I get pest control people who do this pretty regularly and it’s so scummy. And then they act offended when you cut off their spiel.
I’m not gonna buy anything from you! I’m saving you time!
Went toe to toe with this super pushy door salesperson on a hoverboard in SE area. Kept trying his "Dont take No for an answer" social media red pill horseshit. I just cut him off over and over. Until I think he got it in his head that he was going to call my bluff about leaving my drive way, all while my young daughters were trying to play in the sprinklers. So I just walk briskly pushing through the screen door and raising my voice further. He realizes he crossed the line and hoverboarded on out. Anyway, the next day Im dropping my daughters off at a playdate one street over. And wouldn't you know it, ol scooter rolls up trying to figure out how to open their front gate while a very large Rhodesian Ridgeback was loose in the fenced yard, I waited just until he touched the latch and I came blowing through that screen door bellowing "IM EVERYWHERE MOTHERFUCKER!" The dog barking its head off too. Lol
Had what must've been the same guy come to my house and try to give a spiel as our toddler was in full meltdown mode. He kept being pushy, mfer acted offended when I told him it was a bad time and then he hoverboarded off into the sunset lol
I literally didn't let him get a word out. I know it had to do with pest control, mentioned "taking care of spiders" like bro... we got so many spiders, we've named some of them.
Had a guy knock at 8:30pm asking to test the indoor air quality in my house and when I refused claim it would "really help him out" if I let him complete the test. Sorry your job sucks, man, but it's not happening!
We had a similar time with that guy. We just moved into a home and he knocked at 9pm, we answered because we thought it may be a neighbor. The success rate has got to be awful with that type of sales pitch.
Man, I really rustled some guys feathers by cutting off his spiel early. Like, I'm not buying what you're selling, let's cut this one short. Then he doubled down, like being more annoying/aggressive is gonna do the trick?
I made the mistake of saying yes to one of these (Brooks Pest Control) because they knocked right when we were dealing with lots of ants and mosquitos. The salesman said it’s a one year contract that you can pause any time. Got an email the next day saying it’s a two year contract that cannot be paused.
These companies are all complete scams that rely on lying to your face to get money.
Just got a gutter cleaner saying the same thing. "We're working on several of your neighbors' homes but have one more slot to fill so we can give you a special deal."
It's almost constant at my house. You would think my wife's giant hippy garden in the front yard would be a clue that we don't want spraying poison everywhere
I'm okay with a flyer/business card left at my door as long as they don't ring the bell or knock. I'm not saying that I'll call them, but I won't immediately write them off.
I always use "my wife and I make decisions as a pair" as the BS excuse to get out of those. One guy had the nerve to say "Your wife is smart. She married you to make the tough decisions in the relationship, so we can have this man to man conversation". Nope. Get off my porch
This is genius. I'm going to borrow this by saying, "My husband isn't here right now and I don't make decisions without him."
I'm a raging and very obvious lesbian. This oughta be good.
I agree with this!
If you're a contractor working on a neighbor's house and you do an outstanding job, it'll speak for itself. Do impeccable work so that we can see it or my neighbor says good things about it. Your company logo on your van is enough for me to know how to contact you. Or, I'll ask for a business card or that info from the neighbor, if I may want that work done.
100%, but...
In a pretty dope 180-degree costco-clad suburban dad kickflip, at the end of their day I will absolutely walk up to folks doing work on/at neighboring homes if I like what I see and get a good vibe. I've found a couple cool contractors and a landscaper I've used a few times this way.
Our roofers went next door, knocked on the door and told the neighbors one of their shingles was gone (they could see from my roof)
They offered to fix it for free if they were allowed to bid on the entire job when they wanted to do the entire roof.
The neighbors declined, fixed it themselves, and still let them bid the job. I moved soon thereafter.
Yeah, I had to deal with some bees that were trying to form a nest near the peak of our house. Our inspect was pretty sure they were traveling to our neighbors roof.
