After today I feel like what I must do to my poor characters. I had no less that 4 door-to-door salesmen stop by today. The last guy told me he was going to give something for free, all he wanted was free advertisement by putting his signs in my yard. And as a new author I know all about advertisement.
So I let him install his product in my house, then I had to call to get it set up. Upon doing that the lady on the phone asked me if I agreed to their 60 month contract. I was immediately alarmed. I told them I knew nothing about a contract. As a matter of fact the guy mentioned I only needed to pay one month, then cancel. He neglected to tell me the cancellation fee would be around $2,000. The poor woman was just as confused as I was. Neither of us knew what to do. The product was already install, if it was removed it would leave scars to my house.
But we just could not handle that kind of commitment, especially since I was lied to. No doubt the salesman thought once the screws had gone into my wall, I wouldn’t want to remove it due to the visible damage. But you know what, my house is already pretty damaged. What’s a few more scars? I can putty and paint over them. Just like real (or fictional) scars, it will heal and the memory will fade with time.
But for right now I feel like an idiot for letting it get that far. And I’m so mad at that salesman for taking advantage of my trusting nature. In the end I’ve learned, as I would hope any other fictional character would, and I’m going to put a big NO SOLICITING sign on my door. I will not ever let that happen to me again. I’m just dreading when the guy has to come to remove the thing… 😛
Shelley Martin Fiction 
Let us know if you want us to be there when he comes back. I’ll bring my Doberman. 🙂
Oh, I can’t stand that type of sales tactic. If I had any wiccan powers I’d be using them to send a balding spell his way. And maybe some lice. The really unpleasant kind. You poor thing, Shelley, hope your week improves!
Oh, that’s okay. My husband called the guy back and handled it >:) I love that man!
I absolutely HATE door-to-door sales critters. Or even the grown-up ones that sit out in front of grocery stores. They give you just the barest idea of what they’re pushing, and trick you into it; or they use incredibly high pressure and “could you help me out” tactics. I soooo don’t miss that part of living in town. In Oregon we had several a week; in our last neighborhood, it was only one a month or so. I love living in the sticks. 😉
Definitely hang that no soliciting sign asap. Btw, did you know you can add exceptions on it? Like “NO SOLICITING (Except for Girl Scout Cookies)”. I’ve seen those online, even.
Here’s an awesome one I found on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/78210857/solicitors-will-be-eaten-by-zombies
And here’s a Pinterest search that had some GREAT ideas:
I’m glad I found your blog . . . thanks for posting it on facebook!