Door to Door Suspicious Salespeople at Night

[mmanuch9]

11/15/2011

It was about 8:30pm tonight when a young girl knocked on my door explaining to me that she was with ATT Uverse and wanted to know about my current cable situation.  Having just had a not so great experience with my current provider, I entertained her pitch.  She went on to explain how ATT had just finished installing fiber optic cable in the area and would be conducting a "mass installation" in approximately two weeks.  She wanted to know how many TV's I currently had and was taking notes in a generic padfolio binder.  There was some literature that appeared to be official ATT letterhead, but I was never presented anything and she then attempted to put me on her personal cell phone to verify my social security number and date of birth for a credit check.  SUSPICION RAISED.  I then told her that I would not give that information out over the phone, especially to a number that I did not dial from a phone that was not my own.  She went on to say that a supervisor was in the area and I could complete the sale via his Ipad.  As I excused her from my home, the supervisor was miraculously there and already getting out of his vehicle and he explained to me that there was something wrong with the "codes" and he would not be able to use his Ipad, even though I had just finished telling the stranger I was no longer interested.  I asked to see the name tag on "Vanessa's" belt, which turned out to be nothing more than a plastic id holder with printed paper inside of it.  When I asked her about the authenticity of this bogus ID badge, she exclaimed that the company she was with is called "Coast to Coast" and that they are contracted to sell Uverse.  I was unable to reach ATT to confirm that there were contractors in the area, and felt uneasy enough to call the local Police non-emergency number to report the incident.  If this is in fact how ATT is currently trying to sell their products, it is extremely inappropriate especially in this day and age and of course I was unable to make contact after hours to ease my concern.  I have read other reports on some similar experiences, but do have my reservations that this was a scam and just pray that my home was not being cased for a future crime.  If this was not something that ATT was aware of or authorized, I would hope that they go to great lengths to make my community aware of this scam.

[jfw ACE - Czar]

Att does hire outside contractors to sell Uverse D2D, so most likely they were legit. My advice, if you're interested in getting Uverse, sign up online or call Uverse sales, you'll be doing yourself a big favor in the long run.

[oufanindallas]

jfw is correct in both accounts.  AT&T does sub-contract sales people across the company and if you are truly interested call AT&T directly to order. 

[mmanuch9]

I was able to finally get a hold of AT&T today, and after having encountered both door to door sales reps and an inside telephone sales rep, I do not know which is worse.  As far as my suspicion about the authenticity of the ATT contractors, that has not yet been satisfied.  I was able to confirm that ATT does have contractors soliciting my area, but could not verify the name of the "supervisor" that I spoke with or the name of the contracting company that the "supervisor" was working for.  I'm 75/25 that this was a legit effort to convert me to ATT U-verse, and not a criminal operation trying to case my home for a future burglary.  Needless to say the money I was going to put towards new cable and internet services is now going to be spent on a home security system.  I still think ATT needs to revisit their marketing efforts and should not have people attempting to solicit information like SSN and birth dates or how many high definition TV's someone has in their house after the sun has gone down.  They should also keep better tabs on what companies and employees are working where, and be able to definitively tell a concerned person like myself if the person that spoke to me is a verified contractor.  

[dhascall ACE - Professor]

Are you saying D2D sales folks have a curfew?  Can't sell after dark?  I doubt that it's any more restrictive than telemarketers.  7 AM to 9 PM in my city. 

At any rate I would not buy anything D2D (save for sales by school kids / scouts etc.) just as i would not over the phone.  AND AT&T is not alone in using contractors to sell services.  Comcast does so.  AND #2, you mention getting a home security system.  ADT and most others use contractors to sell D2D and I feel that they are more slimy than any other D2D sales.

[Uniblurb3 ACE - Guru]

Yeah, those unprofessional D2D sub-contractor sales reps are not the best to deal with and can see why you were suspicious. Too bad you didn't have much better luck with phone sales either.

As some have already suggested you may want to try and place your order online. Besides, ordering online has the best deals. Below are some of the "Popular Bundles" but be aware that these are either 6-month or 12-month service agreements (contracts). That's why the pricing for new customers is real good. But once the agreement expires be prepared for the increases to the regular rates.

Also be sure and read the special offer details through the link on the bottom of the page to see the exact pricing and what's included. Also don't call any reps while you're placing your order if you have questions since this may not be considered an online order anymore and jeopardize your rebates. Just a suggestion if you still want U-verse w/o talking to anybody.

http://www.att.com/u-verse/shop/index.jsp#fbid=amXe41Qq8hQ

Good luck.

[mmanuch9]

I'm saying that D2D sales people who come to your door at night asking questions about the valuables inside while wearing printed paper badges with an ATT cut and paste logo and who push you to provide your SSN and DOB over the phone to a number that you did not dial are not welcome in my neighborhood and are a VERY VERY POOR representation of a company like ATT.  They should consider this when selecting outside contractors.