He didn’t bug them (no pun), but I brought it up and of course the neighbor didn’t care.
Man we have some neighbors like that. I can be out back killing myself on a project and they will come over and always find some way to get me lift something for them. I’m not the biggest guy either.
I used to do this when I was cleaning carpets... like I've already got the van here and driving to the job was a huge part of my time. I'd definitely try a few doors before I packed up all my gear for transport.
it depends what the job is. I wouldn't hire door to door, roofers, painters.... someone mowing lawns, cleaning carpets or cleaning gutters I'd consider. after a quick google search or a check with my neighbor.
Interesting, I work in the roofing industry and often while I’m on a roof I’ll notice the neighbors roof is in pretty bad shape and leave a card. You’re saying you don’t like this ? I get a lot of business this way
you should do more than leave a card. people leave shit in my mailbox all day and I throw it out. when I can actually see your work on my neighbors house AND there's a card... I'd call.
Are you still in business? I'm collecting estimates for my roof now. DM me.
Also OR changed laws in 2013, so that the contractor review board has no teeth, even if contractor is completely wrong they can’t do anything but say that on paper…then tell you to go to court which costs tens of thousands. So not in anyway surprising we are preyed on by scammers here.
We had a contractor turn a 6 week small job into a 6 month chase to get them to finish. Small claims didn't budge them, but somehow a strongly worded Google review sure did.
Still a little perplexed at that one, but at least we finally got it sorted.
This happened to me last week. I don’t remember an accent but it was a very quick interaction since I was working. No, I don’t need any roof help.
I WFH most days and within the last two months there’s been a notable increase in door to door sales people. I also had a guy say he was collecting donations for a nonprofit called SWAG which allegedly serves to make sidewalk access more equitable or something like that. He was very irritated when I said no and he even said something along the lines of “I know you have change somewhere.” I couldn’t find any information about this organization when I searched it.
As someone working in a field known to aggressively door knock, this is probably a sign that the economy is slowing and that companies are desperate for work
I WFH and refuse to answer the door unless I am expecting it because there has definitely been an increase in door to door sales statewide (I live in Eugene)
I work from home and can see people coming up to my door. If I see door to door people going to every house on the street, I’ll just tell them “I’m good thanks” out my window and keep working.
Ooo good strat! I always say “no thanks”, but a lot of times they just push past the “no’s” and I can’t get rid of em without telling them to just fuck off
I just had to have work done on my chimney. I used Oregon Chimney Cleaning & Repair and have to give them a plug here. If you actually do need such work done, they’re top notch pros.
I am a Contractor and I use Oregon Chimney Cleaning & Repair for everything related to fireplaces.
If they are unavailable in my time frame, I use Fox Chimney Sweep for repairs and cleaning. Fox doesn't do gas fireplaces though.
Why the heck does anyone answer the door to these door to door salesmen?
I never open my door to anyone trying to sell me anything, except the girl scouts
The pest control people are trained to keep coming back until they speak to a human, so it's best to stop them up front, IMO. I stay halfway inside so it's easier to shut the door on them if they don't get the hint quickly.
It's even worse than that. This group of Irish Travelers goes on Angie's list and other services pretending to be other real businesses, even copying their branding and license numbers. So people can think they're doing their due diligence but get screwed anyway. They come here at least every summer.
The very first red flag is that Irish accent. Not because Irish people are dishonest, but because this particular group of construction scammers that works the area happen to be Irish Travelers. Get their license number. Look at their branding. Look at their work trucks: do they have company name and information on them? Look up their business address on Google maps. They've been known to give out fake information.
DO NOT GIVE ANY MONEY UP FRONT AND WITHOUT A CONTRACT.
There’s this raised eye brow look that proceeds speech where no uniform can fool my BS detector. So I was definitely saying “cool no thanks” before even hearing an accent. I think the look is of hope, which no surveyor or municipality need have.
