A valley man says someone came knocking on his door, fishing for his personal information. But was it a legitimate salesperson or a scam artist?
"Nothing about him seemed like he was professional," says Ken Fletter.
He was suspicious of a guy walking through his neighborhood recently. He was claiming to work for AT&T and DirecTV, and was making an offer that seemed too good to be true.
"I'm going to save you about $50 a month on your bill," says Ken.
On top of that, he was promising to upgrade Ken's DVR box.
"I'm sitting there in my mind thinking, this guy doesn't sound anywhere near legitimate," says Ken.
So how do you know if you can trust a salesperson standing at your front door?
"It's all about transparency," says Rhonda Mettler with the Better Business Bureau.
She says ask for identification and information.
"You can't take everything at face value. You have to ask. Then you have to research," says Rhonda.
And watch out for high pressure sales tactics. Avoid sellers who encourage you to sign a contract, or put a deposit down right away.
"Ask them to leave the information with you, and if you're interested you'll contact them," says Rhonda.
In other words, don't make a decision at your front door. Contact 13 reached out to AT&T. It turns out they did have a rep in Ken's neighborhood that day.
In a statement they tell us: "...authorized salespeople are trained to be hospitable and accommodating. They carry identification showing their affiliation with AT&T, as well as a dealer ID number and telephone contact information to provide further verification..."
They went on to say they regret causing any possible confusion. As for Ken, he says he's not taking any chances.
"In this day in age, people can get very little information from you and take over your entire life. So it's time we got smart," says Ken.
So here's the Contact 13 bottom line: if you buy something from a door to door salesperson, you have the right to change your mind. The FTC's "Cooling-Off Rule" gives you 3 days to cancel a purchase over $25. Just make sure you have the proper contact information for that business.