[gregzoll_1]

If you wish to report to your local pd, do so. City hall if they have a solicitor law in place, can tell you if that company has registered with them. Our local city just passed an ordinance, that d2d salespeople have to pay for a permit to solicit.

You were correct in not speaking to them, but in regards in the future, you do not have to open your door to anyone, and can ask them to leave any material they have at your doorstep, while you have the door closed & locked, and you will check it out after they leave.

[dhascall ACE - Professor]

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mmanuch9 wrote:

I'm saying that D2D sales people who come to your door at night asking questions about the valuables inside while wearing printed paper badges with an ATT cut and paste logo and who push you to provide your SSN and DOB over the phone to a number that you did not dial are not welcome in my neighborhood and are a VERY VERY POOR representation of a company like ATT.  They should consider this when selecting outside contractors.

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Valuables in your house?   Did they ask about collectablle guns, jewelry, antiques or ???  If the only thing that they asked you about was how many HD TV's you have in your house, there is a reason for that and it deals with the number of available HD streams.  If you had 7 or more HD sets, UV may not be right for you.

SSN or DOB: Those are required for the required credit check

The worst D2D sellers in my neighborhood are security system D2D sellers.  They have ADT caps, ADT polo shirts, ADT clipboards and so on.  After you look over the pricing card, you see the real guise it is something like "ProtectAmerica" using ADT equipment or "XYZ Security, powered by ADT."   Much worse, IMO than ADT.  Long story short, if this bugs you, then you might want to find another provider.  Comcast uses similar sellers in my area and Bright House does to, in their area, in Indy.

[perfidy]

We had a similar experience. 2 guys knocked at the door (in the daytime, I'd never answer at night) and were pitching u-verse to my wife, who is more trusting than I am. I went to the door to see what it was all about and she excitedly said they were offering a great deal on AT&T u-verse. My general policy is to politely ask door to door salesment for a website or brochure. My suspicions were raised when they said that they were only in the area for a few days. They then said they would call AT&T from their cell phone and that they would "step aside" while I gave the operator of this unknown number my social security number, date of birth, etc. so they could run a credit check. At that point i was ready to just say "no thanks" but my wife kept insisting I do it. So I said, how about if you give me the number and I call it from my phone. They did . I called and it seemed legitimate, but the operator insisted he needed my ssn to run a credit check. I asked why not check my AT&T wireless account, but he claimed he could not do this. He did kind of sound legitimate but at that point I decided to just look online for a u-verse deal. I ended up calling the official AT&T number pulled from their website, was able to research exactly what services were offered for how much (as opposed to the vague, unwritten promises of X channels and ever so fast internet service that the salesmen had made). The AT&T operator did NOT ask for any kind of credit check information because he WAS able to see I was an AT&T customer in good standing.

[phone number removed - available internally]

[dhascall ACE - Professor]

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perfidy wrote:

We had a similar experience. 2 guys knocked at the door (in the daytime, I'd never answer at night) and were pitching u-verse to my wife, who is more trusting than I am. I went to the door to see what it was all about and she excitedly said they were offering a great deal on AT&T u-verse. My general policy is to politely ask door to door salesment for a website or brochure. My suspicions were raised when they said that they were only in the area for a few days. They then said they would call AT&T from their cell phone and that they would "step aside" while I gave the operator of this unknown number my social security number, date of birth, etc. so they could run a credit check. At that point i was ready to just say "no thanks" but my wife kept insisting I do it. So I said, how about if you give me the number and I call it from my phone. They did . I called and it seemed legitimate, but the operator insisted he needed my ssn to run a credit check. I asked why not check my AT&T wireless account, but he claimed he could not do this. He did kind of sound legitimate but at that point I decided to just look online for a u-verse deal. I ended up calling the official AT&T number pulled from their website, was able to research exactly what services were offered for how much (as opposed to the vague, unwritten promises of X channels and ever so fast internet service that the salesmen had made). The AT&T operator did NOT ask for any kind of credit check information because he WAS able to see I was an AT&T customer in good standing.

[phone number removed - available internally]

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Thanks for the info.  If you are not an AT&T customer, you will get a credit check - as noted by those who post on here, with low credit scores and bad credit who bemoan having to pay a higher than most, deposit.  Also no one, even at AT&T can "check your AT&T wireless account," as those divisons are not related.  It's no different than Chase bank, for instance.  I can't call Chase credit (credit cards) to talk about my mortgage or bank account.  They are only related in the name "Chase."

As far as door to door folks - I do the same thing as you do.  Politely get their info, rate and so on and then decline.  THEN I call the actual company.  You normally get the same deal.  I will say, today, however shopping car insurance, that a recorded message at one of the largest auto insurers said basically that you may get different rates at local agents, their website and the national 800 number.  So, YMMV.