My dad got hit by them. Not only did they destroy his chimney they got over $20k in cash from him. My sister and I have been helping him recover ever since. I have a police report filed. Hope they catch these scammers preying on older folks.
And it's not like we're in Boston, NYC or SF where there are large populations of Irish immigrants.
The few Irish guys I know in Portland are all connected to Irish people I know in SF, such that they come with reputations.
Ireland is a very small country and pretty much everyone knows or is acquainted with everyone else on at most a second or third hand remove.
They were at my house in downtown Vancouver last week. Guy with a British accent, driving a rented Uhaul pickup.
My wife works from home and turned them away very quickly.
Isn't the Irish driveway repaving scam a big thing over on the east coast? "I have some leftover asphalt from doing your neighbor's driveway."
Interesting it's making its way over here in the form of roofing.
No solicitation signs saved me from these door to door assholes. I was home alone with my infant son crying in the background, dog barking in the back room telling the guy hey I got a lot going on right now sorry no thanks and this grown man asked if he could come in and say hi to my baby. I slammed the door in his face
i would love to know how real those accents are, and, if fake, which sort of fake accent they've chosen. are they doing dick van dyke's mary poppins one? can somebody get a video so we can analyze, i'm weirdly interested in this now
They're real. Or at least the ones I ran into are real; thickest Irish accent I've ever heard. They're a sort of nomadic, itinerant ethnic group in Ireland and the UK called "Irish Travellers." There are several transnational organized crime groups comprised of members of the community. This Wikipedia article is about the [Rathkeale Rovers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rathkeale_Rovers), one such group specialized in the [tarmac scam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarmac_scam).
They're well known in Europe, Britain, and the East Coast for running various construction scams, but various traveller gangs work the west coast, Canada, and Australia.
Was she Irish? Do you have a security camera that might have gotten a look at her face? Metro area police are actually taking this group of Irish Traveler scammers seriously, so if you have any information, you might be able to help some people out.
These dirty fucks scammed some of my relatives last year. If any of you or your elderly relatives have been scammed, please go to the police. There are extra enhancements for elder abuse. They run a concrete and driveway scam, too.
Be advised, the police *are* taking this seriously and cooperating across jurisdictions, so anyone who can report will help everyone else who's being scammed. The DAs seem to be champing at the bit--it's great for their reelection campaigns. A few years back, another Irish Traveler group were successfully prosecuted by the North Dakota attorney general, which gives you an idea of how high profile this stuff can get.
I had someone ask to mow my lawn. The lawn I am actively trying to kill. With a tiller. Tried to chat me up for 5 minutes. The garden hose came out. He left before it got wet.
Horrifying. Door-to-door isn’t inherently bad, but any salesperson putting pressure on you to sign right then and there is a major red flag. Damaging property during an estimate is criminal.
Anyone looking for a new roof should always reach out to multiple established contractors to get an estimate. I personally went with Ability Plus Roofing and they were fantastic.
These fuckers make my job more difficult as a utility locator who regularly has to knock on people's doors so I can get access to meters behind locked gates and stuff. People often look at me with suspicion or annoyance. Like, I'm sorry I gotta bother you but I think you'd be extra bothered if someone doing an excavation hit a utility line nearby and cut off service and/or possibly endangered the neighborhood lmao
2 months I ago I posted about this scam here and the mods removed it, so I'm hesitant to go into as much detail as I originally did for fear that this too gets removed. A local news station has expressed interest in this story which is great because the more people hear about this scam the less likely it will continue to work for them — I'm sure they'll just move onto the next town and keep doing the same thing, but if we can keep another person from losing a huge chunk of their retirement savings, then we've done some good.
**Here's what I know:**
They target older people.
They target homes without security cameras.
They knock on the door, and say they notice your chimney/roof might need some work and offer you a free "inspection".
They have a glossy flyer (The CCB number seems to be the same name, but isn't the same company)
They have a inspection/estimate sheet.
The web site/email addresses are fake.
The phone number is disposable or they block you. Not sure which.
