogers who operate outside the confines of “Do Not Call” laws and you have to ASK them to put you on the do not call list.  Today that generally means you have to then call these people back because when you ask if it is a live person and not a robo-call, that often prompts an ignorant response on the telemarketer’s part, not “I am so sorry we bothered you, let me remove your number from our lists.” Or they just hang up on you. If it is an annoying robo-call (which also records on your voice mail), they most often do not give you an option to remove your number and stop the calls.  Of course let us not forget the calls where it is the famous “unknown” or some made up stream of nonsensical numbers you can’t call back to be removed or call block.

Recently I have been inundated.  The political survey takers are absolutely priceless from both parties and don’t shut up. They seem incapable of shutting up, truthfully.  You tell them you are sick of the election season and don’t care if Mickey Mouse is running and instead of saying “thank you, so sorry to disturb you and we’ll remove your number from our lists” they keep talking and often try to guilt you into taking their survey.

Recently I keep getting calls from 609-225-5485.  Internet reverse look up says this number and others in the range which have called belongs to a company called PAETEC (owned now by a company called Windstream Business). When you call the number back sometimes they say they are a company called Informed Marketing Services Inc. 800notes.com has a page on them full of complaints on this number. Ok so maybe the Easter Bunny actually owns the number?

All I want to know from Washington, DC to Harrisburg, PA is why do we register on Do Not Call lists when no one honors them?  And this isn’t my first rodeo, so I get how “non profits” are exempt, but when you get one of them on the line you shouldn’t have to ask twice. Should you? And how come the telemarketers never remove your number?  Why bother reporting them if no one holds them accountable?  Do they all need public shamings or something?

Now additionally  in the realm of unwanted contact come the door to door darlings.  Clean Water Action and Jehovah’s Witnesses I am used to, but this past Sunday I had a new one.

Yes, on a SUNDAY, up my driveway rolls a door to door salesman.  He parked on our lawn next to the road, and comes Mr. Anderson Windows. In his Renewal by  Anderson Windows logo shirt with his Anderson Windows clip board, pen, paperwork. I had no appointment scheduled with Mr. Anderson Windows.

He says “you look busy”.  I responded that I was, and found a door to door solicitation on a Sunday somewhat intrusive. He then proceeds to tell me not to insult him by calling him a door to door salesman and do I treat trick or treaters like this?

Ok, how does one respond? By pointing out the obvious that he was standing in my driveway (trespassing) trying to salesman shmooze me uninvited without an appointment?  Or does one point out he was a little old for trick or treating and a couple of weeks off? (Ok so no, please friends, don’t all show up on October 31st with your children dressed as Anderson Window salesmen!)

I asked him if he had a permit to solicit and he did not show me one and finally walked out of my driveway.

I decided when I was writing this post that I would take the time to call Anderson Windows Corporate Office at 651-264-5150.  This very nice lady referred me to their subsidiary Renewal by Anderson.  The nice lady there was not pleased at my experience and told me that the authorized dealer in our area is an independent out of King of Prussia (866-933-0253 761 5th Avenue #3  King of Prussia, PA 19406
(610) 228-2178 ).  The nice lady is also going to call them – I get the feeling that this is not the protocol Renewal by Anderson wants, let alone door to door salesmen on what is known to so many as the Lord’s day.

My little rant is over and I thank you for your time.  And I really want a copy of the sign in the photo! (So I am posting it again!)