[hardrocker289]

I currently do door to door sales here in OK, the reason for at&t doing the door to door is because u-verse isn't available to everyone as they have to install the fiber-optic into the neighborhood and can't just mass market it. As far as the sales rep using her phone and she personally asking for a ssn and dob, that doesn't happen. We call the at&t call center (in either az, cali, or tx) and they process the orders. we're there to take the hassle out of the ordering process and making sure the customer's get the correct package that fits their needs. Yes, for some reps, they can use iPad's to process the order instead of having to get on the phone, just to make the process that must faster. So, yes, at&t does do a soft utility credit check (the reason for dob and ssn) . Hope this sets some minds at ease.

[ETEX255]

Just had a similar experience to the person who started the thread, and several of the respondents. Two youngish persons wearing ATT-logoed shirts, pitch that fiber optic had just been installed in the nighborhood, detailed questions about what IT and TV equipment I have in the house, etc. I quickly became nervous about the intrusive nature of the questions and asked the salespersons to leave, which they then refused to do. After the fourth time I asked then to leave my property with no response except to demand to know why I wasn't interested I closed the door and called the local Sheriff's department. A deputy arrived within a few minutes and apparently found they were legit, as they are still wandering around the neighborhood as I type this.

I understand they were undoubtedly working from a mandatory script and that they most likely are instructed to keep the conversation going as long as possible, but there's no excuse whatever for refusal to leave private property when asked. Bad businesss model, In my view, and as a matter of policy, I will not purchase any commercial products or services from door to door or telephone solicitations, all the more so if the salespeople repeatedly refuse to respond to clear statements that I'm not interested.

[Uniblurb3 ACE - Guru]

You did the correct thing in calling the S.O. when you outright told these D2D sales reps you weren't interested and they refused to leave your property. While the Deputy said they were legit, and let them continue to wander the neighborhood in search of customers, I wonder who's supposed to make sure they abide by the local solicitation permit? Most cities, town, townships, etc, have some type of gov't body for issuing these type permits and they may be the ones to report these sales reps to. It's my understand if these subcontractors don't abide by the "rules of the game" they may lose their permit privileges or vendor's license altogether.

At least you had them driven off and would bet they won't be back.

[ajc1234]

The exact same thing happened to me today.  Two young people claiming that at&t is installing fiber optic in my neighborhood.  It was B$ because we’ve had it for years.  They had no idea of what they were talking about.  Quote from the girl: “Your speed is a 3 and I can make it a 7”.  It was extremely sketch.  They wanted to know my favorite TV stations, shows, and personal habits but didn’t write any of it down (Didn’t give it to them just some B$).  It seemed to me their only interest was in how many HD TV’s are in my house and wrote it down.  Call me paranoid but, three of my neighbors and I have had our houses broken into and robbed.  It just felt like they were casing out my home.  My neighborhood has had a history with door to door scammers and break ins.

I live in a north Atlanta suburb if this helps anyone.  It would make me feel better to know if this is an official at&t thing, not just a gang of crooks in my area.  If this is an at&t thing they seriously need reconsider their actions.

[spd2demun ACE - Master]

Sounds like a scam.

Send a PM to Alex and he can check your address/area to see if they've got d2d sales in your area.  Alex IS an ATT employee, everything is handled privately by personal message.

Alex

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ajc1234 wrote:

The exact same thing happened to me today.  Two young people claiming that at&t is installing fiber optic in my neighborhood.  It was B$ because we’ve had it for years.  They had no idea of what they were talking about.  Quote from the girl: “Your speed is a 3 and I can make it a 7”.  It was extremely sketch.  They wanted to know my favorite TV stations, shows, and personal habits but didn’t write any of it down (Didn’t give it to them just some B$).  It seemed to me their only interest was in how many HD TV’s are in my house and wrote it down.  Call me paranoid but, three of my neighbors and I have had our houses broken into and robbed.  It just felt like they were casing out my home.  My neighborhood has had a history with door to door scammers and break ins.

I live in a north Atlanta suburb if this helps anyone.  It would make me feel better to know if this is an official at&t thing, not just a gang of crooks in my area.  If this is an at&t thing they seriously need reconsider their actions.

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[JefferMC ACE - Wizard]

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ajc1234 wrote:

 They wanted to know my favorite TV stations, shows, and personal habits but didn’t write any of it down (Didn’t give it to them just some B$).  It seemed to me their only interest was in how many HD TV’s are in my house and wrote it down.  

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I can see this as a legitimate sales tactic to get you talking and make you think they have an intrest in you and to attempt to relate your situation to things they sell.  However, I can just as easily see it being used as you say... casing the joint.

Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean someone's not out to get you.

Stay safe.

[duttson]

It pretty simple if you want to save as much money and get a plan the custom fit for you and you think the robotic person over the phone is gonna be best for you. dont be surprised when your bill doesnt match up.  If you would like a custom plan tailored to fit you your needs relize 68% of att new bussness is d2d.  Not to mention a clear explentaion of your bill I had a guy come to my door explain everything in detail and answer my questions in a way that was not scripted but personal.  so to anyone who is paranoid Im going to enjoy my deeper discount and better understanding.  they are just like you they are people too they are just trying to do their job. Sad how the world is that its hard to trust people but its not impossible.