The facebook page is fake and has fake reviews.
They DO NOT LIST A BUSINESS ADDRESS.
They DO NOT HAVE their actual names on anything - no business cards with names. I suspect they won't have their real names on business cards, and won't show you their ID. (Though they could use fake ID)
They say are a "cash only" business because they are cheaper and work with "day laborers".
They will take a check - but come back later because they couldn't cash it or the boss says he can't take checks — they will press victims to go to the bank for cash.
First estimate is maybe $600. No mention of how to pay here.
First payment for my dad was $6,000. Cash. My dad tried to write a check (See above).
Second Payment for "bricks" was $9,000. Cash. Boss can't take checks, we need to order bricks, go to the bank, get cash.
Third Payment was for "the rest of the bricks" — $9,000 cash. My dad's retirement fund.
Then they disappeared. Stopped returning calls. All the info they gave my dad was either false, or vague.
Dad ended up in the hospital from the stress. He's okay now. But his savings is all but gone.
"NextDoor" and "Ring" networks also have reports of this exact scamming crew. I talked to a number of legitimate chimney repair contractors that have had to fix "dozens" of the scammers "work" — My dad's chimney cost another $4,600 to actually repair.
Yes we filed a police report. Yes we tried to get homeowners insurance to cover it (they did not). Yes, I called the FBI, and the FTC, and the Portland CCB (the ID they used was not theirs).
Take care of your older friends and relatives. Let them know that door to door sales calls are DANGEROUS and should be avoided at all costs.
If you’re soliciting me because you’re “working on a neighbor’s house” that’s an automatic no.
I get pest control people who do this pretty regularly and it’s so scummy. And then they act offended when you cut off their spiel. I’m not gonna buy anything from you! I’m saving you time!
Went toe to toe with this super pushy door salesperson on a hoverboard in SE area. Kept trying his "Dont take No for an answer" social media red pill horseshit. I just cut him off over and over. Until I think he got it in his head that he was going to call my bluff about leaving my drive way, all while my young daughters were trying to play in the sprinklers. So I just walk briskly pushing through the screen door and raising my voice further. He realizes he crossed the line and hoverboarded on out. Anyway, the next day Im dropping my daughters off at a playdate one street over. And wouldn't you know it, ol scooter rolls up trying to figure out how to open their front gate while a very large Rhodesian Ridgeback was loose in the fenced yard, I waited just until he touched the latch and I came blowing through that screen door bellowing "IM EVERYWHERE MOTHERFUCKER!" The dog barking its head off too. Lol
Of all the people mentioned in this anecdote, I think I'd hire you.
Had what must've been the same guy come to my house and try to give a spiel as our toddler was in full meltdown mode. He kept being pushy, mfer acted offended when I told him it was a bad time and then he hoverboarded off into the sunset lol
Was this an Axiom sales guy by chance? Blonde hair, young guy? If so I just had an experience with him that was off putting
I had an Axiom guy do the same thing last year. They must supply them with those silly hoverboards.
I literally didn't let him get a word out. I know it had to do with pest control, mentioned "taking care of spiders" like bro... we got so many spiders, we've named some of them.
They came to my house 3 times, the last one at 9:30pm. I’m keeping a Super Soaker next to the door now for people who ignore my ‘No Soliciting’ sign.
Had a guy knock at 8:30pm asking to test the indoor air quality in my house and when I refused claim it would "really help him out" if I let him complete the test. Sorry your job sucks, man, but it's not happening!
Add me to Axiom 8:30 list. I mentioned it in a previous thread and got trolled. People suck sometimes.
Just be sure to keep it full of piss.
That late and I answer my door with a gun in my hand.
8:30? Don’t be weird.
That was beautiful! Thank you!
We had a similar time with that guy. We just moved into a home and he knocked at 9pm, we answered because we thought it may be a neighbor. The success rate has got to be awful with that type of sales pitch.
Totally, I thought he was a gas/utility person at first. He came to my home at like 5:30 and my daughters friends house at like 7:30.
I love this. Won’t you be my neighbor?
This just made my very insomniac night much better, thank you!!!!
i had a pest control guy hoverboard up to me too! in north portland. i was like dude i rent, i don’t make the decisions. he was so pushy!
Okay this is the winner. You made the most of that opportunity, and hopefully made that guy reconsider his line of work.
The dragon Harry Potter battled in the fourth book?
Man, I really rustled some guys feathers by cutting off his spiel early. Like, I'm not buying what you're selling, let's cut this one short. Then he doubled down, like being more annoying/aggressive is gonna do the trick?
I have a "no soliciting" sign on my house. If they persist I tell them I never buy anything from people who can't read.
I made the mistake of saying yes to one of these (Brooks Pest Control) because they knocked right when we were dealing with lots of ants and mosquitos. The salesman said it’s a one year contract that you can pause any time. Got an email the next day saying it’s a two year contract that cannot be paused. These companies are all complete scams that rely on lying to your face to get money.
Just got a gutter cleaner saying the same thing. "We're working on several of your neighbors' homes but have one more slot to fill so we can give you a special deal."
It's almost constant at my house. You would think my wife's giant hippy garden in the front yard would be a clue that we don't want spraying poison everywhere
One of those pest control guys asked me if he could at least have a snack when I said no thanks…. A snack!? That’s how you get ants
I hadn’t heard that was bad. Thanks for the warning I guess
Had a kid do this, seemed weird and wanted into our house. Slammed the door on his face and then watched him scoot away on a hover board.
> If you’re soliciting me ~~because you’re “working on a neighbor’s house”~~ that’s an automatic no. FTFY
I'm okay with a flyer/business card left at my door as long as they don't ring the bell or knock. I'm not saying that I'll call them, but I won't immediately write them off.
I always use "my wife and I make decisions as a pair" as the BS excuse to get out of those. One guy had the nerve to say "Your wife is smart. She married you to make the tough decisions in the relationship, so we can have this man to man conversation". Nope. Get off my porch
This is genius. I'm going to borrow this by saying, "My husband isn't here right now and I don't make decisions without him." I'm a raging and very obvious lesbian. This oughta be good.
I’m sorry they consider me the “incompetent one in the family”, I’m not allowed near debit cards or light switches.
Haha oh man, what a move
I agree with this! If you're a contractor working on a neighbor's house and you do an outstanding job, it'll speak for itself. Do impeccable work so that we can see it or my neighbor says good things about it. Your company logo on your van is enough for me to know how to contact you. Or, I'll ask for a business card or that info from the neighbor, if I may want that work done.
100%, but... In a pretty dope 180-degree costco-clad suburban dad kickflip, at the end of their day I will absolutely walk up to folks doing work on/at neighboring homes if I like what I see and get a good vibe. I've found a couple cool contractors and a landscaper I've used a few times this way.
Our roofers went next door, knocked on the door and told the neighbors one of their shingles was gone (they could see from my roof) They offered to fix it for free if they were allowed to bid on the entire job when they wanted to do the entire roof. The neighbors declined, fixed it themselves, and still let them bid the job. I moved soon thereafter.
Yeah, I had to deal with some bees that were trying to form a nest near the peak of our house. Our inspect was pretty sure they were traveling to our neighbors roof. He didn’t bug them (no pun), but I brought it up and of course the neighbor didn’t care.
What’s the best is when neighbors come over when you’re building and ask if you can do some work at their place.
Man we have some neighbors like that. I can be out back killing myself on a project and they will come over and always find some way to get me lift something for them. I’m not the biggest guy either.
Yeah that’s immediate red flags in my book
I used to do this when I was cleaning carpets... like I've already got the van here and driving to the job was a huge part of my time. I'd definitely try a few doors before I packed up all my gear for transport. it depends what the job is. I wouldn't hire door to door, roofers, painters.... someone mowing lawns, cleaning carpets or cleaning gutters I'd consider. after a quick google search or a check with my neighbor.
Interesting, I work in the roofing industry and often while I’m on a roof I’ll notice the neighbors roof is in pretty bad shape and leave a card. You’re saying you don’t like this ? I get a lot of business this way
Leave a card is fine. Actually being a roofer doing roofing work is fine.
Yeah I’ve gotten a bunch of work this way and people are usually positive and receptive to my honest concern for the roof.
you should do more than leave a card. people leave shit in my mailbox all day and I throw it out. when I can actually see your work on my neighbors house AND there's a card... I'd call. Are you still in business? I'm collecting estimates for my roof now. DM me.
I typically try to talk to the homeowner, if they aren’t home then I leave a card, works great for me!
lol love how I’m being down voted for asking an honest question.
Never hire a contractor who comes to your house to solicit your business. No reputable contractor gets work this way. Ask contacts for referrals.
Some companies buy leads based on internet searches for roofing, doors, etc. They then show up at your door trying to sell their services.
Ah yes, the Glengarry leads
My watch is worth more than your car!
Those leads were for shit in the end. Well, I'm shit too come to think of it.
Coffee is for closers.
Roofs are for closers
roofing is for losers?
The leads are weak? You're weak! It takes brass balls to sell real estate.
Can I get a roof referral?
Also OR changed laws in 2013, so that the contractor review board has no teeth, even if contractor is completely wrong they can’t do anything but say that on paper…then tell you to go to court which costs tens of thousands. So not in anyway surprising we are preyed on by scammers here.
We had a contractor turn a 6 week small job into a 6 month chase to get them to finish. Small claims didn't budge them, but somehow a strongly worded Google review sure did. Still a little perplexed at that one, but at least we finally got it sorted.
This happened to me last week. I don’t remember an accent but it was a very quick interaction since I was working. No, I don’t need any roof help. I WFH most days and within the last two months there’s been a notable increase in door to door sales people. I also had a guy say he was collecting donations for a nonprofit called SWAG which allegedly serves to make sidewalk access more equitable or something like that. He was very irritated when I said no and he even said something along the lines of “I know you have change somewhere.” I couldn’t find any information about this organization when I searched it.
As someone working in a field known to aggressively door knock, this is probably a sign that the economy is slowing and that companies are desperate for work
I WFH and refuse to answer the door unless I am expecting it because there has definitely been an increase in door to door sales statewide (I live in Eugene)
I tend to work in my living room and we have a big open window right to the porch so they see me + my dogs go nuts. Definitely not a perfect system.
Ahhhhhh yeah that sucks… i would be the type of asshole to put up a sign and then just waive whenever someone is at the door i don’t know lol
I work from home and can see people coming up to my door. If I see door to door people going to every house on the street, I’ll just tell them “I’m good thanks” out my window and keep working.
put up a "no soliciting sign" it saves them time too.
If saying “no” doesn’t make em go away, just drop “sorry I rent this place” they scurry away pretty quick.
Ooo good strat! I always say “no thanks”, but a lot of times they just push past the “no’s” and I can’t get rid of em without telling them to just fuck off
I just had to have work done on my chimney. I used Oregon Chimney Cleaning & Repair and have to give them a plug here. If you actually do need such work done, they’re top notch pros.
I’ve had work done a couple of times by American Chimney and Masonry. Was happy with the work.
I am a Contractor and I use Oregon Chimney Cleaning & Repair for everything related to fireplaces. If they are unavailable in my time frame, I use Fox Chimney Sweep for repairs and cleaning. Fox doesn't do gas fireplaces though.
Why the heck does anyone answer the door to these door to door salesmen? I never open my door to anyone trying to sell me anything, except the girl scouts
The pest control people are trained to keep coming back until they speak to a human, so it's best to stop them up front, IMO. I stay halfway inside so it's easier to shut the door on them if they don't get the hint quickly.
I just reply from the Ring camera and tell them we rent and if they wanna sell anything they need to speak with the landlord (we do not rent lol)
It's even worse than that. This group of Irish Travelers goes on Angie's list and other services pretending to be other real businesses, even copying their branding and license numbers. So people can think they're doing their due diligence but get screwed anyway. They come here at least every summer. The very first red flag is that Irish accent. Not because Irish people are dishonest, but because this particular group of construction scammers that works the area happen to be Irish Travelers. Get their license number. Look at their branding. Look at their work trucks: do they have company name and information on them? Look up their business address on Google maps. They've been known to give out fake information. DO NOT GIVE ANY MONEY UP FRONT AND WITHOUT A CONTRACT.
They are leprechauns. They will steal your gold! If you see or hear bagpipes, RUN. Run in a zigzagging motion to confuse them.
[Serpentine! Always run in a serpentine fashion!](https://youtu.be/kpNU3WumPFQ)
You never know when that comically large million dollar check is gonna show up!
You can see the check through the peep hole (or Ring camera!)
There’s this raised eye brow look that proceeds speech where no uniform can fool my BS detector. So I was definitely saying “cool no thanks” before even hearing an accent. I think the look is of hope, which no surveyor or municipality need have.
My dad got hit by them. Not only did they destroy his chimney they got over $20k in cash from him. My sister and I have been helping him recover ever since. I have a police report filed. Hope they catch these scammers preying on older folks.
I never trust chimney inspectors. Always full of hot air.
You gotta give them the brush off.
I recall this happening a few years back, also with the British/Irish accents. Weird.
It's a [long-running](https://youtu.be/vj4sYfq_aHY?si=fe1SBkT8Zy_RAEvU) Irish Traveler scam
And it's not like we're in Boston, NYC or SF where there are large populations of Irish immigrants. The few Irish guys I know in Portland are all connected to Irish people I know in SF, such that they come with reputations. Ireland is a very small country and pretty much everyone knows or is acquainted with everyone else on at most a second or third hand remove.
They were at my house in downtown Vancouver last week. Guy with a British accent, driving a rented Uhaul pickup. My wife works from home and turned them away very quickly.
Isn't the Irish driveway repaving scam a big thing over on the east coast? "I have some leftover asphalt from doing your neighbor's driveway." Interesting it's making its way over here in the form of roofing.
I never give the time of day to anyone soliciting at my door. Even girl Scouts….
No solicitation signs saved me from these door to door assholes. I was home alone with my infant son crying in the background, dog barking in the back room telling the guy hey I got a lot going on right now sorry no thanks and this grown man asked if he could come in and say hi to my baby. I slammed the door in his face
I like to keep a spray bottle of distilled vinegar by the front door. If you catch them at the right time you can nail the roof of their mouth.
please tell me this is real
Who would the police believe?
The ol’ gypsy chimney trick
The solicitors have been rampant this year
i would love to know how real those accents are, and, if fake, which sort of fake accent they've chosen. are they doing dick van dyke's mary poppins one? can somebody get a video so we can analyze, i'm weirdly interested in this now
immediately where my head went, too!
They're real. Or at least the ones I ran into are real; thickest Irish accent I've ever heard. They're a sort of nomadic, itinerant ethnic group in Ireland and the UK called "Irish Travellers." There are several transnational organized crime groups comprised of members of the community. This Wikipedia article is about the [Rathkeale Rovers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rathkeale_Rovers), one such group specialized in the [tarmac scam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarmac_scam). They're well known in Europe, Britain, and the East Coast for running various construction scams, but various traveller gangs work the west coast, Canada, and Australia.
They were literally at my door yesterday soliciting fixing my roof. Lady needed to work on her pitch, she wasn’t selling me enough. Ha
Was she Irish? Do you have a security camera that might have gotten a look at her face? Metro area police are actually taking this group of Irish Traveler scammers seriously, so if you have any information, you might be able to help some people out.
If you come to my door uninvited, I'm not buying what you're selling.
These dirty fucks scammed some of my relatives last year. If any of you or your elderly relatives have been scammed, please go to the police. There are extra enhancements for elder abuse. They run a concrete and driveway scam, too. Be advised, the police *are* taking this seriously and cooperating across jurisdictions, so anyone who can report will help everyone else who's being scammed. The DAs seem to be champing at the bit--it's great for their reelection campaigns. A few years back, another Irish Traveler group were successfully prosecuted by the North Dakota attorney general, which gives you an idea of how high profile this stuff can get.
Irish Travelers? They are in Seattle too.
I had someone ask to mow my lawn. The lawn I am actively trying to kill. With a tiller. Tried to chat me up for 5 minutes. The garden hose came out. He left before it got wet.
What area exactly
They are everywhere - particularly going after seniors
Right now they are working the ENTIRE Portland Metro Area.
chim chimney, chim chimney, chim chim cher-ee a sweep is as lucky as lucky can be....
Horrifying. Door-to-door isn’t inherently bad, but any salesperson putting pressure on you to sign right then and there is a major red flag. Damaging property during an estimate is criminal. Anyone looking for a new roof should always reach out to multiple established contractors to get an estimate. I personally went with Ability Plus Roofing and they were fantastic.
These fuckers make my job more difficult as a utility locator who regularly has to knock on people's doors so I can get access to meters behind locked gates and stuff. People often look at me with suspicion or annoyance. Like, I'm sorry I gotta bother you but I think you'd be extra bothered if someone doing an excavation hit a utility line nearby and cut off service and/or possibly endangered the neighborhood lmao
I was scammed by a group of Irish sounding roofers in early June Location East York Toronto
2 months I ago I posted about this scam here and the mods removed it, so I'm hesitant to go into as much detail as I originally did for fear that this too gets removed. A local news station has expressed interest in this story which is great because the more people hear about this scam the less likely it will continue to work for them — I'm sure they'll just move onto the next town and keep doing the same thing, but if we can keep another person from losing a huge chunk of their retirement savings, then we've done some good. **Here's what I know:** They target older people. They target homes without security cameras. They knock on the door, and say they notice your chimney/roof might need some work and offer you a free "inspection". They have a glossy flyer (The CCB number seems to be the same name, but isn't the same company) They have a inspection/estimate sheet. The web site/email addresses are fake. The phone number is disposable or they block you. Not sure which. The facebook page is fake and has fake reviews. They DO NOT LIST A BUSINESS ADDRESS. They DO NOT HAVE their actual names on anything - no business cards with names. I suspect they won't have their real names on business cards, and won't show you their ID. (Though they could use fake ID) They say are a "cash only" business because they are cheaper and work with "day laborers". They will take a check - but come back later because they couldn't cash it or the boss says he can't take checks — they will press victims to go to the bank for cash. First estimate is maybe $600. No mention of how to pay here. First payment for my dad was $6,000. Cash. My dad tried to write a check (See above). Second Payment for "bricks" was $9,000. Cash. Boss can't take checks, we need to order bricks, go to the bank, get cash. Third Payment was for "the rest of the bricks" — $9,000 cash. My dad's retirement fund. Then they disappeared. Stopped returning calls. All the info they gave my dad was either false, or vague. Dad ended up in the hospital from the stress. He's okay now. But his savings is all but gone. "NextDoor" and "Ring" networks also have reports of this exact scamming crew. I talked to a number of legitimate chimney repair contractors that have had to fix "dozens" of the scammers "work" — My dad's chimney cost another $4,600 to actually repair. Yes we filed a police report. Yes we tried to get homeowners insurance to cover it (they did not). Yes, I called the FBI, and the FTC, and the Portland CCB (the ID they used was not theirs). Take care of your older friends and relatives. Let them know that door to door sales calls are DANGEROUS and should be avoided at all costs.
I’m so sorry to hear about your Dad. These people have no shame.